AN: This will be my second one-shot that is based off of real news ("Slow Burn" being the first). I don't know all the details, but there was a shooting in Georgia today. I'm going to attempt to not go into too much detail for many reasons. This will be an introspective piece. I'm dedicating this one to the victims of any of the recent spree shootings, their families and friends. This is mainly my way of expressing my thoughts on the matter. *DISCLAIMER* I do not own Criminal Minds and, despite being based on a true situation, this is a work of fiction.

"Do you have any other information for me, Tom," I ask, "Ok. Thank you for your help, I'll be in touch."

I hang up my phone and walk quickly to Hotch's room to report. Tom Hollister is a reporter in Georgia. Sometimes having contacts in the media is helpful; he has been feeding me information off and on for the last hour. Hotch left his door open, knowing that I would be returning again. I step in and address him.

"The suspect was dressed in camouflage. Tom told me they have him in custody."

"In custody?"

"Yes. Do you want me to contact the Cobb County Police Department?"

"Yes, please. An interview with the suspect could help Rossi and I piece together this profile."

"Right away, sir," I say, leaving to make the call.

Hotch and Rossi are completely focused on the suspect. They have been working on a side project for quite some time. They hope to one day have an accurate profile of a spree shooter. They want to be able to help prevent mass shootings like the ones at Columbine, Virginia Tech, and Fort Hood from ever happening again. Being able to interrogate an actual suspect in one of these cases would be extremely helpful.

However, I can't focus on the suspect. It's part of why I choose not to take the profiling classes. When we are on a case, they are all so busy trying to find the Unsub, but all I can think about is the victims. All I can think about is the family members, the friends, the detectives that have all but lost hope on stopping the chaos. The qualities that make me good at my job would hurt me as a profiler. And I'm ok with that, but on days like this, it's tough.

I turn on the news at night sometimes, and it seems like there is a shooting like this every day. When will it all end? Hotch and Rossi are bothered by it, but they have something to work towards. Their project gives them hope that they will be able to do something about these shootings eventually. They are excited that the shooter is still alive because it gives them a chance to get one step closer to their goal.

But for me, I feel helpless. I want to be there. I want to be comforting one of the family members or friends. I want to be able to do whatever I can to make the living hell that they are going through right now a little easier. One of the things that I absolutely hate to say is that "My thoughts and prayers are with you." It seems so useless; it makes me feel like I'm doing nothing. Yet with a case like this, that is all I can say. It isn't our case, so I can't have contact with the families and friends. I can't help, I can only pray for the best. But what else is there to do?

I sigh as I sit in my chair and reach for the phone again. I suppose that all I can do is try to help Hotch and Rossi, help them try to prevent others from going through the same hell. I dial the number.

"Hello Detective. This is Supervisory Special Agent Jennifer Jareau..."

AN: I know this is a sensitive subject for many people. Please just keep in mind that I don't mean to offend anyone with this. I wish I could do more for everyone involved in these types of cases, but I will sincerely keep the victims of any of the recent shootings, as well as their families and friends, in my thoughts and prayers. Thank you for reading, feel free to review if you wish.