Title: Mind of a Monster
By: realityaskew
Pairing: gen
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Rating: PG-13
Warning: WiP
Disclaimer: I own nothing belonging Criminal Minds.
Summary: Reid becomes close to the victim of a horrible crime scene. The killer isn't done playing with Reid or the rest of the BAU Team though.

***

Detective Andy Lewis walked out the front door of the house and bent over sucking in big gulps of fresh air. What he just saw was going to haunt him forever.

"You okay pal? What's it like in there?" His partner Jack Allen asked as he rushed over to his side.

"It's a fucking blood bath in there Jackie boy." Andy finally stood up straight. He ran his hand over his face. "It looks like a god damned butcher shop. The smell…the smell is fucking horrible."

Jack patted his partner's back and wanted to tell him that everything was going to be all right but it wasn't. Two innocent people were brutally murdered and their children were nowhere to be found. This was the worst crime scene anyone had ever seen in Bayville, Kansas history. It was a peaceful god fearing town; things like this just didn't happen in Bayville.

Two black SUVs came to a stop in front of the house and the BAU team stepped out. Jack looked them over in their FBI bullet proof vests and ready to take action expressions and scoffed. "Think they ever seen anything this bad before?" Andy whispered to his partner.

"We're about to find out."

Hotch walked up to the two detectives and shook Andy's hand. "Special Agent Aaron Hotchner. This is agents Morgan, Prentiss, Dr. Reid, Rossi, and Jarreau."

The detectives nodded their hellos. "Well Agent Hotchner all I can tell you is we got a double homicide. The sick son of a bitch used an electric chainsaw to chop up the parents. We still haven't found the children."

Hotch nodded his head and motioned to his team to move in. "Jesus Christ." Morgan said as he entered the house and saw the blood splashed everywhere. It looked like a three-year-old had gotten into a bucket of red paint and went wild.

"Oh my God." Prentiss said covering her mouth and nose to try and keep the smell at bay.

"He's not gonna help you now." Rossi said as he slipped past her and made his way into the kitchen where the bodies were.

Lying face down in pools of their own blood were Jane Anderson and her husband Mark. Their bodies had been cut to pieces and the entire scene looked like something out of some cheesy horror movie. The electric chainsaw was missing.

"I don't think these people stood a chance." JJ said as she tip toed over the blood and carefully studied Jane and Mark. "The press is going to have a field day with this one. Two upstanding citizens brutally murdered in their own home, two children missing."

"That's where you come in." Hotch told her.

A loud crash shook the agents out of their morbid amazement and they whipped out their guns pointing them at a small closet where the noise had come from. The room had become completely silent and Hotch waved his gun towards Morgan who crept over to the closet door and pointed his gun downwards as Hotch prepared to open the door. In one quick movement Hotch yanked the door open and all guns were pointed at a young girl who looked to be about 18 and a five-year-old boy who was desperately clinging to her. They were covered from head to toe in what looked like their parents blood. Morgan tucked away his gun and crouched down. "Alexa and Anthony Anderson?" Morgan asked calmly.

The pretty young girl shook her head tears running down her blood stained face. Her little brother clung to her helplessly and started crying. "I want mommy! I want mommy!"

"Come on sweetie we have to check and see if you're all right." An EMT said as she tried to take Anthony away from his sister.

"I want Alexa! I don't wanna go!" He screamed.

Alexa kissed her little brother's forehead. "It's okay buddy. Go with her I'll be right here when you're done."

The EMT had to pry Anthony away from Alexa. "I want Alexa!" He yelled out as she took him away to another waiting ambulance.

Alexa wrapped the oversized FBI coat she was wearing tighter around her thin frame and shivered. Detectives Allen and Lewis cautiously approached the young girl. "How are you feeling?" Jack Allen asked.

"I'm covered in my own parents fucking blood! How the fuck do you think I feel?" She yelled as her eyes welled up with tears.

"Gentlemen I think we'll take it from here." Prentiss said as she and Reid came up behind them. They shook their heads in agreement and walked away defeated.

"Hi I'm Special Agent Emily Prentiss and this is Dr. Spencer Reid."

"Are you going to catch the man who did this to my parents?" Alexa asked sniffling.

"We are going to do everything in our power to catch whoever did this." Emily assured her.

"Did the man who did this put you and your brother in that closet?" Reid asked.

"Not at first." Alexa looked down at her feet afraid to relive what had happened. "He made us watch. He told us he wanted us to watch." She wiped a few tears away smearing the blood on her pretty face. "After he was…done he told Anthony and I to get into the closet. I don't really remember what happened after that."

"Do you think if we bring in a sketch artist you can describe the man to him?" Prentiss asked.

"I don't think so. I didn't get a look at his face he was wearing a ski mask."

"We have to take her over to the hospital now." A male EMT said poking his head out from the back of the ambulance.

"Do you think a little later you and your brother could answer a few questions for us?" Prentiss asked gently.

Alexa shook her head and let the EMT help her up into the ambulance. She stopped before he closed the doors and looked at Reid. "Thank you."

Reid nodded his head and gave her a weak lopsided smile. He never knew how to act in situations like that no matter how many victims he dealt with. He always found it strange when they thanked him.

Alexa looked through the back windows of the ambulance and watched as her house slowly got smaller and smaller as it disappeared off into the distance. Her life was changed forever. There was no turning back now.

***

Reid walked into the hospital cafeteria in desperate need of coffee. He had been up the entire night with the team going over the crime scene. As he pulled some change out of his pocket and dropped it into the machine he noticed Alexa and Anthony sitting at one of the tables being watched over by a couple of rent-a-cops. He hardly recognized them without being covered in blood. Anthony was a small five-year-old boy with a cute chubby face, big innocent green eyes, and curly brown hair. Alexa was tall and slim with long brown hair that fell over her shoulders. Her piercing green eyes stared down into the black depths of the cup of coffee she was holding and her pretty face looked blank. Both kids were wearing their own clothes which meant that one of the officers must have brought them a change from their house which was still being combed over by the police and forensic experts. Reid waited for his cup of coffee to finish pouring before grabbing it and making his way over to the table where they were sitting. Anthony was contently munching away at a glazed doughnut and sipping at a cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream on top.

"Not hungry?" Reid asked looking at Alexa.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to eat again." She said putting her cup of coffee down on the table and pushing it away. She finally looked up at him. "You're Dr. Reid right?"

"Yup. You can call me Spencer if you want though." He was trying to make her feel as comfortable as possible. He needed her to open up to him not go into hiding.

"We used to have a puppy named Spencer but we had to give him away because daddy said he pooped on the floor too much." Anthony said taking another bite from his doughnut. "When are mommy and daddy coming?" He asked looking at his sister with hope in his eyes.

Alexa affectionately ruffled his hair. "They aren't coming buddy. It's just you and me."

"Well they'll come soon I know they will." Anthony said.

Alexa let out a troubled sigh and looked over at Reid almost asking for help. "He doesn't understand he's too little." She tried to explain.

"I understand completely." Reid took a sip of his coffee. "Most kids his age block something that traumatizing out. It's a common defense mechanism."

"I wish I could block it out."

"Alexa what you remember will help us catch the man who did this to your family."

Alexa shook her head knowingly. "I know it's just hard."

"Maybe when mommy and daddy come they'll surprise us with presents!" Anthony chirped happily.

Alexa turned to one of the cops watching them. "Can you bring him back up to his room please? I can't do this anymore." She turned to her brother. "I'll see you in a little while okay bud?"

"Okay!" Anthony finished his breakfast in one big bite and happily took the officer's hand as he helped him out of the chair and led him away.

"So let's talk about you Spencer." Alexa gave him a small smile and Reid noticed how much it made her face light up. "Can I ask you a few questions?"

Reid knew what she was doing. She wanted to get to know him in any capacity that she could before he started digging into her personal life. He didn't mind, he knew it would help when he was questioning her later.

"You can ask me anything you'd like."

"What's your IQ?"

Spencer couldn't help the grin that came to his face. Usually most 18-year-olds would ask who his favorite band was or whether he liked pizza or ice cream better but not her. He found it intriguing. "It's 187." He told her.

"Ah! Two points higher than mine."

"You have an IQ of 185?" He asked both astounded and deeply impressed.

"Yeah I got a scholarship to The University of Chicago. I was going in the fall." Her face became sad. "I guess that won't be happening now."

"That's very impressive. You'll get there don't worry. It's a great school."

"Yeah well I have to admit I was nervous about going there in the first place."

"Why's that?" Reid asked.

"I'm kind of socially dysfunctional." She admitted embarrassed. "I'm pretty much a loner."

"So am I." Spencer laughed. It was starting to become eerie. He had just met this girl and already he was feeling relaxed and like he could relate to her.

"Well at least I'm not alone." She smiled at him. Reid sighed. There it was again her face lit up. "So you're with the FBI, what exactly is it that you do?"

"Um I'm part of the Behavioral Analysis Unit. We ah profile murderers mainly."

"So you think you will be able to catch whoever killed my parents?"

"I know we will."

"So the Behavioral Analysis Unit huh? Does that mean you help catch like serial killers and stuff?"

"Yes it does actually."

"I don't want to sound like a weirdo but I've read everything and anything I can about serial killers. I find them fascinating. I know it's kind of a morbid past time but it's interesting the way they think and all."

Reid felt like he was talking to his complete equal. It was strange he liked this girl and he had only known her for a few hours. He was about to say something when Morgan came up behind him and slapped him in the back. "Hey pretty boy we gotta go."

"This is Special Agent Morgan." Reid said like his balloon had just been deflated.

"Hey Alexa we're going to bring you and your brother over to the station in about two hours. Think you are going to be okay to answer some questions for us?" Morgan asked.

She shook her head yes and Morgan smiled at her sympathetically. "Okay Reid lets go."

Reid and Morgan walked into the station and Reid looked curiously as the rest of the team and a few police officers stood around a desk. They walked over to them and Reid noticed a box that contained a shiny electric chainsaw. There was a note attached to it.

"Do you think it's the chainsaw that was used to kill the Andersons?" Prentiss asked.

"If it is it's been wiped clean so there's most likely no prints. I don't think we're dealing with a first timer here." Rossi said.

Hotch put on a pair of latex gloves and picked up the note and began to read it aloud. "Dear FBI and good police officers of Bayville, if you got this letter than it mean you also got my little present. Look all you want but there wont be any fingerprints. The blade has also been wiped clean. It was fun when I plunged it into the Andersons' flesh. They screamed and begged. It was beautiful. You're probably asking if I'll do it again and the answer is YES. The clock is ticking can you catch me before it's too late?"

The hunt was on and the clock was ticking.

***

Alexa Anderson was brought into a softly lit room with a small overstuffed couch and two chairs with a potted plant in the corner. She sat on the couch and moved around uncomfortably for a few seconds before settling down. It had been about two and a half hours since she had last seen Spencer Reid and she had to admit she was looking forward to seeing him again. The two female agents, Prentiss and Jarreau were in the next room with her little brother trying to get anything they could from him, she wished them luck. He was still talking about his parents coming back. Alexa absent mindedly picked at the seat cushion as Morgan and Reid came in. Reid couldn't help but notice the smile in her eyes as she watched him sit down in the chair in front of her.

"Hi Alexa I'm Derek." Morgan said sticking out his hand for her to shake.

"Hi."

"What Dr. Reid and I are going to do is just talk to you, take you through the evening. Anything that you can remember tell us. If at any time you want to stop…"

"No. I just want to get this over with and I want you to catch this guy before he hurts anyone else."

"Okay lets begin." Morgan said. "Why don't you tell us what the night started out like."

"It was just another normal night you know. It was after dinner and I put Anthony to bed. I was in my room reading…"

"What were you reading?" Reid asked. Morgan shot him a look but he wanted to make her feel at ease and he was also curious too."

Alexa smiled at him. "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, it's like the fifth time I've read it."

Reid smiled. Of course she would be reading a book like that she was a quirky brilliant kid. "Go on."

"I heard my mom and dad downstairs arguing."

"What were they arguing about?" Morgan asked.

"I don't know they were always arguing lately. My dad had been having some problems with his business and he and my mom weren't getting along to well. I put on some Elvis Costello to drown them out and I guess I just fell asleep. I remember someone shaking me awake. He told me to keep my mouth shut and he pulled me out of bed. He duct taped my hands behind my back and told me he'd kill me if I tried anything. He brought me down to the kitchen, Anthony was already down there and he was crying. My parents were both tied up. I didn't know what to do." Tears began slipping down her face. "He took this heavy electric chainsaw off of the kitchen table. My parents were screaming and begging. He made us watch. He made us watch as he cut my parents to pieces. They were begging and screaming the entire time and I couldn't do anything." She started shaking as she cried. "I could feel the blood spraying all over me. After he was…done he took the duct tape off of my hands and shoved me in the kitchen closet with Anthony. Anthony was crying I couldn't get him to stop. I don't know what happened after that. You guys showed up that's all I remember." Morgan handed her a few tissues. "I never saw his face he was wearing a ski mask the entire time."

"I think that's all we need for right now." Morgan told her. "You did a great job." He looked over at Reid and got up to leave the room. "I'm going to check and see how JJ and Emily are doing." He said as he closed the door behind him.

"Fuck." Alexa whispered to herself as she fell back against the couch and looked up at the ceiling. "What's going to happen to Anthony? I mean I can't take care of him all by myself."

"Your Aunt Rita from California contacted us. She will most likely take Anthony in." Reid told her.

"Great that woman is a horrible bitch."

"You and your brother are going to be all right. I know you're a fighter. Someone as smart as you knows that life is going to go on. It's going to be hard but you're going to fight your way through it."

"How'd you get so philosophical?" She laughed through her tears.

"Eh, working in a job like this gets you that way."

"So you're an Elvis Costello fan?" Reid asked.

"Who isn't?"

Morgan opened the door back up and looked at Alexa. "We could use your help in the next room."

Alexa wiped her tears away with her long sleeves and got up following Morgan into the next room. Anthony was sitting on a similar couch playing with a plastic fire truck. He was looking at Emily and JJ confused.

"Mommy and daddy just went away for a while but they'll be back right Alexa?" He asked looking over at his big sister.

Alexa walked into the room and sat on the couch scooping her baby brother up into her lap. "They aren't coming back bud. It's me and you pal, just me and you.

Hotch popped his head into the room. "Their aunt from California is here."

"Auntie Rita!" Anthony jumped off of the couch and ran out the door past Hotch.

"How are you doing?" JJ asked Alexa.

"She's doing fine she's an Elvis Costello fan." Reid joked leaning against the door frame.

Alexa laughed. "Yeah well if your not you deserve to get your ass kicked."

"Well you two seem to have gotten along well." Prentiss said.

Alexa lifted herself up off the couch and walked by Reid playfully punching him in the arm. "Spencer is a good guy." She said before leaving.

"Spencer?" Emily mouthed quirking an eyebrow.

"What?" Hotch asked looking at them sheepishly.

"I think someone has a crush on you." JJ teased.

"Oh come on." Reid said. "I'm not allowed to get along with someone." Reid hitched his shoulders up. "It's kind of nice to not feel like such a loner for a minute."

"JJ, Reid, Prentiss we got another package." Morgan said coming back to the room.

In the conference room of the police station a small square box sat on the table. The team all circled around it and Hotch drew in a deep breath before pulling a string attached to the box. The box's four sides fell open and everyone jumped back in shock and disgust when a human head appeared.

"Jesus Christ." Morgan said looking at the head.

Rossi snapped on a pair of latex gloves and picked up the note that was on top of the head. "Dear FBI and Bayville police the head you are looking at belongs to Paul Mitchell, the man Jane Anderson was having an affair with. You'll find the rest of him in his Lay-Z Boy chair in his town house. This is only getting better by the minute. Who's going to be next? Dig deeper into the Anderson's past and you may just find out. Goodbye for now."

"This is one sick bastard." Rossi said putting the letter back down.

Reid looked through the glass window at Alexa sitting with her aunt and little brother. There was only one way they were going to get a look into Jane Anderson's personal life and that was through her daughter Alexa.

***

"Auntie Rita where did mommy and daddy go?" Anthony asked his aunt.

Alexa looked down at her feet and shook her head sadly. She wondered when Anthony would finally remember what happened. She had been out in the lobby of the police station with Anthony and her aunt for over an hour just waiting. She noticed that something must have been going on because the police officers were rushing all over the place. She really only wanted to see Spencer again. He made her feel better.

"Excuse me." Hotch came out from behind the reception desk.

"Can I take them back to the hotel I'm staying at?" Rita asked.

"You can take Anthony but we need Alexa to stay for a little while longer." Hotch told her.

"All right Alexa honey will you be okay?"

"I'll be fine Aunt Rita." Alexa assured her.

Rita picked up her purse and Anthony and thanked Hotch before she left the station Hotch gently took Alexa by the arm and led her into the bull pen and back down the hall to the room she had been in only an hour ago. When she walked in Reid, Prentiss, and Morgan were waiting for her.

"Have a seat." Morgan told her.

Alexa sat back down on the couch and looked at the three agents confused. "What's going on?" She asked.

"Alexa we need to know if your mother was involved with a man named Paul Mitchell." Rossi said getting right down to business.

"Yeah he worked for my dad's construction company they were good friends."

"Had he been around the house a lot lately?" Morgan asked.

"Well he'd come by to help fix things for my mother when my dad wasn't around." Alexa looked over at Reid. "Wait a minute do you think that Paul could have done this?"

Prentiss shot her a sympathetic look. "Alexa Paul Mitchell is dead."

"What? What happened to him?" Alexa said with a look of worry on her face.

Emily knew this was going to be hard for her. "He was murdered. We know that the same man who killed your parents killed him too."

"Oh my God. Three or more people, does that mean there's a serial killer out there?"

"Three or more people." Reid nodded his head. "We have a serial killer on our hands."

Prentiss and Morgan looked at the two of them strangely. "Alexa do you know if your mother and Paul were involved in anyway other than just friends?"

"What do you mean like were they sleeping with each other or something?" Morgan shook his head yes. "Look I know my parents hadn't been getting along but there is no way my mom would have cheated on my father."

"Alexa I know this is hard to accept but we have proof that your mother was having an affair. We found letters and photos back at your house."

Alexa looked at the agents with a mixture of anger and disbelief on her pretty face. "Is it true?" She asked Reid.

Reid gave her a look that said it all. Alexa ran her hands through her hair and let out a shaky sigh. "I don't understand though. If Paul is dead and he was having an affair with my parents and now my parents are dead who the hell did this?"

"Was there anyone else in your mother's life that had been around more lately than usual?" Morgan asked.

"So what now you're just calling my mother a whore?" Alexa said angrily.

"No, no, no, no we were just…"

"Guys," Reid interrupted Morgan. "Why don't you let me talk to her?"

"Why just you? Morgan asked.

"Because I don't trust you two." Alexa answered for Reid.

"Fine." Prentiss agreed. "Let them talk." She and Morgan got up and left the room closing the door behind her.

"Look Alexa we aren't calling your mother a whore."

"I'm not stupid Spencer. I know my mother and Paul were more than just friends." She admitted once the other agents were gone.

"What?"

"I walked in on her and Paul together once. I never told my father though. It's kinds of embarassing to admit that your own mother is doing something like that."

"Did you tell anyone at all?"

"I told Paul's brother-in-law Charlie. He got pissed about it. He didn't want his sister to get hurt but I don't think he would do anything this horrible."

"People can fool you." Reid told her.

"I know they can but it's just so hard to believe that Charlie…"

"What's Charlie's full name?"

"Charles White."

"You may have just saved the day." Reid smiled at her.

"You think Charlie did this."

"We're going to check things out and for now you can stay here."

"I could have gotten my own parents killed just by opening my stupid fucking mouth?"

"You did what you thought was right Alexa and we both know you aren't stupid."

Alexa got up from the couch and gave Reid a quick kiss on the cheek. "I know your going to catch him."

Reid blushed and awkwardly stood up. He backed into the door and his face turned even brighter. If only she were a few years older he thought to himself. Alexa sat back against the couch. She looked worried and bothered Reid noticed as he left the room.

"What did you get from your little girlfriend?" Morgan asked.

"Shut up." Reid said in a nasty tone and both Prentiss and Morgan were taken aback. "Sorry." Reid apologized. "I think we may have our guy."

"What did she tell you?" Prentiss asked.

"She said that she knew about her mother's affair. She told Paul Mitchell's brother-in-law and he was less than happy. His name was Charles white."

"Some guy getting full of rage about his sister being cheated on and going on a killing spree." Morgan said.

"I think we got our guy." Prentiss said.

The bust on Charlie White's house had proved to the team that he was their man. They found his wife Judy stabbed to death on the bathroom floor. She had been there for a couple of days. On the refrigerator there was a note left for the agents. It read: So you've made it this far, congratulations. You're journey is almost over. But to catch me you're going to have to think outside of the box. Hurry, hurry.

As the team arrived back at the police station an officer came running out in a panic. "She's gone!"

"Calm down what are you talking about?" Hotch said.

"Alexa she's gone missing!" The officer said out of breath.

"What happened?" Reid said the fear evident in his voice and features.

"One of the officers took her out to get some air. We found Tom the officer who went with her, body out around the back alley. Someone beat him to death with his own night stick. He's dead and Alexa is missing." The officer said in a rush.

"He got her." Reid said. "That son of a bitch got her!"

"All right I want a search party organized how long ago do you think she was taken?" Hotch asked.

"Maybe 20 minutes a half an hour at the most." The officer said.

"Okay he hopefully couldn't have gotten that far. I want road blocks set up. We are going to find her."

"I shouldn't have left her alone." Reid said blaming himself.

"We're going to find her." Rossi told him.

Reid remembered the note in the kitchen…hurry, hurry.

***

Reid angrily knocked a mug of coffee off the conference table and listened as is smashed against the wall. It had been over three hours and Alexa still had not been found. Her aunt was out in the lobby of the station with her little brother. A few officers were doing what they could to calm her down.

"Don't worry Reid we're going to find her." JJ said as she came in and saw the broken mug.

"I promised her we would catch him and instead I let him take her."

"Reid you didn't know this was going to happen, none of us did."

"Anything yet?" JJ asked as Prentiss came into the room.

"No not yet." Prentiss said.

"We've combed every inch of this town and have come up with nothing." Morgan said as he came into the room and sat down next to Reid. "It's like this guy is a ghost or something."

"Why would he want Alexa?" Prentiss asked.

Reid mentally started going over every conversation he had with Alexa. He was trying to find something, anything that would help him find her or at least give him a clue. Reid was suddenly hit with something. His head was spinning and he felt sick to his stomach. He didn't want to believe it was true but it was the only thing that made sense to him at the moment. How could it be? His mind flashed back to the conversation he and Morgan had had earlier with Alexa. "He took this heavy electric chainsaw off of the kitchen table."

"How would she know the chainsaw was heavy?"

"What?" Prentiss asked turning to Reid.

"She told us that when Charles took the chainsaw off of the kitchen table to kill her parents it was heavy."

"Yeah so chainsaws look heavy." Morgan said.

"No she said it was heavy because she was the one holding it. You don't just add in a detail like that unless you know about it personally."

"You're saying a skinny 18-year-old kid butchered her parents?" Morgan said. "Why?"

"Who knows maybe her mother beat her maybe her father was molesting her." Reid said trying to rationalize the situation.

"What about Paul Mitchell?" JJ asked.

"He's sleeping with her mother she's pissed at him." Reid said.

"What about Judy White though or Tom Mathews the officer?" Prentiss said. "Why would she kill them?"

"The whole time this killer has been playing a sick game with us. Alexa told me at the hospital that one of her hobbies was reading about serial killers. She even pointed out that we had a serial killer on our hands. It's her it's been her the entire time." Reid fell back into his chair now speechless. He could usually spot someone like Alexa a mile away but she was just so sweet. He connected with her understood her. "I can't believe it." Reid said to himself as the rest of the team looked at him.

Hotch suddenly came into the conference room. "Charles White has been found." He said.

"Is Alexa with him?" JJ asked

"He's been murdered." Hotch said. "There was another note and a tape found on him."

An hour later the entire team and a few of the officers were gathered around a television in the conference room. The note on the body had read Surprise, surprise. An officer popped the tape into the VCR and hit play. Alexa's beautiful face smiled back at Reid from the television screen.

***