A/N: This story takes place after Season 3 episode 9 (Penelope) – Garcia is convalescing at home.

. Disclaimer – I do not own any characters belonging to the CBS series Criminal Minds.

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Requiem for Gideon

Prologue

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The BAU team was speeding in their standard black government SUVs, the blue flashers were on, sirens blaring.

Unit Chief SSAIC Aaron Hotch was driving the first vehicle with Emily Prentiss in the passenger seat, Dave Rossi in the back seat. In the second vehicle, Derek Morgan was driving with Dr. Spencer Reid and at his side and Jennifer 'JJ' Jareau in the back seat.

"So, let me understand this," Dave spoke, his face dark, eyes concealed behind his sunglasses. "You've been getting a file from Gideon every few months, his way of updating his whereabouts."

In the front, Emily turned to look for his expressions, she couldn't find any; Dave Rossi was a difficult man to read.

Hotch tried to concentrate on the road but he knew it was futile as his mind was in a riotous state. Top most was Gideon. And now, he had to appease his team.

He sighed before he replied, "What do you want me to say? The files, four in total were of dead victims from 4 states. There were no similarities except for the fact that they all closely resembled Sarah Matthews, or any brunettes." He tried hard not to glance over to where Emily was sitting, her expression neutral, eyes covered like Dave, by her oversized sunglasses. Emily knew he was trying to gauge her feelings on this; he always seemed to know what her thoughts were, just as she knew what he was thinking. It was a scary thing to discover not long ago when they were on a stake out and began completing each other's thoughts. He knew he had spent a lot of time partnering with her and they were getting too close. Closer than he would like, or was it?

Haley even suspected something.

"Look Hotch," Dave's voice softened slightly, "I'm not pointing any fingers, that's not what I'm getting at. The point is why is Gideon doing it? It was random, as you pointed. Did you find anything useful?"

"Think about it, Dave. Geographically, each body was found in a perfect compass direction; North, south, east, and west. But it was the states where the murder happened that made it intriguing. Minot, North Dakota. Brownsville, Texas. Boston, Massachusetts. And Eureka, California."

"That's quite a sick way of telling you where he's been."

Hotch was about to reply when Emily, who had been quiet all this time, cut in, "Gideon wants us to know where Frank had been. This is Frank's M.O., he chose these particular victims because of our connections with Gideon. Frank knew Gideon had left the BAU and he can't find him, so he struck where he knew would drive Gideon out of his 'hole'."

Dave frowned at her, "I still don't understand the connection with you guys."

Hotch was frowning; he did not understand where Emily was going with her logic.

Emily looked from Dave then to Hotch, saw their doubts and shook her head, she pulled the folders from the console, "Hotch, think about it. Your first assignment was in Minot, North Dakota. Derek's in Eureka, California. Reid's assignment, even though it was a brief one before he was transferred to the BAU by Gideon's request, was Brownsville, Texas. And mine was Boston, Massachusetts."

Hotch was surprised, he did not figure that tie-in.

"So this Frank is now a travelling serial killer with a penchant for the BAU? What gives?" Dave was clearly getting frustrated again. He was given a very quick and concise briefing of Frank and Jane, what Frank had done in Nevada, then the murder of Gideon's friend, Sarah Matthews which had driven Gideon back into his shell and without a warning, except that letter to Spencer Reid, he was gone. Not one word but for these cryptic files.

Damn you Jason! Dave privately cussed at his old friend. Oh yeah, he knew Jason; moody, passionate and driven. Many people within the bureau had compared the two back in their younger years when they worked together but Dave knew they were anything but similar. Dave snorted to himself; that bastard was too full of himself, not that he blamed his old friend as it seemed Jason was destined for a life of loneliness and suffrage, he was estranged from his own son.

Jason was born under a really bleak cloud where his real talent was; the ability to delve into the minds of the most diabolical killers. He had told Dave that it was not a talent but a curse that one day would drive him to the edge.

Had that time come?

He was good for the BAU, too good, and too brilliant. And driven.

Dave watched Hotch as he drove on. Here was another man who was quite like Gideon; dedicated, honest, brilliant, and driven.

And Dave was one of them; look at his three failed marriages. Although the first two was not caused by his work but by his other 'love'; lust. What could he say? He loved pretty women. Especially the ones that didn't expect anything in return, just a roll in the hay or bed and that was it. He had sown many wild oats in his younger days.

However, those were the days. Admittedly, he was getting on his years and now there was one person he had met that really caught his eyes and she didn't know it.

But he couldn't have her. She was…she belonged to someone else now.

At least he had the satisfaction of seeing her far more than her partner. She was a workaholic, just like him and the rest of the team.

And then something had driven Gideon to leave or hide. Whichever it was, he had almost crippled the team when they needed him most.

Hotch was suspended because of their previous case that caused a young college woman to take her own life.

And Emily decided to transfer from the team.

Everything was so sudden and at the same time.

But Hotch, his sense of duty and dedication to his team defied Erin's orders, brought Emily back with him and the team united again minus Gideon managed to solve the case.

The consequences of their actions? None, Hotch was reinstated and Emily canceled her request for transfer.

It was after that the team found out Gideon had left, his return unknown.

That was when he came in; Dave, having kept in touch with news pertaining the BAU, found themselves in a slight predicament. They were short a consultant.

Dave was ready to come back and he had some unfinished business of his own that he had hoped to finish.

What about her?

Ah! The BAU media liaison.

She was also extraordinary and one of a kind. And never judge her by her looks.

Blonde, big blue eyes and lips that were meant for…

Craps! Get that part off your brains, Dave!

Okay, she was damn smart and the way she dealt with the media, she was a professional and damn scary to watch the way she could tear some of the reporters apart when they became too demanding and they didn't realize they've been had.

And gosh-darn pretty!

"This Frank, he really had it bad for Jason, doesn't he?" Dave said.

No one answered but then, no answer was needed. It was obvious.

"Dave, this is not the time to analyze Jason. We need to get there before it's too late. I need you to negotiate with Frank. He doesn't know you and it might catch him off guard as he'll be expecting me to do the talking," Hotch said.

Dave couldn't help but was reminded of the time in Colorado when Hotch had asked him to be the lead negotiator to the cult leader Benjamin Cyrus.

At that time, he was not aware of the real reason Aaron couldn't do it but now he did.

Emily Prentiss.

Ever since Milwaukee, they had been more understanding to each other and there were signs that they had become closer than just colleagues.

But then, at that time Hotch was going through what was left of his marriage and he was afraid it was some sort of a rebound on his part and that Emily could get the bad part of the bargain; Hotch might be able to salvage his marriage.

In the end, it didn't. Haley simply couldn't put up with a workaholic husband.

And Hotch quit trying. He was moving on. The only thing he clung on from that marriage was Jack. The boy was the apple in his father's eyes. He was still young, all children stuck to their mothers more so than their fathers. Hotch knew that at that moment, he couldn't fight to have full custody, just joint which was more than he had expected.

That was actually not surprising, Dave found out during one of their late night drink and chat session at the office after everyone had left. It took a long while for him to get Aaron to talk about it.

As it turned out, Haley was seeing someone on the side. Aaron found out when he was suspended prior the Milwaukee case. The phone call from the house phone and then Haley's cell phone was the first indicator. She tried to hide her nervousness by pretending to be indignant with him for staying on with the case, grisly pictures strewn about the coffee table.

He had thought that it was Jessica calling but after Haley had left, Jessica called. Aaron asked her if she had tried to call her sister a moment ago and Jessica had denied and was baffled about it herself.

Aaron was smart enough to get the call traced. It was Jack's doctor who had been treating him with his condition. After a couple more phone calls, putting two and two together he came up with something more than he expected.

Logic dictated he confronted his wife about her transgression but he realized that it wouldn't be right. He himself in more than physical sense was cheating on Haley as well.

But you're cheating on her with your job! She is doing it with another man!

Aaron argued with himself that, bottom line, it was the same. She was a beautiful woman and a lonely one as he Aaron was not home to give her what she needed; companionship.

The BAU was taking him away from her more often than not. He spent more time with the team than with his family.

In all honesty, Haley was like a single mom raising Jack all by herself.

No, he was not confronting her. It was his fault that she did that. In the end, he let her go, giving her the house and paying spousal and child support.

Dave felt sorry for his friend; he didn't deserved it but he knew that being in the FBI and especially in the BAU, as well as counter-terrorism, you were married to the job much more than your wife. His last wife had left him because of his dedication to the newly formed BAU unit at that time. He was away six days out of the week. She was tired of reheating his dinner and waiting for him.

He didn't blame her for walking out on him as well. It was either her or the job. At that time, the job was far more important to him and he was a natural at it.

"Dave?" Hotch called out from the front seat when Dave didn't reply.

Dave snapped out of his reverie and nodded his head. Aaron was right; this psycho Frank was certainly not expecting a new addition to the team. And Dave was an expert in negotiating.

"You're right, Aaron. He wouldn't be expecting me."

Dave thought he saw Aaron's shoulders slumped slightly out of relief but he was not too sure about it. "Aaron, in order to understand Frank, we must get to Gideon."

"And Jane." Emily said. "His main obsession of her has a lot to do with her disappearance and why we're going there."

"Aaron, tell me again how did he first contact you?"

..End of Part 1..