Title: Easier to Lie
Author: Rubiks
Pairing: gen
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or any of its characters.
Author's Note(s): That's right, folks. I'm back with another story instalment. Now, this actually follows on from the last piece of fanfiction I wrote, namely 'Flawless' (an uninspired title I know). However it is not necessary for you to have read it, though I would recommend doing so as I will mention things that happened in it a good few times. Basic gist for anybody who has not read 'Flawless', JJ and Prentiss got kidnapped by crazy unsub, took a bit of a beating and then got rescued (an uninspired plot line I know). Oh yea and Reid decided to quit drugs at the end.
This story will follow the same format of the first, meaning that I will switch character perspectives for each chapter. I love all of them so I can't only write from one person's point of view without wanting to move on. Keeps the story interesting I feel and stops me from getting bored.
Summary: Couples are being brutally murdered in a small town near Staten Island, but a combination of the weather, personal problems and a quickly devolving unsub makes this case one of the BAU's most difficult yet.

***

Chapter 1

Three weeks. That was how long it had been. That was how long it had been since JJ, along with her colleague and friend, had been snatched from her hotel room in the middle of the night. It had been three weeks since she had looked upon the face of her abductor and three weeks since he had beaten her almost to the point of unconsciousness. And yet, every night for the past three weeks had been filled with nightmares where his face was all JJ could see. Surely three straight weeks was enough suffering? Surely now after this point JJ would be able to move on and finally get that good nights uninterrupted sleep that she so desperately craved. But alas, it was not meant to be.

JJ woke with a gasp. She quickly shoved the oppressive blankets that pinned her to her bed onto the floor, almost as though it was them that were attacking her and not the man in her dream. As the cold night air hit her skin she immediately regretted her actions and scrambled to the bottom of her bed to retrieve them.

Wrapping the blankets around her thin shoulders, JJ leaned back heavily on her headboard and closed her eyes. She let herself the shiver against the cool air and allowed herself just a few moments of weakness before she would have to carefully fit the mask of professional indifference onto herself ready for work. JJ was fairly sure that everyone saw through her, but it gave her a sense of normalcy that helped to get her though the day.

JJ wondered if Emily was having the same problems. If she was then the older woman was doing a much better job at hiding it than JJ. It made no sense. They had both been taken, both had been through the exact same thing, and yet Emily seemed to have made a quick recovery. In the first two weeks JJ had stayed in Emily' guest room. It was so neither of them had to be alone for a while. But after they had gone back to work, JJ had moved out and back into her own home. At first she had been relieved that she would have her own space and be in familiar settings again, but that feeling quickly faded and for some reason she felt rather lonely.

No matter what time JJ had got up out of bed and went downstairs, Emily was always there before her cooking breakfast for them both. It was an uncanny knack she seemed to have of predicting when JJ would choose rise and would plan her breakfasts to the exact time. Sometimes it had annoyed her slightly, JJ had never been a breakfast type of person and sometimes it was just too early for her to eat. But she would eat the food anyway to make Emily happy. Now she had become used to having breakfast and was forced to add it to her daily routine before she went to work. It was rather a bit of effort when she had just got up in the morning though, JJ wondered how Emily had the energy to keep up making bacon and eggs and other such foods every morning. It was nice to know that someone cared enough to do that for her, especially when they were dealing with their own issues at the same time.

With a small groan, JJ rose from her bed and moved to stand by her window. She gently pushed the curtains aside and gazed wistfully out into the street. It was more peaceful than any street had the right to be when such tragedies where happening in so many other places around the country. Her stare fell onto the lone maple tree that adorned the sidewalk in the middle of a small patch of grass. The last few dying leaves clung hopelessly to their branches as the wind struggled to separate them. It was with a heavy heart that JJ watched a particularly strong gust succeed in dislodging one of the brown leaves from its pitiful twig from which it was so dependant on for life. It fluttered slowly to the ground.

Even though JJ was surrounded by people all day, she had never felt quite so alone before.

It turned out to be one of those days were the sun shone brightly and clearly, and yet outside it was still freezing cold. JJ suspected it was something done purposely by some sort of weather God to lull people into a false sense of security, only for them to find that they had underdressed and would have to fight against the chilly air until they could finally go home again. Luckily, JJ would not be fooled by such trickery, and had wrapped up warmly before going to work.

"Good morning, JJ," said Reid in a tired voice as she passed him on the way to her office.

She glanced up at him and fixed a false smile on her face, "Good morning."

With no small amount of surprise, JJ noted that Reid looked like he had not slept in several years. Dark bags hung under his eyes and if possible he looked even thinner than he normally did. One of the good things about being a woman was the fact that JJ could use makeup to hide her exhaustion, Reid had no such luxury. Rather than mention it though, she merely nodded and carried on her way to the interminable heap of files that awaited her.

As expected, when JJ opened the door to her office she was greeted by a pile of work that seemed to have multiplied over night. Whenever she seemed to be making headway with it, more was simply added. Sometimes JJ really hated her job.

She took off her coat and hung it over the back of the door. Might as well get comfortable, she thought. It was going to be a long day.

JJ felt her entire body stiffen as she held in her hands a case that could not be ignored. Words could not describe how much she didn't feel ready to be carted off to another state and track down yet another serial killer. She didn't feel quite ready to leave the comfort and safety of her own home again just yet. But she quickly put these feelings of doubt to one side. She refused to allow her emotions control over her.

It was not difficult to round up the team into the briefing room. They had become so accustomed to the grim way JJ would walk out of her office with a case file that they knew when they were needed before she had even opened her mouth.

Now she stood before them all, a remote control in hand and the pictures of two couples on the screen behind her. Each of them stared at either her or the screen as she opened her mouth to speak. Well, everyone but Reid who was gazing intently at his hands as though there was something of immense interest on them that he couldn't quite drag his attention from.

"Four victims in two weeks," JJ began, pleased to note that her voice was perfectly steady and hinted at none of the trepidation she was feeling, "The first couple where found in a park in the middle of a small town just outside of New York and the second couple were found in their car just outside the same park."

JJ pointed the remote control at the screen and clicked the arrow button twice. A montage of pictures appeared displaying the mutilated corpses of the four victims.

"There are signs of torture on the two women before they were stabbed to death shortly after. The men were both killed by a single stab to the heart. The coroner says that as the deaths were so close together it is impossible to tell whether the man or woman was killed first in either case."

Morgan tapped his pen on the desk and said thoughtfully, "So the women are the primary target, and the men are just the afterthought?"

"No, he could just as easily target women alone rather than go to the trouble of seeking out couples. He needs the man to be there," Hotch said to no one in particular.

"We won't know for sure until we see the crime scene, but the killer looks to be organised," Reid began, "If he carries a knife around then may be hunting for his victims, maybe even stalking them before he kills them."

"But look how messy the crime scene is," Morgan interjected, "Organised killers tend to be cleaner and more precise. The marks on the women's faces, they don't correspond. There is no method to them."

Hotch was nodding almost imperceptibly at what both profilers were saying, "We can talk more about it on the plane," he said, effectively cutting off whatever Reid was about to say, "Wheels up in an hour."

Morgan and Reid left the room quickly, but just before Emily left, Hotch caught her shoulder.

She flinched at the contact, and even though it was barely noticeable, JJ knew Hotch realised and he quickly withdrew his hand before speaking.

"Emily, sit down please. You too JJ," he turned to look at JJ, his dark eyes unreadable.

Putting her file down on the table, JJ slowly obeyed, not at all liking where she suspected this was going. By her stiff movements JJ guessed Emily was equally reluctant to do as she was told, but her face betrayed nothing as she sat down in the chair next to JJ so they were both facing Hotch.

"Is there a problem, sir?" Emily asked after no one spoke for a moment.

Hotch paused before taking the seat opposite them, he spoke slowly as though selecting each of his words very carefully, "I know this has come quickly, and I will understand if you want to stay here for this case."

"No thank you," JJ said quickly, "We'll be fine."

Hotch pursed his lips, he had obviously been expecting this answer even if he didn't entirely approve of it, he turned to Emily, "Is this how you feel too?"

"It is, sir," she said.

Putting his hands on the table to push himself up, Hotch nodded and said, "I will see you in an hour then."

JJ felt a great surge of relief when he had left the room, it was very unnerving to be under the careful scrutiny of Aaron Hotchner. She could only imagine how intimidating it must be to be on the receiving end of one of his interrogations. As she stood to leave the room, JJ's eyes briefly met Emily's, but they both quickly looked elsewhere and went their separate ways.

***

Chapter 2

This was supposed to be his weekend with Jack. Haley had agreed to let Hotch look after him for two full days. But naturally, as luck would have it, this was the weekend they had been given a new case, and unless he and his team could wrap it up in the next twenty-four hours it was unlikely he would make it back. The inevitable phone call he would have to make to let Haley know was not one he was looking forward to.

"It's possible the unsub doesn't live in the town," Reid said, effectively rousing Hotch from his dark thoughts, "Look how close it is to Staten Island. If the unsub doesn't want to kill too close to his home then it would only be a forty minute drive."

"I have a friend who lives in Staten Island," Prentiss said in an oddly detached voice, staring off out the window. It was obvious that she wasn't really listening to word Reid was saying. Hotch exchanged a brief look with Morgan. Neither of them were happy that JJ and Prentiss had insisted on coming with them for this case.

"The fact that he used a knife could suggest the unsub is impotent," said Hotch, pulling one of the crime scene photographs towards himself to look at the injuries more closely.

"Or it could be some sort of work tool and the most readily available weapon for him. It depends what type of knife it is," Reid added.

Hotch happened to glance at the laptop on the table just as Garcia accessed it. No doubt to give them some information on the victims. Sometimes Hotch didn't know what he and team would do without Garcia to cheer them with her bright spirit and humorous nature. His job would be a lot harder without her there in the background to subtly boost the morale of his team. He wondered if she realised how important she was to everyone. Probably not.

"Hello, my lovelies," she said, watching them through the web cam.

"Hey, Sweetness," Morgan said with a smile, "What have you got for us?"

Even though he knew the shameless flirting between Garcia and Morgan reflected their close friendship rather than anything romantic, sometimes Hotch suspected there might be something more behind it. The way they sometimes looked at each other and the way Morgan's face would light up at the sound of her voice…occasionally it reminded Hotch of the way he and Haley had been in the first few years of their relationship. He felt a pang of regret but quickly pushed it to one side.

"I ran the victims through my systems and so far it's come up with nothing other than them living in the same area. However, using my wildly persuasive phone techniques I have found that they went to the same church on a Sunday. St Catherine's," she said, looking at each of them in turn before moving her attention back to Morgan.

"I knew you wouldn't let me down, Baby Girl," said Morgan in reply.

Garcia smiled, "I'll let you know if I find anything else."

With that her face disappeared from the screen.

"I wonder who she called," said JJ with a bemused smile. She was sat opposite Reid but this was the first thing she had said for the entire journey. As always Garcia had somehow managed to restore some order in the team without even meaning to.

"She probably sweet talked some angels into giving her a private audience with God himself and then charmed the information out of him," said Morgan with a raised eyebrow.

JJ's smile widened, "It wouldn't surprise me."

No, it wouldn't surprise Hotch either.

"Okay, let's go over the details one more time," said Hotch. Then as JJ's smile faded he mentally cursed himself for spoiling her moment of happiness.

As his team spoke, Hotch pondered what the best course of action would be. Under no circumstances was he going to send JJ and Prentiss off on their own anywhere. Either he or Morgan would stay with them at all times. Or Reid he supposed. Preferably not though, the boy was looking a bit worse for wear at the moment and could do without the extra burden of looking out for his colleagues.

"When we land," began Hotch once silence had fallen, "I want everyone at the crime scene. We can split up and look at both of the murder sites."

Everyone nodded and then moved to move comfortable chairs so they could relax before the madness would begin again.

The first thing Hotch noted as the team stepped off the plane was how the looming dark clouds rolled across the sky, threatening either snow or rain depending on how cold it was when they could finally absorb no more water and burst. The second thing that he filed away in his mind was how small and desolate this landing strip was. For once Reid hadn't bombarded them with statistics on how many people lived in the area they were searching, but by the looks of things it didn't have a very big population.

"Hi," said a dark haired man as they drew level with him, "I'm Sheriff Regal."

He held his hand out and Hotch shook it. Regal seemed to be rather pompous, he carried a self important air about himself that Hotch took an immediate dislike to.

"I'm SSA Hotchner and this is my team SSA Morgan, Prentiss, Jareau and Doctor Reid," Hotch said, inclining his head towards each person as he said their name.

Sheriff Regal nodded his head and turned to lead them to a couple of cars. Something in his demeanour suggested to Hotch that the man didn't really want them there.

"I'll take you to the crime scene." the Sheriff said.

It wasn't a particularly remarkable crime scene. Not much more could be gleaned from it than what the team had already talked about using the crime photographs for reference.

What Hotch was more interested in was how JJ and Prentiss would react. He had to admit he was almost disappointed when neither of them made any outward sign that they were affected. Hotch worried that if they didn't deal with what happened to them properly it could lead to some serious problems. Like it had done with Reid.

"Well?" a voice from behind him said impatiently.

Hotch turned and looked down to find Sheriff Regal stood uncomfortably close. He looked down his nose at the Sheriff, noticing for the first time how short he was.

"Excuse me?" Hotch said, maintaining the air of professionalism he kept at all times.

"What can you tell us mere mortals about our murderer that we don't already know?" said Sheriff Regal disdainfully.

From just a few feet away, Morgan looked up and narrowed his eyes at the Sheriff. Hotch knew exactly what he was thinking. If the man didn't want their help then why on earth had he called.

"After I consult with my team we will give a formal briefing back at the station," Hotch said, keeping eye contact with the sheriff until the other man looked away.

Hotch berated himself for the childish satisfaction he got from winning his little staring competition, but sometimes it was the small victories that made everything else more bearable. His team could do with a victory soon.

***

Chapter 3

Morgan couldn't help but feel a strong sense of foreboding on the drive to the hotel recommended by Sheriff Regal. It was ridiculous he knew. Lightning doesn't strike in the same place twice. It didn't stop him from surveying Prentiss out the corner of his eye though.

She seemed to sense him watching her, for she shifted uncomfortably in her seat and turned to stare out the window so Morgan could no longer see her face. He shook his head ever so slightly and turned his full attention back onto his driving.

They had been driving for more than half an hour, where ever this guy was leading them it was a fair distance away from the police headquarters and the crime scene. It was probably Regal's intention, Morgan thought on reflection. To keep them away. Why he had bothered to call them when he clearly didn't want their help was beyond Morgan. The guy had balls though, not many people would speak to Hotch the way he had done earlier.

Rounding a corner, the two cars in front finally came a slow down. Morgan looked up at the hotel they were staying at and his eyes widened. The place bore an eerie and striking resemblance to the Bate's Motel. He half expected Norman himself to walk out to greet them.

The sound of Prentiss opening the car door made Morgan realise that the others were waiting for them and he got out of the car to join them. Regal stood next to Hotch with a rather smug look on his face.

"Well here we are," the sheriff said, his eyes sweeping over the 'hotel' and lingering on the boarded up windows on two of the rooms.

No one quite knew what to say. Hotch opened his mouth to speak but Regal's phone rang.

"Sheriff Regal," he said putting the phone to his ear. Morgan rolled his eyes.

"Hello, Mother," Regal said coldly, "I told you not to call me in work…No…I…Yes, Mother…No…"

He walked away from the group, presumably to give himself and his mother some privacy.

"A boy's best friend is his mother," Prentiss quoted under her breath.

Morgan snorted, obviously she had made a Psycho connection too.

"Are we really going to stay here?" asked JJ, "It doesn't even look like it's open."

There was something that sounded like disgust in her voice, but beneath it Morgan was sure there was a hint of fear there. He felt an overwhelming urge to move closer to her and place a protective arm around her shoulder. He didn't though.

"Yes," said Hotch reluctantly, "Just for today and we'll find somewhere else tomorrow."

"It looks dirty," Reid said, eyeing the muddy footprints on the door.

"Right then," came Regal's voice from behind Morgan, "I'll leave you to it. Enjoy your evening and we'll see you bright and early at seven o clock."

He turned and left, but not before Morgan saw the unkind sneer on his face and the amused glance he shared with his deputy. It angered him far more than he knew it should have done. He tried to let it go though and followed his team into the broken down hole that they were supposed to spend the night in.

There was no one else in the hotel. Absolutely nobody. Not that Morgan could blame them. Who would willingly stay in this dump? On the plus side though, it meant they all had rooms next to each other. Not that anything bad was going to happen, but it was comforting to know that JJ and Prentiss were in the two rooms between his and Hotch's. Just in case.

He looked around his room miserably, there were questionable stains on the threadbare carpet and the sullied curtains that covered the cracked window were caked in dirt. The 'bathroom', which contained a shower with the head missing, and a toilet with no seat, had a hole in the door where the handle used to be. Morgan knew there was no way he was going to sleep tonight. He wondered if everyone else's room was equally horrific.

With a sigh he resigned himself to sitting on the plastic stool for the rest of the night. There was no point in even attempting to get some rest. As soon as this case was over, Morgan was going to make Regal suffer.

"So," Morgan said groggily, "Did anybody get any sleep last night?"

It was half past six in the morning and they were gathered in the 'lobby' waiting for Reid. The lack of response from Hotch, JJ and Prentiss told him all he needed to know.

"I could call Garcia when we're in the car and ask her to find us a proper hotel," Morgan offered.

The manager looked up at them from behind his desk and shot Morgan a look that was almost as filthy as his room had been. Morgan ignored him.

Hotch nodded his assent, "I think that would be a good idea."

It was at that point that Hotch's phone rang.

"Agent Hotcher," he said, and then he stopped talking. He remained silent for a whole two minutes before saying, "All right," and putting the phone down.

Luckily, Reid was on his way towards them and Hotch turned to speak to them, "That was Regal. There's been another murder. It looks like you could have been right about where he lives Reid, the bodies were found at the edge of town, just on the outskirts of Staten Island."

"He's devolving," Morgan observed.

"That would make sense. If he can no longer wait to get to the park where the other two couples were killed he could just be killing closer to home," Prentiss said. Morgan thought her voice sounded rather strained. It was probably due to her lack of sleep.

"It's happening pretty quickly," said Reid thoughtfully as the team made their way to the cars, "There was a two week break between the first and second kills and now he's killed again with only a day and a half in between?"

"He could be in a psychotic break," Morgan said, realising what Reid was getting at.

In contrast to everyone else, Reid actually looked and sounded rather chipper. It was puzzling. Out of all of them Morgan thought that Reid would be the least tolerant of the dirty mess, something was obviously wrong with the boy if he had managed to get a good nights sleep here. He stored that in the back of his mind to consider later, they had more pressing problems to deal with than Reid being in a suspiciously good mood.

Problems like how freaking cold it was outside. As they walked to the cars Morgan had to wrap his jacket around him as tightly as possible. He looked at the dark sky where storm clouds hung threateningly over their heads. The rain had held off so far but Morgan suspected they wouldn't be quite so lucky today.

The two bodies where in much the same condition as the last two Morgan had seen. There were more prominent signs of torture on the woman and by the looks of it the thing that had finally killed her was eleven stab wounds to the chest. It was massive overkill. If Morgan wasn't such a seasoned profiler he would have felt utterly sickened by the amount of blood that pooled on the ground and covered the woman's once pretty face. The man has only one stab wound through the heart, like the other male victims.

"Have the victims been identified yet?" Morgan asked Sheriff Regal who stood next to him.

"No," the sheriff said darkly, "The other victims were from my town so they were easily identified. No one has ever seen these people before though."

He then seemed to realise who he was talking too and his personality shifted back to that of the obnoxious man from the day before, "But surely you already know that? What with your ability to read minds and solve crimes so well that it makes everybody else ineffectual."

Morgan clenched his hand into a fist and turned away to speak to Hotch. It was then that he spotted JJ. She stood facing the crime scene, but wasn't actually looking at it. Her arms were crossed in a typical protective stance, but Morgan wasn't sure if this was due to the cold or for some other reason. He hoped for the former even though he knew it wasn't. He felt helpless; he knew neither JJ nor Prentiss would willingly come to talk to him or Hotch. They were both too stubborn for their own good. They needed help from somewhere though. Morgan resolved to talk to Hotch about it at the end of the day.

"Okay," Hotch said, catching everyone's attention with a single word, "We are going to go back to headquarters to give a formal profile. Then Reid and JJ, I want you to go and speak to the man that found the bodies. Morgan, Prentiss and I will start a geographical profile and see if Garcia has any leads for us."

It was only an hour after that when the first innocent snowflake fell from the sky.

***

Chapter 4

"Reid! Will you slow down!"

Surprised, Spencer looked sideways at JJ, who was clinging to the inside of the car door as if for dear life. He took his foot off the accelerator pedal until they were going at what JJ seemed to deem a respectable speed.

"Better?" Spencer asked.

"Yes," JJ replied, pursing her lips.

Spencer grinned. He hadn't felt this good in the long time. For the last week he had been giving himself a smaller dose of dilaudid than he usually would. As much as it pained him he knew it had been for the best. But after trying to sleep in that horrific hotel room last night he knew he couldn't take it any more. Until the end of this case he was going to up his dosage again. How was he supposed to concentrate on the case when he was experiencing such awful withdrawal symptoms anyway? It was better this way. So this morning he had given himself a little more than he normally would have done and was feeling worlds better for it.

"How much further is it?" asked JJ, consulting a dog-eared map that Sheriff Regal had provided for them, "You know this actually has a smudge on the place we're going to."

"Don't worry. I checked on the internet before we left. I know where we're going. Should be there in about fifteen minutes," said Spencer, hoping he sounded reassuring.

Oddly, JJ still looked rather uneasy as she turned to look out the window. Spencer tried to ignore it though; she had looked like that since they started this journey more than an hour ago. Spencer felt that a more important question than how this man found the bodies was what on earth he was doing so far from home so early in the morning. It was a fairly long drive.

Snow was so beautiful, Spencer thought wonderingly. It was falling down gently, already covering the roads and fields in a thin white blanket. He wished the window wipers on this car were more effective though, they were rather slow and it was making for a difficult driving environment. Perhaps that was what was making JJ edgy.

"What is the guy's name again?" said JJ, interrupting Spencer's thoughts.

"David Canavan," he said immediately, "Says he was going shopping in Staten Island but overestimated how it would take him to get there, so he went for a walk and stumbled across the bodies."

"Are we here?" JJ said.

"What?"

Spencer looked forwards just in time to see a small house before he passed it. Without thinking he slammed on the breaks.

The car screeched and skidded across the ground before coming a stop with a jolt. Spencer was dimly aware of JJ exclaiming a list of expletives as they were thrown forward against their seatbelts.

"Ow!" JJ cried.

Spencer quickly undid his seatbelt and tried to steady his erratic breathing.

"JJ! Are you hurt?" he said, frantically trying to assess if she had any injuries.

Cradling her hand to her chest, JJ looked up with fury in her eyes, "Yes I'm hurt! I think I've sprained my wrist. What the hell possessed you to jam on the breaks?"

Spencer fumbled for words before offering a weak, "I…don't know."

A disgusted look was all he got as response as JJ used her good hand to open the car door and get out. He jumped to follow her and soon they found themselves at the front door of David Canavan's house where a feeble looking old man opened the door.

With a delighted smile, Spencer noted how heavy the snow was becoming. It was very pretty. He resisted the sudden urge to run out into the field and try to make snow angels. It would be silly because as soon as he did they would just fill up with snow again.

Instead he followed JJ into the warmth of the house, which in Spencer's opinion would be more appropriately be called a shack for it seemed to be half made of wood and shabby windows to keep in the heat.

Two hours, a cup of tea, and several chocolate biscuits later, Spencer and JJ were finally leaving Mr. Canavan's home. He had insisted they stay for a while and warm up. He had even bandaged JJ's wrist to stop herself from injuring it anymore. At first JJ had declined the offer of tea and biscuits but Spencer decided it would be rude to refuse him as well. He had seemed so upset when JJ had announced they were leaving so soon.

Now he regretted it. The snow was thickening and it was becoming increasingly difficult to drive. They should have left earlier.

"Hey, JJ?" Spencer said.

"Yes?" she replied. By her tone he could tell she was still annoyed with him for making them stay so long.

"Maybe you should call someone and let them know we are all right," he said, bracing himself for a snappy reply.

"I already tried," JJ said in a resigned voice, "There's no signal out here."

Damn.

"I don't think I can drive for much longer," Spencer said, thoroughly ashamed for not having thought of this potential problem, "The snow is too deep and I can barely see through the window."

He felt more than saw the glare that JJ shot in his direction.

Then, as if on cue, the engine seemed to splutter and cough. Spencer gripped the steering wheel tighter, as though that would stop the car from dying. Die it did though. Almost as though a cheesy writer of fiction were doing their best to make Spencer and JJ's life even more awkward than it already was.

As the car slowed to an eventual stop, Spencer leaned forward to rest his forehead on the steering wheel with a huge sigh. For a good five minutes neither of them moved or said anything. Spencer could practically hear the stream of swearwords running through JJ's head though.

The drugs were loosing their initial potency. Spencer could feel his endless source of energy slowly draining away. Every day this happened, and every day he felt a stab of terror when he realised he would have to fall back into reality where the world was so harsh and cruel. He tried to pull himself together and think of something to do. He looked up and turned to JJ. She was staring blankly at the snow that coated the front window, making it impossible to see.

"What are we going to do?" she said after noticing him looking at her, "We can't stay here. We'll freeze."

Spencer almost flinched at the tone of her voice. It was not one of anger as he was expecting, but one that could almost pass for cold indifference if not for the underlying hint of fear. He looked out of the side window; it was the only one that it was still possible to see out of. The only thing for miles around was what looked like a barn about a mile away.

"We are going to walk to that barn over there and see if we can find something to keep us warm," Spencer said, hoping he sounded like he knew what he was doing.

Thankfully, JJ didn't argue with him. He didn't miss the tension in her movements though. Or the growing look of apprehension on her face. It didn't occur to him at the time that taking JJ to a barn highly reminiscent of the one by Tobias Hankle's house while she was in this fragile state might not be a good idea.

***

Chapter 5

Together they made their way painfully slowly to where they knew there was shelter. Spencer and JJ clutched at each others arms as though they feared that if they got lost, they would never find each other again. The snow was coming down so heavily that it was difficult to see more than a few inches in front of their faces. The bitter wind took Spencer's breath away as he struggled to wade forward through the now calf deep snow.

Suddenly, JJ stumbled forward and landed face down on the ground. Spencer was almost dragged down with her, his fingers where actually frozen in their position around JJ's arm.

"Come on, JJ," he shouted over the howling winds, "You need to get up."

She didn't say anything but staggered to her feet and together they dragged each other towards the barn.

In a brief moment of panic, Spencer forgot which direction they were supposed to be going in. What if they had already walked past the building and missed it? He looked around wildly, causing JJ to stumble again as he stopped dead in his tracks.

"What's wrong?" she yelled.

"I don't know where we are!" Spencer shouted back.

Even though his vision was severely impaired, Spencer didn't miss the look of utter horror on JJ's face. So he pulled her forward and kept on walking. They couldn't possibly go back to the car now. It could be buried under ten feet of snow for all Spencer knew.

After a couple more minutes, Spencer felt a sharp pain in his right arm as he walked into the corner of something solid. He sent a silent prayer of thanks to anyone who might be listening and pulled JJ around to where he knew the door would be.

They had to use their combined strength to pull the big wooden door open, then again between them they had to use their body weight to pull the door closed from the inside against the battering snow. Spencer and JJ were plunged into complete darkness. Spencer fumbled for a lighter in his pocket. When he found it he held it up and lit it. A dull glow filled the room. Spencer liked to keep a lighter with him at all times, it was the fastest way of sterilising a needle if he could get nothing better.

The floor was strewn with hay but nothing else. Whatever this had one been for, it was no longer used. At least it was mildly warm though. Warmer than the car at least. Spencer glanced at JJ, she had a look of mute terror on her face that was impossible to ignore. There was a far away look in her eyes, almost as if she was reliving something.

"JJ?" Spencer said softly. She didn't respond.

"JJ," he said more loudly.

She jerked her head around to look at Spencer with wide eyes, "Did you say something?"

"I said, let's gather up some straw to put in the corner so we can sit on it," Spencer lied.

Nodding, JJ took a step forward and froze. Or at least she would have been frozen if it weren't for the uncontrollable shaking that racked her body. Spencer bit his lip and moved forward to put his arm around her shoulders. He did not miss the way she flinched away from his touch.

"JJ, what's wrong?" Spencer asked, refusing to let go of her despite her subtle foot shuffling away from him.

"I can hear…" she trailed off, looking around as though she expected to see something lurking in the shadows.

Spencer had no idea what she thought she could hear, "JJ," he said firmly, "There is nothing and nobody here but us."

She looked at him uncomprehendingly, "What?"

"There is no one here except us," Spencer said, pausing briefly between every word to make sure she understood. JJ nodded slowly but her shaking did not abate.

The lighter wasn't going to last much longer. Spencer glanced around and his eyes fell on an old fashioned oil lamp. Praying that it would work, he walked over to it and picked it up off the floor. There seemed to still be some oil in it but he didn't think it would last very long. He stood it up though and lit it. He was grateful for the amount of light it gave off, which still wasn't very much, but was better than his lighter.

Wrinkling his nose at the musty smell in the air, Spencer turned back to JJ, who still stood rooted to the spot in the middle of the floor.

"Come on," he said, ignoring the way she startled, "Help me move some of this hay."

She obeyed and together they pushed the yellow straw to the back wall to create some padding. Spencer set down the oil lamp in front of them and then sat down in it. It was awfully prickly and uncomfortable. JJ hesitated but soon sat down next to him and hugged her knees to her chest.

"It's still freezing in here," she remarked.

"I know," Spencer replied, secretly delighted that she seemed to have calmed down enough to speak properly.

"I hope the others don't worry too much," JJ said sadly.

"You know they will," said Spencer with a bitter smile, "I can practically hear Emily having a nervous breakdown as we speak, with Hotch trying to calm her down while Morgan will be scowling at the wall."

JJ tensed at Emily's name and Spencer frowned. To pry or not to pry, he thought.

"Has something happened between you and Emily?" he asked slowly.

JJ looked up sharply, "What makes you say that?"

Shrugging slightly, Spencer replied, "You haven't spoken to each other in days. You barely even look at each other anymore."

Looking down at her knees, JJ let out a small sigh, "It's nothing. Really."

"It doesn't seem like to nothing," said Spencer tentatively. He didn't want to force her to talk to him if she didn't want to.

"It's just me being stupid…" she said. Her eyes became glassy and she let out a deep shuddering sigh.

"I'm sure it isn't, JJ," Spencer said comfortingly, "Please, just talk to me."

"She knows," JJ all but whispered.

Spencer frowned, "What do you mean?"

"I mean…" JJ's voice was thick with emotion, "She was there. When…When people ask me if I'm okay, I say I am. But she's always there. And she always knows that I'm lying. I try to act like everything is fine. But I can't, because she knows it's not true. I just want to forget what happened. But I can't because Emily is always there to remind me."

Two tears slid down JJ's face and Spencer suddenly felt ashamed for the way he had been acting. He gently placed an arm around her shoulder and moved closer. He felt her tense up at the contact but after a few moments she relaxed. He waited until she had regained control of herself and the silent tears had subsided before going to speak. But she beat him to it.

"I just don't understand how she's okay already," JJ said in a shaky voice, "I wake up every single night while it's still dark outside because of nightmares. I haven't slept through a whole night since you rescued us. But Emily is fine. Why is she okay when I'm not?"

Spencer briefly debated assuring JJ that Prentiss was in fact just as messed up as she was, but this was obviously something JJ had been holding in for a while. So instead Spencer opted for simply comforting his friend.

"Shhh," he said consolingly, "Don't worry, JJ. We'll get you through this. Everything is going to be okay."

Her shaking increased again as more tears worked their way down her face. He pulled her even closer to him and she rested her head on his shoulder. He stroked her hair softly and did his best to try and keep her warm.

"I'm sorry," JJ said after a while, "I'm being stupid."

"No you aren't. Don't be silly," Spencer reassured her.

"I am. I don't recall you sobbing like a big baby almost a month after you were taken by Tobias," JJ sniffed.

A pang of guilt clutched Spencer's heart. If only she knew. If only she knew that even now, because of that day Spencer was ruining his whole life by taking dilaudid. Maybe she should know, Spencer thought. She had opened up to him, so maybe he should do the same. Yes, he was going to tell her. Now. On the count of three. One…Two…Three… Spencer still didn't speak. He felt as though something was actually clamping his lips shut. He couldn't do it.

"Are you okay?" JJ asked, and Spencer suddenly became aware that she was expecting a reply.

"Of course I'm okay," he said with a weak smile.

"What do you think–"

"JJ, I'm a drug addict."

For a moment neither of them said anything. Spencer held his breath and prayed desperately that she would not condemn him.

"Sorry?" JJ said, as though she didn't fully understand.

Spencer took in a deep breath, "After Tobias injected me with dilaudid…I became addicted. I can't stop JJ. I need help."

He was aware how pathetic and needy he sounded as he said these last sentences. Tears filled his eyes in anticipation of her rejection, but he refused to let them fall. He wouldn't make her feel bad for doing what they both knew she had too.

"That explains a lot," was all she said. Her voice was neither kind nor disapproving. She was merely stating a fact. Then, "Oh Spence, I'm so sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Spencer asked, knowing that she was going to leave him and that he deserved it.

"I'm sorry I didn't realise sooner. I should have known something was wrong," said JJ, her voice one of utter devastation.

Spencer was stunned. Did that mean she wasn't going to abandon him?

"No, JJ. This is in no way your fault," Spencer said firmly, "This is my own doing."

"No it is my fault. I should never have let us split up in the first place. Then you never would have been taken…"

"Stop. You don't know that," Spencer said, placing a finger on her lips for emphasis. He felt her let out a long breath. In a moment of clarity Spencer suddenly realised why the blonde woman had been so terrified of this place. It must have reminded her of that day.

She rested her face on his shoulder again and Spencer could feel a fresh wave of hot tears soaking into his shirt. He wrapped both of his arms around her and held her close and together they sat out the storm, comforted in the knowledge that neither of them were alone anymore.

***

Chapter 6

Emily was not usually one for pacing. But pace she did.

Garcia had found the team a new hotel, a far more satisfactory one than the last. It was clean and tidy and served breakfast. Emily would have been lying if she said she hadn't been intensely relieved when the highly amused computer techie had phoned them with the details of their new rooms.

"Prentiss," said Hotch, in a way that suggested he had been trying to get her attention for quite some time.

Stopping dead in her tracks, Emily turned around to look at Hotch.

"Could you please stop pacing? You are making me feel dizzy," he said.

"Sorry," Emily muttered, sitting down on the end of Morgan's bed.

The three team members where currently sat in Morgan's hotel room, trying to think of the best plan of action to find Reid and JJ. They had been missing for several hours now and no matter how many times they tried to phone them the call went straight to voicemail. If Emily had her way, they would be out there in the car looking for their two missing friends, but the stupid snowstorm was stopping them from going anywhere at all, let alone traipsing across the countryside with no idea where they were going.

"Emily!" Hotch said sharply.

She snapped her head around, "Hmm?"

"You're pacing again!"

"Oh," Emily felt a faint blush taint her cheeks and she sat down again, "Sorry."

"We can't just sit here, Hotch. We have to do something," said Morgan, who had been scowling at the wall for the past twenty minutes.

"We don't have any choice," Hotch replied in a resigned voice.

"What if that David Canvan did something to them?" said Emily. She knew she sounded paranoid but at this point she didn't really care.

"The man is eighty-seven years old, Emily," said Hotch, pursing his lips in a manner that let Emily know he was displeased with the way this conversation was going.

"Yes but…Stranger things have happened," Emily protested.

"No, they have not."

But Emily was not to be deterred. Somehow she couldn't stop the thousands of ideas from floating through her head about what could have happened to them. Each of the pictures was worse than the last. The only thing that any of them had in common was that they involved JJ and Reid in a good deal of trouble with nobody around to help them. Emily wasn't sure JJ could cope from another mishap so soon after their abduction.

Quickly, she pushed all thoughts of their kidnapping aside. She seemed to have developed some sort of adverse affect of nausea whenever thought about what happened. With a stab of worry she noted that it seemed to be getting rather out of hand too, she had woken up every night for the past week with nightmares and had to run to the toilet to throw up each time. It was beginning to become a serious problem, but Emily had no idea what she was supposed to do about it. The aftermath of being abducted had unfortunately not been covered in FBI basic training.

Emily could feel herself beginning to stand up again but forced herself to remain sitting. It was not like her to fidget but she just couldn't keep still. Even though she could tell she was really starting to annoy Morgan and Hotch, it was hard to stop.

"They probably just realised the snow was too deep to keep driving so they find somewhere to stop and stay the night," said Morgan reasonably, "And there's no signal in this God forsaken place so they couldn't call us."

"Maybe…" Emily replied, not really paying attention.

"Emily, go to bed," Hotch said firmly.

"What?"

"I said, go to bed. You're exhausted and fretting yourself ill isn't going to help," said Hotch, "If they aren't back by morning we will go and look for them."

"But–"

"No buts, Prentiss!"

Emily bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from answering back. Hotch was her boss after all and there was no point in arguing the toss with him. She wouldn't win. Instead she left the room without another word, knowing she wouldn't sleep but knowing she should.

---------------------------------

From her sitting position in bed, Emily watched the sunrise. It had stopped snowing just over an hour ago and the sky had cleared of the dark, menacing clouds miraculously quickly. If Emily hadn't been drowning in her worry she would have stopped to think how beautiful it was. She had always liked to watch the sunrise ever since she was small.

The snow was still too deep to go out in the cars or Emily would have been banging on Hotch and Morgan's doors as soon as the first sign of light had appeared. As it was she just stared out the window in what can only be described as a sulk.

On the plus side, if the snow had stopped them from doing anything then it was likely that it had also stopped the unsub from killing again. Emily felt a surge of anger as she remembered the look on Sheriff Regal's face when they had told him that JJ and Reid hadn't come back yet. It was one of smug amusement. And Emily was sure she heard him mutter something about the FBI not being infallible after all very sarcastically to his deputy. If he had been stood any closer to her, Emily was not sure she would have been able to resist the urge to punch him in the face.

With a resigned sigh, Emily resolved to have a shower. At least it might make her feel more awake for their search.

---------------------------------

As it turned out, there was no need for the search party Hotch was setting up. He got a call from Reid just after Emily had got out the shower. He told them that he and JJ were okay and that they were making their way to the hotel. But even though Emily now knew they were all right, she still couldn't quell the feelings of anxiety that she knew wouldn't go away until she'd seen them with her own eyes.

They were in Morgan's room again, as it was the biggest, setting up a nice table of food for when they arrived. They were bound to be hungry. Hotch had just called Regal to tell him they would be a tad late. By the darkening expression on his face, Emily guessed the conversation was not going well. But Hotch's professionalism prevented him from snapping at the man on the other end of the phone and he politely explained the reason and then cut him off without another word.

"What is his problem," Morgan said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Hotch opened his mouth to reply but a tentative knock on the door stopped him.

"Door's open," said Morgan loudly.

In stepped JJ and Reid, who looked exhausted and cold, but otherwise perfectly fine. Emily felt her heart fill with intense relief, so much so that for a moment she couldn't breathe. She resisted the urge to leap to her feet and examine them both to make sure there were in fact no hidden injuries. It was with great difficulty that she stayed seated and kept her face neutral.

"Um…hi," said Reid after a minute of silence.

---------------------------------

The team had officially eliminated everyone who lived in the town from their possible suspect list. They had moved on to Staten Island, and due to its much larger size and population, it was a bit of a struggle to come up with a list of names. Garcia was on it though, and if anyone could find their unsub, she could.

The tiny Seriff's office that they had used yesterday had been abandoned and the team had moved to the Staten Island Police Department to discuss their predicament with them. Regal had followed them of course, unwilling to leave the case into the hands who he apparently perceived to be amateurs.

JJ had just done a press conference, warning possible victims of the danger and providing them with a number for a tip hotline. This was what everyone was doing now, sitting at phones, waiting for something to happen. Everyone except Emily, Reid and Hotch that was, who were discussing a geographical profile, even though they knew it was an impossibility until the unsub killed again.

As soon as JJ had gone off air the police station had been flooded with calls, predominantly from paranoid middle aged women. At the end of the room, Regal seemed to be having a rather heated conversation with someone, earning himself some very unkind looks from the agents and officers around him. Emily was taking great enjoyment from how red in the face the sheriff was becoming in his anger. After another minute, the short sheriff slammed the phone down and stalked over to the table where Emily, Hotch and Reid were sat.

"There is someone on line eight who refuses to talk to me. She'll only talk to you," he said angrily.

"Who?" Hotch said, raising his eyes to meet the sheriffs.

"She didn't tell me her name," Regal replied.

"No, I mean, who does she want to speak to," said Hotch, far more patiently than Emily would have done.

Regal seemed to grit his teeth in annoyance before jerking his thumb towards Emily, "Her."

Emily raised her eyebrows and picked up the phone.

"Put it on speaker," said Hotch, ignoring Regal who was silently fuming next to them.

Nodding, Emily did as she was told.

"Hello, this is Agent Prentiss" said Emily.

"Oh Emily, thank goodness it's you," Emily felt a small smile spread across her face as she recognised the voice, "Who on earth was that awful man you have picking up the phone? A few lessons in polite phone etiquette would not go amiss."

Emily risked a glance and the man in question; his face was becoming alarmingly red.

"Hello, Charlie," she then said, looking again from Regal, "What's up?"

On the other end of the phone Emily heard the other woman clear her throat, "I think I may have just met your unsub."

"What makes you think that?" asked Emily.

"Well, he barged into my office with blood on his hands claiming that he couldn't stop himself and that I needed to help him."

Looking up sharply, Emily saw the way Hotch contracted his eyebrows and looked thoughtfully at the phone.

"I take it he isn't still there?" said Emily quickly.

"No, he ran when he saw my assistant pick up the phone," Charlie replied, the faintest trace of annoyance detectable in her voice.

"That means there is another victim," said Hotch, looking at Reid who was nodding his head.

"We'll be right over," said Emily, putting down the phone.

***

Chapter 7

Hotch had decided it best that the entire team go on this jaunt into the centre of Staten Island. By the sounds of it, Emily's friend really had met the unsub, which would therefore mean that there was probably new victims around that they would need look for. He thought about this with a heavy heart, they were at a dead end and needed new victims to aid the profile, but it didn't stop the guilt Hotch felt when they actually got them.

They had taken two cars and Hotch was currently sat in his with Emily as she directed them to the address.

"Who is this friend of yours?" said Hotch after a while.

"Charlotte…Charlie…Winters. She was my roommate at Yale. She's a psychiatrist," Emily replied. There was a certain warmth in her voice as she spoke, something that Hotch had noticed had been rather absent of late. Even if this turned out not to be information on their unsub, it would probably be good for Emily to see a friend anyway.

"It's just around this corner," Emily directed, pointing right.

Following her directions, Hotch finally pulled up outside a block of houses that seemed to have been converted into offices. The rest of the team drove in behind them and they all got out the car.

Emily led them into one of the buildings through the open door and then up a carpeted flight of stairs. Hotch kept a close watch around him for any signs of blood or anything they could use to identify their unsub. He spotted nothing though.

The stairs led to an open room that was obviously used as a waiting room of sorts. There were then several doors around it that presumably led into peoples offices.

In the middle of the room lay a comfortable looking sofa, where there currently sat a young looking blonde woman who was shaking profusely and having what appeared to be a hot cup of tea pressed into her hands by a dark haired woman, who Hotch assumed was Charlie.

"Calm down, Rosemary," said Charlie soothingly, "He has been gone for more than an hour now. I doubt he is coming back."

Rosemary sniffed rather disgustingly and nodded. She then looked up and for the first time noticed the team of profilers that where now stood just inside the door. Her eyes widened at the sight, causing Charlie to look over her shoulder. Her eyes immediately sought out Emily and she smiled.

"That was fast," she remarked.

"Would you expect any less?" Emily replied with a crooked smile.

"I guess not," said Charlie, standing up to face them.

Then much to Hotch's surprise, Emily strode forward and pulled Charlie into a tight hug. Even the woman she was hugging look rather startled by this public display of emotion that they all knew Emily was not usually one to engage in. They broke away.

"It's good to see you," said Emily, sounding oddly emotional.

"You too," replied Chairlie, surprise evident in her voice.

Beginning to feel rather uncomfortable, Hotch cleared his throat loudly. Emily spun back around, her cheeks flushing ever so slightly in obvious embarrassment.

"Charlie, this Aaron Hotchner, Derek Morgan, Jennifer Jareau and Spencer Reid. Everyone this is Charlie Winters," said Emily, nodding towards each person as she said their name.

"And this is Rosemary Hobb," Charlie added, gesturing to the weeping woman on the couch behind her.

"I believe you have some information for us?" said Hotch, getting down to business. The sooner they could get this case solved, the better.

"Ah yes, why don't you come in my office," said Charlie, standing up and moving to the door with 'Dr Charlotte Winters' written on the front.

Hotch nodded and turned to Morgan, "You, Reid and JJ stay here and interview Miss Hobb."

Rosemary heard this and looked up in horror. The deer caught in headlights look on her face told Hotch that the woman would much rather be a million miles away than answering questions. But nodded slowly though and Morgan sat on the chair opposite her while Hotch and Emily followed Charlie into her office. Before Hotch closed the door behind him, he noticed a little glance that Reid and JJ shared. They had been doing it all day. Something had obviously happened while they were out in the barn, but as of yet Hotch couldn't decide if it was a good or a bad thing.

After closing the door, Hotch had a quick scan of the office. It was a comfortable looking place. The walls were lined with leather bound books except in one corner where an expensive looking chess set sat. In the middle of the room were comfortable looking chairs, which were now occupied by Emily and her friend. Hotch took a seat next to Emily and looked expectantly at Charlie.

"Could you please explain in detail exactly what happened?" said Hotch.

It took a moment for the woman to answer, she seemed to be gathering her thoughts together.

"Well as I have said, it happened just over an hour ago. A man in his mid-thirties came barging into my office with blood all over his hands, face and clothes. At first he just paced around the room and would not answer any of my questions, he almost gave poor Rosemary a heart attack. Then all of a sudden he threw himself on his knees in front of me, grabbed hold of my jacket and started raving about how he could not stop himself, that they deserved it and that I had to help him," Charlie said slowly.

"Rosemary, who had been cowering behind her desk, tried to call the police while he was doing this but he saw her and ran away before I could stop him. He had a backpack with him," she then added as an afterthought.

"Could you give us a physical description of the man?" asked Emily, looking at her friend curiously.

"He was about 5'11, short brown hair, brown eyes and he isn't from New York. I could not place his accent though," replied the woman thoughtfully.

Making a mental note of all these details, Hotch decided to call Garcia as soon as he was sure there was no other information.

"Is there anything else you can remember?" he asked imploringly.

She looked down at her hands that where folded carefully on her knee in front of her and then frowned before looking back up again, "No. But if you take that jacket over the arm of that chair it has the blood from his hands on it. It is black so you can't tell, but it is definitely there."

A search for the origin of this blood would need to be organised, Hotch thought. Unfortunately the only number he had on his phone was Sheriff Regal's though and he was loath to speak to that man. He would do what was necessary though if it mean catching the unsub. He would need to take that jacket to forensics as well.

"Thank you, Dr Winters," said Hotch, standing up to see how Morgan, JJ and Reid were doing, "You have been a great help."

Back in the main room, Rosemary was now sobbing into a handkerchief and occasionally spouting seemingly random and incomprehensible words. Poor Reid looked at a loss and clearly had no idea what to do while JJ sat next to the woman and tried to calm her down. Morgan was looking around the room, trying to find some blood stains no doubt.

"Rosemary!" Charlie snapped from behind Hotch, almost making him jump in surprise, "Stop that crying at once."

The younger woman looked up in shock and stopped sobbing immediately. She hiccupped and looked up at Charlie with tear filled eyes. Then Charlie carried on in a much kinder voice, "I called your boyfriend and he will be here any moment to take you home. All right?"

"Yes, Dr Winters," said Rosemary, taking a deep and calming breath. She then turned to JJ, "Did you have any more questions?"

"No, that's all for now."

Then almost simultaneously, everyone turned to look at Hotch. It was something that happened at least once during almost every case. The team wouldn't be quite sure what to do next and would look to him for guidance. Not that Hotch didn't like the responsibility, but sometimes it could be an awful lot of pressure. As always though, he kept his face and voice neutral as he began to issue orders.

"Reid, go down to the car and fetch a large plastic bag. JJ, call Garcia and ask her to run a search on everyone who lives in this area but was not born here, I'll give you more details when she has a list. Morgan, call Regal and tell him to pass on the message that we need man power to search for these bodies."

Noticing the look of distaste on Morgan's face Hotch almost smirked. What would be the point in being leader if he were not allowed to delegate less enjoyable tasks?

After a remarkably short amount of time, Reid was back with the bag and had already put the jacket in to be taken to the labs for testing.

"That is an Armani," he heard Charlie say mournfully.

"Well you can have it back when we're done," said Emily, with the faintest trace of exasperation in her voice.

"With some poor dead person's blood on it? I don't think so, Emily. You can throw it in the bin when you are finished with it," replied Charlie disdainfully.

"It must be nice to have that much money," remarked Emily.

"Ha! What was that Miss Emily 'I live opposite the Washington Monument and Capital Building' Prentiss? Something about having too much money?"

Hotch resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the two women bickering like children at the other end of the room. Oh well, he thought, it was preferable to the depressed silence that Emily seemed to spend most of her time in. He wasn't quite sure who he worried more about when he thought about it, JJ or Prentiss. They had both been through a remarkable trauma, and the fact that there seemed to be no obvious side effects other than them both seeming rather more tired than usual and a tad more nervous was a bit of a worry. If they weren't dealing with their problems later on down the line it could become a serious issue. But maybe seeing a friend would help Emily revert back to her usual self. It was a shame he was going to have to drag her back down to reality as they searched for their serial killer.

***

Chapter 8

Garcia pushed against her desk, sending her chair wheeling backwards and spinning just at the right moment so she was now facing a different computer screen. She had got this fluid motion down to a fine art in the last few years. By now she could probably do her job with her eyes closed should the situation ever call for it. That was unlikely though.

Since JJ and Reid had gone missing, yet again, Garcia had felt even more determined than she already was to help her team find their unsub so they could come straight back home. So she had been running some slightly more obscure searches to find links between the victims that could possibly be of help. It was a long shot but it was better than being sat around twiddling her thumbs for hours on end.

Such fear, she had felt when Morgan had called her to tell her that Reid and JJ had gone missing. It was just too much for her to handle. How it was possible for JJ to get herself into such serious trouble twice in the space of less than a month was astounding. Garcia even entertained the notion that she did it for fun because she knew how much of a kerfuffle it caused. She had quickly discarded this idea though, she knew that her girl would never do anything to purposely hurt her or the rest of the team. Still, if she kept it up Garcia feared that she would be on the way to a nervous breakdown. And then if it wasn't JJ getting herself into trouble, it was Emily, and then if it wasn't Emily it was Reid. Between them they would be the death of her.

Garcia pushed her red, jewelled glasses up her nose and focussed her attention on the game of Tetris she was playing. She was on the last level now which was when it started to get mildly difficult. Of course, with her incomparable computer skills, it was still fairly easy for her to complete it with minimal hassle and oh yes…a new high score. She grinned at the flashing 'Congratulations' message that flashed up in varying shades of neon against the black background of the screen. Soon it would be time for her to find herself a new game to learn, something that was a bit more of a challenge for her. She wouldn't want to become complacent in her brilliance after all.

An almost inaudible beep from one of the computers behind her told Garcia that one of her searches had finished. Once again with uncanny grace, she rolled herself across the room to look at the findings. Her face fell at the 'No results found' message that was displayed. All happiness over her Tetris tournament victory were forgotten as she realised that she would not be able to call her dear Morgan with some useful information and wacky claims of her Goddess like status and mystical powers.

A small smile lit her face as she though of Morgan. He was her knight in shining armour. There was something about the playful tone of his voice and the kind smile he seemed to reserve just for her that could instantly brighten Garcia's day, no matter what mood she had been before. She hadn't really realised how much he meant to her until the day Emily Prentiss joined the team and her, Gideon and Reid had gone to interview a terrorist. Morgan and Hotch had been searching for sleeper cells when there had been an explosion. A trap. Garcia had been unable to stop the flow of tears when she believed Morgan and Hotch to be dead. She just couldn't imagine her life without Morgan. He was the only man to ever have truly made her feel special. Every woman should be told they are beautiful once in a while, and there was no one in the world that Garcia would rather hear it from than the ever wonderful and ever handsome Derek Morgan.

This led Garcia on to think about the good Dr Spencer Reid. There was nothing she enjoyed more than poking fun out of the socially inept young man. Oh, not in a nasty way of course, in a playful manner that poor Reid didn't really understand right away. He was the most adorable person Garcia had ever met in her life, and she usually had the most overwhelming urge to wrap him up in cotton wool and protect him from the troubles in the world.

But of course, Reid was no stranger to the evils that swept across the world, having been a victim of them himself. Garcia would never get over the utter horror she had felt when she searched through Tobias' computer and had seen the video feed of Spencer tied up and beaten. Though she would never tell anyone, she had had nightmares about it for weeks afterwards. They all had Reid to take care of instead of worrying their pretty little heads over their computer tech back who was safely back in Quantico.

Garcia moved her thoughts over to JJ, her best friend and confidante. It hurt Garcia to see how much pain the blonde seemed to be in lately. Not just the physical pain though, but the emotional scars that her kidnapping seemed to have left. She did a good job of trying to hide it of course, but then again that was part of her job. Garcia still wished she would talk to her though. She was convinced that if JJ just sat down with someone and talked about what had happened, she would feel a million times better. And just maybe JJ's smile would start to reach her eyes again.

Then there was Emily, the newbie to the team. Although Garcia thought it had been long enough now for her not to be considered the newbie. She was another one who seemed to be carrying around an awful lot of heartache. Garcia wasn't as close to Emily as she was to JJ though, so even if she wanted to approach the brunette about her behaviour she wouldn't have a clue how to go about it. Emily seemed rather closed off in the best of circumstances, let alone in these past few weeks. It was tragic really.

Finally there was their stoic and unflappable leader, Aaron Hotchner. Just as handsome as Morgan, but in a different kind of way. He seemed to carry around the weight of the entire team on his shoulders and Garcia had seen an awful lot of guilt flick across his face when he thought nobody was looking. Why he felt guilty for things that were beyond his control was anybody's guess.

Garcia loved her team. Making them smile was her personal mission in life. Even if it was only a half hearted puppy dog smile from Reid then she considered it to not have been a wasted day. If only Hotch would smile a bit more. It actually knocked years off his face. Garcia smiled mournfully as her phone rang.

"Speak and be recognised by your Empress, mortal," she said as cheerfully as possible.

"Hey, Garcia," said JJ's voice on the other line.

"Hey, Jayje. What can I do you for?"

Garcia flitted back and forth between her beloved computers and found everything JJ was asking for in literally record time. Soon Hotch had taken over and was giving her more specific search instructions. In the end she had ninety-five files and they were unable to narrow it down anymore.

"I'll fax them over to you a.s.a.p, honey," said Garcia as her hands flew across the keys of her keyboard.

She could practically hear his lips thinning in displeasure at the term of endearment. Garcia didn't mind though. Sooner or later he would come to like it. At least he accepted it now and didn't tell her not to call him it. There was definite progress being made, and Garcia knew that under that tough exterior the man was incredibly soft hearted. She had seen they way he was with his son and Haley before all the trouble started.

"Thanks, Garcia," said Hotch.

"No problem," she replied, before cutting him off.

Yes, when the team got back from this case they would all need a good stern talking to. Garcia was determined to help make everything right with them again.

***

Chapter 9

"Should we set up a parameter?" asked the Agent in charge of the local police force.

Morgan opened his mouth to answer but Hotch beat him to it. "No. It's been over an hour and with all these back streets he could be anywhere by now. It's very possible he also lives in the area so he could very well be hiding in his home. We'd be wasting man power."

Understanding, the agent, whose name was Bryson, nodded.

"Our time would be best spent searching for the new victims," Morgan added.

Instantly, the agent was off giving instructions to his task force and advising them where to look. Morgan reflected how much easier the beginning of this investigation would have been if they had been working with someone equally cooperative, rather than that pompous sheriff, who was currently peering suspiciously around at them all as though he was expecting some sort of foul play from them. It was infuriating.

"Morgan," Hotch's voice suddenly said, rousing him from his thoughts, "I want you to go with Reid and JJ to look through the files Garcia sent to us. See if you can narrow down the suspect list, compare criminal records and such. You know the drill."

"Sure thing, Hotch," Morgan said immediately. This would be a good opportunity to try and get some information about Reid and JJ about what happened out in that snow storm. Something was definitely going on between them.

He spotted them still stood near the door leading into Prentiss' friend's office. Reid seemed to be pointing down the street and saying something about statistical probabilities, he was obviously in text book quoting mode because Morgan barely understood a single word that was coming from his mouth.

"Hey, Reid. Come on. We don't have time for your idle gossiping," said Morgan, effectively cutting off whatever the boy genius was about to say next and causing a ghost of a smile to appear on JJ's face.

Looking wounded, Reid turned his head and said, "I was talking about the case."

Suppressing a sigh, Morgan gestured to them both to follow him. "I know, Reid. I was joking."

"Oh…" mumbled Reid, his cheeks flushing pink, "I knew that."

JJ really did smile at this, she patted his shoulder lightly, "Don't worry about it, Spence."

Now that was interesting, thought Morgan. He was definitely going to have to do some prying into what went on with those two last night. If only his little resident gossip was around for this. Garcia would be having the time of her life watching what she would deem to be cute little exchanges between their two youngest team members. Morgan could still remember how gleeful the computer tech had been when Reid and JJ had gone to watch the Red Skins together. If it was hard to get the woman to be quiet on a normal occasion, it was practically impossible when she was trying to decide whether or not to play matchmaker. He shook his head and bit back a grin.

"Hotch wants us to start going through the files that Garcia sent," Morgan told them while indicating for them to get into the car.

They both nodded, and then just to add further interest they sat in the back together, leaving Morgan alone at the front of the car. When he told Garcia about this she was going to love it.

Most of the car journey passed in silence with the occasional seemingly random statistic or case study from Reid that he thought might help them narrow down the list of suspects. Morgan wasn't sure it was going to be that easy, if the killer was really going through a psychotic break, which now seemed distinctly possible then he might not have any criminal record at all. But it was hard to pinpoint in these types of cases. Killers having a psychotic breakdown were the most unpredictable and needed to be stopped soon or else the body count would just keep increasing at an alarming rate.

The furtive glances between Reid and JJ in the back seat were not missed by Morgan. He could see them quite clearly in the car mirror. There was obviously something they needed to talk about, and Morgan hoped they would do so it sooner rather than later. Whatever their issue was should not get in the way of the case and they shouldn't allow themselves to be distracted. But then again, JJ had been through something terrible recently and a momentary lapse was hardly her fault.

As they pulled up outside the police station, Morgan ran his hand over his head and took in a deep breath. He was repeating the details of the case over and over again in his mind, trying to think of something they might have missed. It was so very frustrating.

Then his phone rang.

"Morgan," he said, putting the phone to his ear.

"We found the victims," came Hotch's voice, "Same MO. Man stabbed, woman tortured. The scene is a lot more bloody than the last two."

"He's definitely devolving then," said Morgan, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Yes. Let's hope this means he'll make another mistake."

"Another mistake?"

"Running into a psychiatrists office covered in blood in the middle of the day is a sizeable mistake."

Morgan snorted, "I suppose you're right."

"Are you there yet?"

"Yes," said Morgan, glancing at Reid who was just about to walk into the police building.

"Good. Keep me posted."

With that, Hotch hung up.

Morgan slipped his phone back into his pocket and followed Reid and JJ. One of the few people that were not off searching for dead bodies showed them to a small, comfortable conference room, where what looked like a small mountain of paper work sat.

"It looks like my desk back in Quantico," said JJ with a raised eyebrow.

Smirking, Morgan gestured towards the pile. "You should feel right at home then."

She signed dramatically and sat down at the table, pulling a large chunk of the files towards herself. Reid followed her suit and took the chair opposite here. Not quite willing to look through that heap just yet, Morgan cast his mind around for something to briefly distract himself with.

"Do you want coffee?" he said.

Reid looked up from his file and nodded eagerly.

"No thanks," said JJ.

Morgan left the room to get them drinks. He had not been at all surprised when Reid had said yes. The guy seemed to live, talk and breath coffee. That amount of caffeine was good for nobody. Morgan wasn't about to go and tell someone else how to live their life though. If Reid wanted coffee, Morgan wouldn't stand in the way.

Carrying the coffee carefully, Morgan paused outside the door before entering. Reid and JJ were talking in hushed voices. He had never seen the point in talking in such low tones, nothing attracted more attention than someone trying not to attract attention.

"…But JJ what should I-"

"Not now, Spence. We have work to do."

"But-"

"No buts. This isn't the time or the place. We'll talk about it tonight."

Morgan cleared his throat loudly and entered the room holding his cups of coffee like a trophy.

"Here you go, Reid," he said, placing it down in front of the boy. Reid offered Morgan a weak smile of thanks and then looked guiltily down at his hands. Morgan merely shook his head and sat down to work. After only ten minutes of looking through paperwork, he prayed that Hotch and Prentiss were having more luck.

***

Next part of Easier to Lie.