Chapter 1: Doubt

Lilith danced around her house wearing shorts and white t-shirt, listening to music. She faintly heard the doorbell and walked over to it. She looked through the peephole to see Reid standing there, looking nervous.

'Hey Reid, what's up?' Lilith asked as she opened the door. Reid walked into the room looking determined and nervous.

'Spencer, what's wrong?' Lilith asked worried as she turned down her music.

'Okay, so after everything that's happened from me getting kidnapped, to my drug addiction, to our fight and now Gideon losing Sarah. Life is too uncertain not to take chances. When Gideon told me he regretted not telling Sarah how he felt, that hit close to home for me' Reid explained quickly as Lilith listened carefully.

'No more fear, no more holding back' Reid said looking into Lilith's eyes before pulling her close to him and kissing her softly.

Lilith froze in shock before returning the kiss. Their moment was interrupted by Lilith's phone buzzing.

"Sorry" She whispered, pulling away from a breathless Reid. She walked over to her table and looked at the message she had just received.

Come to my office. ASAP.

It was from Section Chief Erin Strauss. Lilith looked confused before looking up at Reid.

'I'm sorry, I need to go' Lilith said sadly before placing a hand on Reid's cheek and kissing him softly before leaving her house. She drove to the office in silence, her mind running with different thoughts about what just happened with Reid and what Chief Strauss wanted with her.

Lilith knocked on Chief Strauss's office nervously.

'Come in' She said and Lilith walked in and took a seat opposite her.

'Now Lilith, I allowed Agent Hotchner and Agent Gideon to put you in the B.A.U because I knew how badly you wanted it. Everyone did. You were never exactly shy about letting us know. But there were those who didn't think assigning you to the B.A.U was a good idea. They thought you were still haunted by your past. They thought that you wouldn't survive the trauma of witnessing the same things that happened to you. I believed in you, however. It's time to pay back the faith I had. Your team is in trouble. They've lost sight of the big picture. I believe they are reckless and at times out of control. It's time for Agent Hotchners career to come to an end. And if you want to stay in the B.A.U. Agent Fallon, you're going to help me make that happen' Strauss said to Lilith in her office. Before Lilith could respond though her phone buzzed.

'We have a case' Lilith said, still in shock over what just transpired.

'I expect updates from you' She said before dismissing her.

…...

The entire briefing and plane trip Lilith hadn't spoken a word. She was in her own world, but no one except Reid noticed. Reid went over and sat next to Lilith.

'Lilith' Reid said softly, placing a hand on her arm, bringing her attention out of her mind and into the present.

'Huh?' Lilith asked confused.

'Are you okay?' Reid asked worried.

'What? Oh yeah, I'm fine. Sorry just tired and a lot on my mind' Lilith replied forcing a smile as the plane landed in Flagstaff, Arizona.

'Jim Griffith' A man introduced.

'Hi, Jennifer Jareau. Thanks for meeting us here' JJ introduced as the team walked off the plane.

'Thanks for taking us on so quickly' Jim replied.

'Yeah. The faster we get here, the faster we can help stave off panic' JJ said.

'I hear that' Jim said.

'What can you tell us about the university?' Reid asked.

'It's small, tight-knit. Dorms are still single-sex. Draws from all over the county, but students are mostly the arty type' Jim explained.

'Have you increased uniform presence on campus?' Morgan asked.

'Yeah. Doubled it' Jim explained.

'Any other measures?' Lilith added, her mind back focused on the case.

'I got security shuttles running 24/7, and as of tonight, I've imposed a 10:00 curfew' Jim explained.

'We need a corner of your precinct so we can set up shop' Hotch said.

'You got it. You need to get to the hotel first?' Jim asked.

'No. Spree killings in a confined area are a race. He's racing to kill as many as he can. We're racing to stop him' Gideon said as we jumped in the cars provided and drove to the police station.

….

'I've got men at every exit point on campus' Jim said as Gideon, Morgan and JJ arrived at the latest crime scene.

'She had her mace out, but she didn't use it?' JJ asked.

'And it's well lit. He's not afraid of being seen' JJ added.

'How often do the shuttles run?' Morgan asked.

'Every 10 minutes' Jim explained.

'Were all the other victims posed like this, with their arms crossed?' JJ asked.

'Yeah. Why?' Jim asked.

'It's a classic sign of remorse. The unsub kills the victim, then immediately feels bad about it, so he poses them like this so they'll rest in peace' Morgan explained.

'You can tell that just by the arms?' Jim asked.

'That's why you called us here, to build a psychological profile of your killer' Morgan explained.

'How long will it take your men to clear the scene?' Gideon asked.

'A few hours' Jim replied.

'Lucky there's a curfew, otherwise there'd be a mob scene' JJ stated.

'Have Hotch set up at the precinct. We'll run everything through him. By the time this campus wakes up, I want a handle on this' Gideon said simply.

The next morning Morgan and Gideon went to talk to the Dean with Jim.

'Dean Suzanne Cable, Special Agents Morgan and Gideon' Jim introduced.

'Thank you for being here' Suzanne said.

'Wish we didn't have to be' Gideon replied.

'So, tell me, how am I supposed to keep these women safe?' Suzanne asked

'I have security cameras being installed in virtually every corner of the campus, and that's coming out of the city's budget. It's not the school's' Jim explained.

'I want to shut down the school' Suzanne said.

'That's a viable choice' Morgan said.

'But?' Suzanne asked.

'If the killer is part of the campus, he may simply leave once the school shuts down. When classes restart, there's a good chance he'll kill again' Morgan explained.

'What would you do in my place?' Suzanne asked Gideon.

'I can't say' Gideon said honestly.

'Shut it down. I can't justify keeping these kids locked up in a pen while someone hunts them' Suzanne stated.

'Realistically, it'll take 2 or 3 days to empty campus. I'm afraid that'll be our window for catching this guy' Gideon said as they left Dean Suzanne and walked back towards the car.

'What do you need from me?' Jim asked.

'You said you're installing security cameras?' Morgan asked.

'Yeah, this afternoon' Jim explained.

'Can they be functional by nightfall?' Morgan asked.

'I'll make sure' Jim said.

'We'll need as many men as you can on duty. If the unsub's part of campus life, he's gonna know it's about to shut down. Next few days, that's his last chance to hunt' Gideon explained.

'Uniform presence helps, but it'd also be good to have some of your younger officers go in plain clothes, try to blend in' Morgan added.

'I can ask my men to work double shifts till we're evacuated. I'll call campus security and have them do the same' Jim said.

'Good' Gideon said firmly.

….