This is set pre Rossi and Post Gideon.

A vacent stare

It was a beautiful night the sky was clear and every star seemed to have come out to watch. He couldn't believe his luck, a beautiful night for a beautiful girl. He looked out across the street at Mavericks bar she'd be in there now. She always was on a Friday night she likes to unwind before going home, but tonight he'd make his move. He knew this sweet little twenty four hour dinner two blocks away he'd hope that she would agree to go with him they'd get a coffee talk till two, he'd charm her and give her the last rose he'd been saving till the meeting. Oh how perfect it would be. She'll be like the others I mean who would look at you twice. He ignored it she didn't know what she was talking about, his Sarah wasn't like that.

The doors to the bar opened and out came Sarah right on time. He ran a hand threw his hair this was it. See I told you just another tramp. He couldn't believe his eyes his Sarah his … she … no! Anger flared up deep inside how could she she'd led him on only to humiliate him with that guy who was he any way? What you going to do now? She's the same as the others remember them? He wouldn't let her get away with this. He looked down at the single red rose in his hand and disappeared into the shadows.

000

Daniel Sheppard stood on the front door of Sarah Watson's house and couldn't help but feel like he'd been here before. He looked out across the street her neighbours where beginning to gather. Before long the press would be here and the questions would start. What happened? Is this linked to the other murders? Do you think it's the same guy? Should we be worried? What are you doing to catch him? The questions where always the same only this time they felt a hundred times worst. Cause this time he had no answers. It was the same guy, he didn't know who and yes they should be worried very in fact there was no pattern. No way to know where or when he was going to strike next. His methods where always different. In fact the only thing that was the same was the roses there would always be roses.

000

"You see it could only really happen like that?" Reid said turning towards Morgan.

"Yeah… thanks for clearing that one up for me." He really had no idea what Reid had been going on about and hoped that his answer would be enough to satisfy the young genius as well as put an end to his conversation.

"You Know that it was once thought…" ok well one out of two wasn't to bad, He thought as his mind wondered out of the conversation again it wasn't that he didn't want to listen, it was just it was six am and he hadn't had his coffee yet.

They pulled up outside the crime scene about ten minutes later. Much to Morgan's delight as he still wasn't sure what Reid was talking about.

"Hi you must be Agent Jareau?" Daniel said as he approached the first female FBI agent he saw.

"Yes Hi, You must be detective Sheppard nice to meet you" She said taking his hand in welcome.

"This is Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner, Agents Prentiss and Morgan and Dr. Spencer Reid."

"I can't tell you how happy I am to see you all. Sorry I couldn't meet you. But I was needed here" He Gestured to the scene behind him.

"Well I guess now is as good a time as ever to get started." Hotch said as he slowly started towards the house.

"Right" Daniel said as he fell into step with him the rest of the team following behind.

"Her Name was Sarah Watson, she is in her late twenties works for a travel company down town and like the others she too was found with a rose."

"So apart from the roses there are no other links?"

"None that we have found so far. But I'm hoping that you're going to change that"

"So do I"

Hotch stopped for a second as he reached the front door. From the outside it looked like any other house in the neighbourhood. Stepping inside however it revealed a different story. The hall was filled with officers at the end of the corridor the hall opened out to become the sitting room. It was in there that he found Sarah. She was lying in the centre of the room looking almost peaceful. A strand of her blonde hair lay across her face. Her hands rested on her abdomen with a single red rose in them.

"… And there was no sigh of forced entry?"

Hotch watched as his team set to work. They'd had some problems earlier this year with the departure of Gideon but what ever happened they worked fantastically as a team and that wasn't going to change.

"No from all evidence she let him in." A young office answered Morgan.

"Look at how she's been positioned. It show's remorse for the killing." Reid joined in as he circled the body.

"He strangled her?" He said looking from the ligature marks round her neck to the team.

"Jessica Manning was stabbed, Heather Chislett was drowned in the bath. Nothing about the way this guy kills makes sense." Morgan said there was something about this case he didn't like, already he had a bad feeling about his.

000

Uncontrollable tears began to flow down his face. He could still see her face as she lay there with that vacant stare. It was as if her eyes went threw him into his very depths. The others had done the same, as if in their final moments they'd managed to glimpse a part of him that no other had seen and then they where gone. He felt alone, exposed but most of all he felt fear. Not so much the fear of being caught because after all he was guilty. But fear of being alone forever. She was right no one ever looked at him twice.