Disclaimer - I unfortunately do not own any of these wonderful characters!

...

It was early on Thursday morning. From his office Aaron Hotchner looked up from the newest case file to see members of one of the FBI's best BAU teams slowly filing in. Though he has a reputation for being all business, he was fond of watching his team commiserating on quiet mornings like this before a case was announced. They gathered around their desks in the bullpen, coffees in hand, sharing stories and light banter.

Hotch, as Aaron was respectfully nicknamed, brought his attention back to the file on his desk containing a case happening in Vegas, which also happened to be the hometown of the youngest on his team, Spencer Reid. Aaron was always apprehensive about getting involved in cases near areas familiar to any of them. Perhaps it all came back to the time Derek Morgan, another on his team, had been wrongly accused of a crime in his old neighborhood in Chicago. In the end, the right man was charged, but not without taking an emotional toll on Morgan.

Hotch quickly shook off his uneasiness, gathered the papers and headed out into the bullpen to call together the team.

...

Penelope Garcia stood before the seasoned profilers in one of her signature, colorful outfits. As always, Garcia was a welcoming contrast to the dark work the team handles day to day.

"Alright, my pretties, today you are off to the city that never tells its secrets - let's hope you can get around that. As of Tuesday, five people have been found murdered near the Vegas strip. Cause of death for all has been from stab wounds, but they also appear to have been tortured before this." Garcia brought up photos of all the victims at the crime scenes, while avoiding glancing at the screen herself.

"Each one was found around two days after they were believed to have gone missing. Time between the murders has varied between 2-3 weeks. The first three victims were prostitutes," Garcia continued. She used her remote to show two headshots.

"Shelia McCormick, 21 and Tracy Smith, age 18. The third poor girl has not yet been identified, therefore, no before photo. Now for the other two...this is Marian Thompson, age 26 and mother of two young boys. She had been in and out of rehab twice and was arrested recently for drug possession. She went missing three weeks ago and was found in an alley behind a local restaurant." A mugshot of a young woman who had seen better days flashed up on the screen.

Garcia clicked again and the image of middle-aged man joined Marian. "And this is Carl Masterson - 34. He was married with a teenage daughter. He had just gotten out on bail after being arrested for child abuse. Carl disappeared this past Saturday and was found on Monday, left behind a gentleman's club."

"This could very well be someone who thinks they're cleaning up society by killing these people," Morgan said. "Prostitutes, a drug addict and an abuser."

"Are they sure these are all by the same unsub? I know Vegas sees its fair share of homicides," Emily Prentiss pointed out.

Spencer sped through reading the ME reports. "Each one was stabbed multiple times and the evidence of torture is pretty severe. All of them are covered with burns, cuts and deep bruising. Looking at the details of all the wounds, they're pretty consistent among all the victims."

"Let's finish this conversation on the plane so we can get moving. Wheels up in 30," Hotch told the team as he rose from the table.

"Oh, and let me know if you need any help after you've solved the case. I would be more than happy to fly out to Vegas for a night or two to help you gather your things!" Garcia offered.

"Mama, you can join me in Vegas anytime!" Morgan said with a wink.

...

Across the country, a man sat enjoying a drink at a bar watching a local news report. "...The latest victim was found on Monday. Las Vegas police have invited in the FBI to assist with the investigation..."

I suppose I should be flattered, he thought. This new development was irritating, and, though he hated admitting it, made him a little uneasy. The Vegas police he could handle. An FBI team coming in from the outside might be a problem.

The man finished his beer, threw a few dollars on the bar and walked out the door. I guess I'll have to figure out a way to throw them off their game. Time to do a little investigating of my own, he thought with a grin.

...

Thanks for reading and let me know what you think! Hope to have chapter two up soon...