A/N: Emi is portrayed by Suzuko Mimori.
"Spencer, relax. They're gonna love you."
22-year-old Spencer Reid nervously fumbled with his tie as his mind started thinking of possibilities of things that could happen. Today was his first day in the BAU, and if it wasn't obvious enough, he was extremely nervous.
"You can't be so sure of that," Spencer argued, still struggling with his tie.
Emiko "Emi" Hinata, Spencer's 21-year-old girlfriend for 2 years, walked over to the nervous man and swatted his hands away from his tie.
"Well, I read on a website that most people judge others based on two things: if they can trust you, and if they can respect you," Emi said, straightening the now tied tie.
"I don't think I look like someone that another would respect straight away," Spencer admitted.
"Spencer, you have an IQ of 187. You are a genius and the youngest to join the BAU," Emi told him, "If they don't respect you, knowing that, then amaze them with that brilliant mind of yours."
Spencer looked at her lovingly, "You really think I'll do okay?"
"I know you'll do wonderfully," Emi corrected, "Now, we better get going. You have your first day at the BAU, and I have to get to class in Quantico. I just need to finish this year and I'll be able to attempt to join the BAU with you."
2 years later...
It's been two years since Spencer first started, and like Emi had predicted, he was doing very well. Emi had also graduated from Quantico, but instead of trying to join the BAU like she had wanted to, she decided to become a substitute teacher. It wasn't that she didn't want to join the BAU, but Emi had decided that she wanted to earn some more doctorates before trying to join. While most people took about 8.2 years to get a single PhD, with the help of Spencer, Emi managed to get 2 PhDs: Psychology and Sociology in the span of 4 years. She was currently finishing up and close to getting her PhD in Criminology.
"I just need to pass this final today, and I'll finally have caught up with you!" Emi said proudly one day at breakfast. "I'll have PhDs in Psychology, Sociology, and Criminology, and Bachelor degrees in Chemistry and Forensic Science."
"Maybe I should get another PhD then," Spencer mused.
"Don't you dare!" Emi said, knowing that he was only teasing. "I don't think my 164 IQ brain and non-eidetic memory can keep up if you get another one."
Spencer chuckled and watched as Emi turned back to her notes to study. No matter how many times he thinks about it, he still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that he and Emi have been dating for 4 years. She was his first-and hopefully, only-girlfriend, and he couldn't be happier. Unlike most girls who probably would have wanted a lot of public display of affection, Emi was completely comfortable with just being near him and the occasional peck on the cheek. She also understood when Spencer told her that he hadn't told his team about her because he didn't want them to tease him.
"You remember Melissa, right?" Emi suddenly asked, bringing Spencer out of his thoughts.
"The chemistry professor at Bradshaw College in Arizona?"
"Yeah, that one," Emi confirmed, "So, she's pregnant and needs to leave on a maternity leave. She asked me to fill in her spot."
"Go all the way to Arizona for 3 months?" Spencer said, puzzled, "Couldn't the school find a substitute that lives in Arizona?"
"She said she doesn't feel comfortable with leaving her students with a stranger," Emi explained. "The college said they'll pay me $150 daily, and they'll pay for the plane ticket and house rent. That's more than I've ever made as a sub here in Virginia."
"You've already decided to accept," Spencer realized.
"If you don't want me to go, then I won't," Emi reassured him.
"No, I think you should take it," Spencer said, "I mean, you might as well put your chemistry bachelor to good use. When do you need to leave?"
"Next week. Thanks for understanding," Emi said, smiling. Her eyes wandered to the clock on the wall, and her smile dropped. "Shit! It's already 11! I gotta go. I can't be late to this final!"
3 months later...
"This is from the Phoenix office, Bradshaw College in Tempe," Aaron "Hotch" Hotchner, the leader of the BAU, said, causing Spencer to immediately think of Emi. "6 fires in 7 months."
"Who recorded it?"
"A student with a digital camcorder," Jennifer "JJ" Jareau, the team's media liaison, explained, "He was watching a fire in the building across from their dorm. The other person you'll see is his roommate, 20-year-old Matthew Rowland."
She played the video, and the team watched as the video showed a building on fire before it lead to the death of Matthew Rowland. He had been moving to door, thinking that someone was trying to get in, when he stepped in a liquid that seemed to be gasoline. It was at that moment that the boy was suddenly on fire. His roommate rushed to put the fire out, but it was already too late.
Bradshaw College
Tempe, Arizona
The team had flown to Arizona and were now at the college, on the way to talk to Ellen Turner, the dean of students.
"No badges," Jason Gideon ordered, "I don't want to satisfy the unsub's need for attention by letting him know he go the FBI here. Try not to look official."
"Try to look less official." Gideon corrected himself after seeing his team dressed in suits and dark official-looking sunglasses.
They walked through the campus, and the dean of students quickly joined them.
"Obviously, I'd rather be meeting you under different circumstances," Ellen Turner said as she led them through the campus. "This is fire inspector Zhang," she introduced as the man joined.
"This morning the chemistry department reported several bottles of highly flammable chemicals missing," Zhang informed them as they headed towards the school.
"I'm prepared to evacuate this campus," Ellen said as Gideon and Hotch opened the doors for her. "Thank you."
"That brings with it its own problems," Hotch said.
"You might evacuate the arsonist as well," Gideon added.
"Then the case goes unsolved, the campus is reopened, but the fires start up again," Elle Greenaway said.
"Hotch, Gideon, hold on a second," Derek Morgan called, causing the group to stop. "You said the chemicals were missing today. It says here that one of previous fires was set with disel fuel that appeared from the grounds keeping facility." The man then turned to the fire inspector, "How long after it disappeared was the fire set?
"One day."
Hotch and Gideon exchanged before walking off.
"If he's holding to a pattern..." Gideon started.
"Who's to say the next fire won't be today?" Hotch finished, nodding.
After Hotch and Spencer checked out Matthew Rowland's dorm room, the team re-grouped in a makeshift office for the BAU. Hotch and Spencer returned from the scene and told the team that there would be no chance for the unsub to actually watch the fire because the door was locked, and that the unsub would only hear Rowland's screams.
Fire Inspector Zhang had arrived a few minutes later with a box.
"He turned the water off just before the fire," Zhang said as the they all looked at the charred machine in the box. "The last three were set with these two devices with simultaneous ignition."
"There was no device used on Matthew Rowland," Gideon stated. "Unsub set that one manually?"
"He wanted to be there, to enjoy the kid's death," Morgan answered.
"Not necessarily," Hotch said.
"Well, if the target was Matthew Rowland, then why set the other two fires?" Elle asked.
"The motives for Arson are relatively simple," Spencer stated, "There's vandalism, crime concealment, political statement, and-"
"-revenge." Everyone turned to see a young Asian woman enter the room, a cup of coffee in her hand.
"I'm Emiko Hinata, but please call me Emi. I'm subbing for my friend who's the Chemistry professor, here," Emi introduced, walking over to Spencer to hand him the coffee, "I got you some coffee. 6 spoonfuls of sugar, as always."
Spencer took the coffee gratefully and smiled at her, "Thanks."
She smiled back before turning her attention to the rest of the people, who had been watching the two interact in curiosity. "I know the kid, and I've seen him around campus," Emi told them, "He seemed to be really well-liked. Talked to his roommate, too, and he seems to agree, so there's no reason for revenge."
"What about vandalism?" the dean questioned, disregarding Spencer and Emi's interactions.
Emi shook her head, "No, the fires are too sophisticated. If it was vandalism, the fire would've been at random, but the unsub, here, seems to have a goal."
Elle nodded in agreement, "And if he's trying to make a political statement, he's not being too clear about it."
"There's an underlying strategy in this case," Gideon said, giving Emi a curious glance. "Matthew, the firefighters, and your victims. To the unsub, they're not people, they're-"
"-they're objects," Hotch finished.
Gideon nodded, "More like-"
"-chess pieces," Spencer interrupted, this time.
Gideon made eye-contact with him before nodding, "Exactly."
"The timer sets the road flare, which then lights the chemical mixture inside the canister. Simple," Elle stated as she, Spencer, and Emi sat around the office, looking at the pieces on the table. Emi had offered to help, and the dean was quick to accept, knowing the PhDs Emi had.
"Yet sophisticated in its simplicity," Spencer said, shaking his head. "I mean, there's a meticulous construction to it."
"Chemical accelerant could mean chemistry student," Elle said.
"Could also mean chemistry professor," Spencer added, earning an offended look from Emi.
"Excuse me?"
"Right, sorry. Forgot you're the chemistry teacher, right now," Spencer said, meekly.
Emi gave him a face that told him that she didn't believe it. "You have eidetic memory...anyway, even if I wasn't the only chemistry professor at the moment, I would still agree with Elle and say student. Trust me when I say this, you need self-confidence to lecture or even talk in front of a classroom full of 30 to 40 college kids. You should probably also be good at roasting them..."
"Agreed," Elle said, chuckling a little at Emi's last comment. "Arsonists are socially incompetent. This guy doesn't go on dates. He doesn't go to parties. He doesn't feel comfortable in front of groups."
Spencer shifted in chair, feeling a little uncomfortable at the similarities he found within himself.
"And, of course, he's total psychopath," Elle quickly added when she made eye-contact with Reid.
"Course," Spencer mumbled, nodding to himself.
Emi knelt in front of him and took a hold of his hands. "Spencer, look at me," she ordered softly, making Spencer look at her. "You are not like the unsub. Yes, you have some similarities in the social category, but that's it. Spence, you are kind, intelligent, and in control of your mind. I know for a fact that you would never intentionally harm someone, and if so it would be to protect someone. Besides, there's no way you could hide something like that from me."
Spencer let out a soft chuckle, "I guess you're right."
Elle stood to the side, smiling as she watched the couple interact. Although they never outright said it, it was blatantly obvious that there was something going on between them. And even though she didn't know Spencer for that long, Elle could tell that Emi was good for Spencer.
Unfortunately, Elle was forced to break the cute moment when her gaze drifted out the window, and she saw something.
"Uh, sorry to break your little moment, but..."
Spencer and Emi turned their attention away from each other and too see what Elle was looking at. Their eyes widen in horror when they saw it. The building next door was on fire.
The fire had been aimed to kill Professor Ralph Wallace, and unfortunately, it succeeded. Like Matthew Rowland, Professor Wallace was well-liked by the students. He was laid-back, very understanding, and rarely ever gave bad grades. There was no reason for someone to want to kill him.
"We've been at this all night, and we've got nothin'." Morgan groaned. The BAU and Emi were seated all around the office, trying to figure out the unsub.
Morgan picked up one of the developed pictures that Elle had taken. "Look at these expressions. We got fear, a touch of horror, even a little bit of panic. Where's the guy gettin' off."
"Spencer, what did Peter Dinsdale say when he was asked motives?" Emi asked, tiredly from where she sat, her head leaning on Spencer's shoulder. "Didn't he say something about a master?"
"'I am devoted to fire. Fire is my master.'," Spencer quoted.
"Okay, so who is our boy's master?" Morgan mumbled, turning on a lighter. "Ten thousand plus students, and one has a serious fascination with fire."
"Fire starting is one third of the homicidal triad an early predictor of adult dissociative criminal behavior," Elle said. "If we looked in his childhood, we'd probably find all three: bedwetting and cruelty to animals."
"Absent or abusive father," Emi mumbled, sadly. Spencer looked at her and gave her fingers a comforting squeeze.
"Trouble with the opposite sex, chronic low self-esteem-M.O. would be dynamic," Gideon said, "Evolving, fire setting escalates, they thrive on panic, fear. It's just the standard profile of a serial arsonist."
"Based on hundreds of interviews," Spencer said.
"Based on precedent," Morgan added.
"Everything the unsub should be, according to research," Elle muttered.
Hotch sighed. "We're off the mark."
"Because of the 2 missing elements," Gideon said, turning to Emi, "And they are...?"
Not having noticed that Gideon was talking to her, Emi sat there, waiting for someone to answer. After a few seconds, she noticed that everyone's gaze was on her. "Wait, you were asking me?"
With nod and a small smile from Gideon, Emi sat up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Uh, sex and power," she answered, nervously, "They're the two motives that usually drive a serial arsonist."
Gideon nodded in approval and smiled again before he turned serious. "And without 'em, we do not have a profile."
Emi and Spencer sat in one of the chemistry labs with Hotch, fire inspector Zhang, and four Graduate Chemistry students. The four students had claimed to have known how the unsub set the fires.
"Reid," Hotch said, "since you're more their age, why don't you do the talking?" Spencer stared at him, eyes wide in fear.
"So is Emi," Spencer pointed out.
"She isn't an Agent," Hotch countered.
"I'll step in if you really think you need help," Emi said, reassuringly.
Spencer gulped and stood up. "Hi-hi, guys." The students looked up at the sound of Spencer's voice. "Uh, my name's, uh, Dr. Spencer Reid. I'm a, uh, agent with the-the BAU, the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI, which, um, it used to be called the BSU, the Behavioral Science Unit, but not anymore."
Emi bit her lip to stop herself from laughing at how cute Spencer looked when he was rambling.
"They changed it to the BAU," she heard Spencer mutter under his breath before continuing his ramble, "Um, it's part of the NCAVC, the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, which is also part of this thing called the CIRG, the Critical Incident Response Group, and-"
Emi couldn't hold it in any longer. She let out a laugh before stepping in for Spencer, "Look, what he's trying to say, is that it would be great if you guys could tell us how the unsub started the fires."
Jeremy, the only boy out of the four students, gave Emi a look. "Aren't you suppose to know this stuff, seeing as you're the sub for Chemistry?"
Emi propped her hand on her hip and glared at Jeremy. "I have to teach 346 of you guys, and only 30 of you are decent at writing lab reports. The last time I slept was 4 days ago, and that was only for 2 hours. So, excuse me if I can't think right now."
Jeremy put his hands up in surrender, "Sorry, Miss." He then held out his hand towards Spencer. "May I, please?" he asked, referring to the light bulb that was in Spencer's hand. Spencer handed it to him, and Jeremy held up the light bulb for everyone to see.
"Thank you-see this? Drill a hole in the side, fill it with gasoline or whatever's good and flammable."
Emi smacked her head and groaned, "And then when you turn on the light, it explodes and a fire starts. Of course! How did I miss that?"
"You're only on running on 2 hours of sleep, Miss," the boy said, cheekily.
"Oh, shut up, Jeremy."
"The stuff's all over the net." Everyone turned their attention towards Clara Hayes. A small movement caught Emi's eyes, and she now payed attention to how the girl kept twisting the ring on her finger in a pattern-three full circles, pause, another three circles, pause, and so on. "Wanna know how to make a Molotov cocktail that sets itself on fire?"
The two agents slowly nodded, a little wary.
"Potassium, sulfur, and normal sugar," Clara listed, counting with her fingers. "Sugar...sugar, which is...not exactly plutonium."
"You could get this stuff anywhere," Jeremy told them.
Clara nodded before clarifying in an excited voice, "Sugar from the supermarket."
"But you don't need to be a chem major to know that," Hotch said, causing the fire inspector to look at him.
"Do you think it's a chem student?"
"You wanna know what I think?" Jeremy said, smirking, "I think it would be a good time to take the semester off."
"God dammit," Emi muttered as she searched through her messenger bag, "I forgot my keys."
"Don't worry, I got 'chu, Ms. Emi," Jeremy said, taking out a key as he stepped into the elevator after Spencer and Hotch. "You need a key to get it movin' after 10:00 P.M." the boy explained to Spencer and Hotch.
"So, what are you still doin' here?" Hotch asked.
"I can't leave, we've all got projects," he said, letting out a bitter laugh. "Thanks for that, Ms. Emi."
"If I have to suffer through all of this, I'm taking you students down with me," Emi said, sending the boy a smirk.
"And you just had to make us learn how to solve the 3 body problem? How to compute the mutual gravitational interaction between the earth, sun, and moon?" Jeremy grumbled.
"Oh, but of course."
"Karen. I do this for Karen." Emi's eyebrows furrowed as she listened to the recording from the tip line of the police department.
"Play it again," Gideon ordered. They listened to it once again.
"The call came from the office right next to Wallace's, five minutes before the fire was started," Morgan explained. The team plus Emi nodded as Gideon continued to focus on the monitor.
"Play it again," he ordered and it was. "Again, louder."
"Karen. I do this for Karen."
"What is it?" Hotch asked when he saw Gideon's face contort in confusion.
"I'm not sure," Gideon admitted, shaking his head. "Somethin' about it."
"Is this tape clean?" Hotch asked.
"I can put it through some audio filters," a woman, who Emi learned was Penelope Garcia, the tech analyst for the BAU, said from Morgan's monitor.
Morgan nodded, "Look, we need as close to the real voice as you can get and anything that might be in the background. Can you do it?"
Garcia sent him a look. "Okay, so you know how on Star Trek when Captain Kirk asks McCoy to do something totally impossible, and McCoy says, "Damn it, Jim, I'm a doctor, not a miracle worker"?" Garcia quoted, causing that scene to play in Emi's head.
"Hey, are you tellin' me, not to expect a miracle?" Morgan asked, receiving another look.
"No, I'm saying I'm a doctor."
"That's my girl."
Emi leaned closer to Spencer, who also leaned closer to her. "Are they dating?" Emi asked in a hushed voice.
Spencer shook his head, "No, they just tend say phrases like that to each other."
"Oh," Emi said, nodding in understanding, "They're cute."
"Alright guys, so according to your teacher, you guys are supposed to have this huge 100 question exam on this unit, and today's your review day." Emi couldn't help but smile when the class in front her all groaned. "But, because you guys seem stressed enough already, and I don't want to grade those, I'm just going to combine all of your quiz grades. If any of you want to retake a quiz, talk to me after class, and we'll set up a date and maybe get you a tutor if you need one." In the corner of her eye, she saw Spencer and Gideon walk into the classroom, taking a seat in the far, back-corner of the class.
"Other than that, let's talk about random stuff that we have on our mind. Anyone want to start?"
Excitedly, a boy sitting in the third row raised his hand. "Oh! So, you know how we were complaining about Mrs. Smith, that super strict Bio teacher that doesn't teach? Guess what she's making us do, now..."
An hour and 30 minutes later...
"Okay, guys, you're dismissed to lunch. Don't drunk drive, don't do drugs, and don't text and drive. If I find that you're absent next class because of any of those reasons, I will give you an F for failing in life." The students all laughed as they packed up their stuffs and left, a couple staying behind to talk to Emi about something.
Once she was done talking to the students who stayed behind, Emi turned to Spencer and Gideon, who both had stayed the entire time.
"So, how'd I do? Did I pass?" Emi joked, grabbing her lunch before walking over to them.
"You didn't even teach them anything," Spencer pointed out.
"Exactly."
"I think you a good job," Gideon commented, "You took into consideration how much work and stress your students were being put under, not many teachers do that."
"Finally, someone who isn't a student gets it!" Emi cheered. "I remember back when I was in school, teachers would give me tests, projects, and a whole bunch of homework piled on top of each other. It killed me."
Spencer frowned, "I don't remember feeling like that."
"Oh, that's because you were a little, teenage genius who did nothing but homework," Emi teased, "I on the other hand had other things to do."
"What other things?" Spencer asked.
"Oh, nothing important, really," Emi said, waving it off. "Anyways, let's all go eat outside. I need some fresh air."
Emi, Spencer, and Gideon were now outside. Gideon was walking back and forth on the grass, while Spencer sat against a tree, both of them watching students move about on the campus. Emi was reading a book, sitting in the same tree Spencer was leaning against.
"What if the unsub is one of the students leaving?" she heard Spencer ask.
"No, he's not done yet," Gideon dismissed, "He's not goin' anywhere. Keep thinkin'."
"You mean, out-outside the box?" Spencer asked, "That's what Morgan's always telling me. He says that's why I can never beat you at chess."
"Well, he's not wrong," Emi commented, causing Gideon to smirk.
"But, I mean, in this situation, what exactly is the box?" Spencer asked.
"The standard profile of a serial arsonist," Gideon explained. Spencer slowly nodded to let Gideon know that he somewhat understood. "If everything you know goes in the box, what's left?"
"What you don't know," Spencer answered, "The unknown."
"Sometimes you have to get creative," Gideon said, "Even if you think it's utterly unlikely, you have to think of things nobody else thought of."
"Like a stutter," Spencer said, causing Emi to look up from her book in confusion.
"I'm sorry, what?"
She didn't get answer from either of them when Gideon nodded. "Yeah, exactly."
"So, while Gideon's wandering around campus, what do you want to do?" Emi asked as Spencer opened the door to her classroom. "Thanks."
"I don't really know. Is there anything you want to do?" Spencer asked back.
"Well, I'm not sure about want, but I need to finish grading these lab reports," Emi said, gesturing towards the stack of papers on her desk. "I've procrastinated long enough. Once I'm done with this pile, I'm all yours."
"Well, I can help you grade these," Spencer offered, already grabbing two-thirds of the stack.
"Aww, that's so sweet, thank you," Emi said, taking out two purple pens. "Just check for correct information, format, and grammar. Format and grammar mistakes get half points off each, and incorrect information is one point off. If you can see where they're coming, take off half a point."
"Okay."
They were one paper away from being done, when Spencer spoke up.
"Um, this student didn't write anything about science. He wrote a story about a prince and a princess who were in love, but then the princess ended up running away with a mermaid. I mean, there's a lot more to the story than that, but that was the plot."
Emi laughed. "Let me guess, it was written by a boy named Kyle Portman?"
"Uh, yes."
"Here, I'll grade that one. He was absent on lab day, so I told him to write one of the craziest stories he can think of," Emi explained. "I usually don't do something like that, but he and a few other students helped me plan this lab out, so I let it slide."
"You can do that?"
"Probably not, but I'm just the sub. Melissa's gonna be back next week so, I don't really care if I get fired now." Spencer watched as Emi's eyes quickly scanned over the story, chuckling a few times. "Did you find any grammar mistakes?"
"No."
"Then, 100." Emi wrote the number onto the paper, drawing a big smiley face next to it. "There, now we're done." After gathering all of the papers and placing them neatly into her bag, Emi turned to Spencer, wrapping her arms around Spencer's neck. "Now, how do I thank you?"
Spencer nervously gulped, cautiously wrapping his arms around Emi's waist. "I-I can think of a way," he said.
Emi smirked and the two leaned closer for a kiss. However, it was interrupted by Spencer's phone ringing.
"Goddammit."
The call had been from Morgan, telling them that break time was over and that they needed them to help figure out the unsub. They were now back in the office, looking over the clues, Spencer with Hotch, and Emi with Morgan.
"Okay, gorgeous, I've put this thing through every audio filter I've got." Garcia said from Morgan's monitor. "There's only one thing I can tell you for sure. This guy isn't saying "Karen." It's more like "Ka-rown."
Morgan and Emi made eye-contact before he asked, "Garcia, what the hell is Ka-rown?"
"If I figure it out, does it earn me a night of passionate love-making?" Garcia asked, causing Emi to choke back a laugh.
"Most definitely, sweetness...with Reid." Emi laughed out loud, causing Spencer to look in their direction, a look of confusion on his face.
Emi laughing, "Sorry, Garcia. You seem sweet and all, but I don't share."
"Oh, he's all yours, honey," Garcia said, laughing along. "Bye."
"Bye."
"Bye-bye."
"What was that about?" Spencer asked, walking over to Morgan and Emi.
"Oh, nothing you need to worry about, Doc," Emi said, shaking her head. "Anyways, Garcia says it's not "Karen."
Morgan nodded, "Yeah, she said it's actually somethin' more like-"
"Charown." Gideon interrupted as he ran into the room, gaining the attention of everyone in the room.
"Charown?" Spencer repeated.
"Charown," Gideon confirmed, "I do it because of Charown."
"That's Hebrew," Spencer said.
"It's god's word in anger," Gideon translated.
"The motive is now religious?" Elle asked as she and Hotch made their way over to them.
"Well, you know, in a lot of religions, god is related to fire," Spencer spouted, causing the group to nod in understanding.
"Well, brahman is fire in Hinduism," Hotch said.
"God is also seen as a pillar of fire by the Jews, and Christians worship God as a consuming fire," Emi stated. She gave Elle a look of confusion when she saw the woman throw Spencer a salad bowl.
"Okay, so we're lookin' for a theology major. Maybe he's punishing the other students for their sins," Morgan suggested as Spencer gave the salad back to Elle.
"I already ate."
"Not necessarily," Emi argued, "They don't have to be a theology major. They or their family could just be super religious."
"True, but what's the most sinful place on campus?" Elle asked, earning a look from Morgan.
"Come on, Elle. When I was college, that was everywhere," Morgan said.
"A fraternity?" Hotch suggested.
"A campus bar?" Elle tried.
Emi shook her head, "No. None of them are consistent with the previous targets. One of the victims was a professor, remember?"
"Alright, then what about the idea of baptism by fire?" Morgan asked, "Aren't we all supposed to be tested through fire in revelations?"
"Look, it's good, it's good, but let's please do not jump to conclusions," Gideon ordered, "Religion might be a part of it, but it's not necessarily the prime compulsion."
"Gideon, rush to conclusions, jump to conclusions. Who cares?" Morgan snapped.
"We are running out of time!" Elle added.
Emi lightly tugged on Spencer's sleeve, making the genius look down at her. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked, quietly.
Spencer's eyes scanned her before he nodded slowly. "Compulsion," they both said.
"This is crazy. Hey, Mac, get over here. You gotta see this."
Spencer and Emi stared at the monitor as they watched the video again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
Each time, Emi's attention would focus on the door knob when it turned 3 times. Something was telling her that it was important, that it was something familiar. But what?
Giving up on watching the video, Emi stood up from her seat and walked over to the white board, staring at Gideon's notes.
"Outside the box," Spencer muttered as he stood behind her. Suddenly, he reached over her and erased the white board.
Understanding what he was trying to do, Emi wrote "FIRE" at the top of the board, drawing a box around it.
"Keep thinkin'." Emi and Spencer turned around to see Gideon poking his head through the door. "It's like chess. Don't look at just the next move. Try to look 3 moves ahead."
Three. Why did that number stand out so much for Emi?
"Hey, Spencer, did you notice that the unsub turned the doorknob slowly 3 times?" Emi asked, "Do you think it might have a meaning?"
Spencer eyes widened when he realized what Emi was trying to say. He quickly played the video, paying close attention to the door knob.
"Emi, you are absolutely brilliant!" Spencer cheered, standing up. "I could kiss you right n-" He was cut off by Emi tugging him down by his tie to give him quick kiss on the lips.
"Way ahead of you," Emi said when she pulled away, "Now, let's go back to the crime scenes. See if we can find any more patterns-"
"-of three."
The two rushed down to Professor Wallace's office. Once they reached it, Spencer wiped off the debris on the room number.
It was room number #3.
Spencer opened the door to Matthew Rowland's room, him and Emi cautiously walking into the room. They walked over to Rowland's desk so they could something that could help confirm their suspicions.
"I found it," Emi said as she took out a binder. On the cover was Rowland's schedule.
"Professor Wallace. Tuesday, 3:00."
"We know why the profiles never fit," Spencer said as he and Emi entered the office Hotch and Gideon were in. "You were right to tell Morgan to not rely on precedent. The fires thus far have been completely task oriented."
"So once they're set, the unsub is done?" Hotch asked, and Spencer nodded.
"Exactly. The unsub is not a classical serial arsonist. He's someone who uses fire because of a completely different disorder."
"Which is?" Gideon urged.
"OCD, or obsessive compulsive disorder. A very extreme version of it," Emi explained, "It took us a while, but we realized that everything he did were in 3's."
"And if we're right, he'll have to kill again," Spencer added. "There's a form of OCD called scrupulosity."
"Religious obsession and compulsion," Hotch clarified.
Emi nodded, "An obsessive fear of committing sin. It creates so much anxiety for a person that they have to do something to ease that anxiety."
"Like setting fires."
"Where's the behavioral evidence?" Gideon asked, running a hand over his tired eyes.
"Right here," Spencer said, opening a file. "All right. Remember the night of the 3 fires? We saw the doorknob turning against the lock, but Emi noticed that he only did 3 slow turns. He's not trying to get in. He's compelled to turn the doorknob 3 times."
"Well, what about the fires?" Gideon asked, "The first ones were single fires. If the unsub was OCD, shouldn't they have all been in 3's?"
"They were in 3's," Emi said, "A trinity of 3's. The first fire occurred at 3:00 on March 3rd."
"3:00 P.M., third day, third month."
"It's that convergence of 3's that causes the overwhelming anxiety," Spencer explained. "Obsessive compulsives ease the anxiety by performing the compulsion."
"What about the other fires?" Hotch asked. "Professor Wallace?"
"Office number 3," Emi said, "He had classes on Tuesday's."
"Third day of the week," Hotch mumbled.
"Emi and I checked for other patterns of three," Spencer informed them, "Matthew Rowland was in that class. It was his third class of the day. If we looked into each of the fires we'd find a lot of patterns having to do with 3's-"
"-but it's always a trinity of 3's," Emi added, "No more, no less."
"Yes, and we would find them because our minds are incredibly adept at seeking out patterns," Spencer continued, "But to the unsub, once that pattern hits, bam-he sets a fire."
"But if the target was always people, why did no one die in the first few fires?" Gideon asked.
"They were failures," Spencer admitted, sadly, "Up until Matthew Rowland."
"This unsub will still probably have about the same general social issues as a regular arsonist," Emi said, "it's just that if you pay close attention, you will notice that they may do things in...Oh my god."
"What is it?" Gideon asked.
"I think I know who it is," Emi admitted, "Remember that girl that repeated sugar like 3 times?"
"The chemistry student," Hotch realized.
Emi nodded. "Clara Hayes."
"Remember when we talked to her and some other students? I noticed that she a ring on her finger, and she kept turning it in intervals of 3," Emi explained.
Hotch nodded, "And she counted off the ingredients of a light bulb bomb."
"And the word "sugar," Spencer realized.
"Yeah," Hotch agreed, "And she kept repeating it. Once she started, she couldn't stop."
"Yeah, it's palilalia. It's the involuntary repetition of words," Spencer explained. "Howard Hughes had it when his OCD worsened."
"Clara and her classmates were working on a project about gravitational pull," Hotch added.
"The 3 body problem." Gideon realized.
"Moloch was the demon sun God of the Canaanites," Spencer explained to Morgan over the phone. He had called to tell them about what they found in Clara's room. According to him, the walls were covered with papers with passages from books written on them. "In order to keep from his wrath, the people would sacrifice their children to him by burning them alive."
"Guys, you should probably see this," Emi said as her eyes scanned over an article she found online. She printed it out and handed it to Hotch.
"Sixteen-year-old survives inferno," Hotch read. "Mother Ellen Hayes called it a miracle."
"My daughter was tested by God," Emi quoted, "He tested my child and she came through blessed.
"That's messed up," Emi heard Morgan say over the phone.
"I know right, but look at the house number," Emi told Gideon as Hotch handed him the article.
"333."
"Security's checking the science building," the dean informed them.
"Well, where else would she be?" Gideon asked.
"We need to find the next pattern of 3's," Spencer said, "Emi can you think of any?"
"I'm trying," Emi said, grabbing a fistful of her hair, pulling on it, "There's too many possibilities. Oh, god, I'm so sorry. I feel so useless, right now."
"Hey, hey. No, Emi, it's fine," Spencer said, soothingly. He placed his hands on top of Emi's and gently pulled them away from her hand and down in front of her. "You're doing a great job. We probably would've never figured out who it was if you hadn't noticed the doorknob."
"That's not true," Emi protested, "You're a genius, Spence. You would've figured it out."
"Stop belittling yourself," Spencer chided, "If I'm not allowed to think negatively about myself, then neither are you."
Emi gave him a weak smile, "All right."
"Morgan, seal the building, get everybody out of there, and walk away," they heard Hotch order.
"What's going on?" Emi asked Gideon.
"Morgan and Elle just found thirty bombs in Hayes apartment," Gideon explained before turning to campus security. "We need to send our people into every building and have them start pulling fire alarms. Please, go."
The men ran out of the ran as Gideon continued to give orders.
"Mead, a map of the campus." The said woman nodded and rushed to get a map. "We need to find anything and everything having to do with the number."
"Gideon, hold on," Emi said, making the man stop. "I know Clara Hayes. She's a good person, she would never want to hurt anyone, like any other rational person."
"But there's nothing rational about obsessive compulsive disorder," Hotch pointed out.
"Research suggests OCD involves problems in communication between the frontal of the brain and the orbital complex," Spencer explained as Gideon looked between the three of them, "Plus deeper structures, the basal ganglia."
"You can't reason with her because you can't reason with a physiological problem," Hotch warned, earning confused looks from both Gideon and Emi. "She's not setting these fires because she wants to, but because she has to."
"What are you trying to say?" Gideon asked.
"Don't try to convince her to stop, because you won't be able to," Hotch clarified.
"Well, it wouldn't hurt to try, would it?" Emi said, walking out of the door. Gideon looked between Hotch and Spencer, before following Emi.
"Where are we going?" Gideon asked as he followed Emi through the hallways.
"I'm not exactly sure if I'm right, I mean it's long-shot, but might as well try," Emi said, not exactly answering Gideon's question.
"That doesn't answer my question."
"Okay, so a week ago, I assigned my students different projects," Emi began to explain. "I assigned three of my students a project where they had to learn how to solve the 3 body problem. They are probably the most stubborn students I've ever met. They aren't going to let anything stop them from getting a good grade."
"But, that's only two sets of 3's," Gideon pointed out.
"They have to work on it in the chemistry lab which is on the 4th floor of the science building. My guess is that they're going to use to the elevator, and Clara's going to stop it-"
"-at the 3rd floor," Gideon realized.
"Exactly."
"God chose me to be tested," Emi and Gideon heard Clara say as they neared the 3rd floor, "and now he's chosen them. If I don't do this, something terrible will happen."
"What's gonna happen, Clara?" They heard Hotch say. Emi blinked. How did Hotch get there before them? "A flood? An earthquake? You know this isn't rational."
"I know. I know. I know."
"Then resist."
"I can't," Clara said. "They must be tested. God's wrath..."
"Clara, stop!" Emi shouted as ran into the room, Gideon right behind her. "You can't do this!"
"I have to," Clara said, staring at the burning flare.
"But you can't," Emi said. She mouthed a quick "trust me" to Hotch and whispered the same thing to Gideon before talking to Clara. "It's not trinity of 3's anymore."
Clara turned to look at Emi with wide eyes, "What?"
"There's now four sets of 3," Emi said, cautiously walking towards Clara. "Three students, learning the 3 body problem, stuck on the 3rd floor. But there's also 3 FBI agents."
"But you're a teacher," Clara protested.
"I was made an FBI agent a few minutes ago," Emi lied, "I don't have a badge, yet, but it's official."
Clara frantically looked back and forth between Emi and the agents, the flare in her hand, the students in the elevator, and the number 3 near the elevator.
"Just roll the flare over here," Emi urged, "You can't set the fire anymore."
Whimpering, Clara dropped the flare and rolled it over towards Emi and Gideon. Gideon stomped on the flare to put it out while Emi rushed over to Clara, pulling the now crying girl into a hug.
"There, there." Emi comforted, "I'm so sorry, Clara, but I lied to you. I'm not an FBI agent."
"What?" came the small whimper from the girl.
"But, it's okay. See? You didn't do it, and nothing bad happened. Nothing bad will happen. I promise," Emi said, pulling away to make Clara look at her in the eyes, "We're going to get you to a hospital, and you're going to get better, okay?"
Still shaking, Clara nodded her head, "Okay."
"I'll be home on Saturday," Emi told Spencer, as they stood in front of the airport. "You'll be okay until then?"
"I've survived for 3 months. I think I can handle 3 more days without you," Spencer said, smiling.
"Ouch, those words are harsh," Emi said, dramatically placing a hand over her heart.
Spencer chuckled, looking down at her, lovingly. "I'll miss you."
Emi lowered her hand and smiled at him, "Me too. But don't worry. Three days."
"Three days," Spencer repeated. "I better go or I'll miss my flight."
"Okay," Emi said, sadly. She got onto her toes to give Spencer a quick kiss. "Bye-bye."
"Bye." Emi waved her hand good-bye as Spencer walked into the airport. She dropped her hand sadly once Spencer was out of sight.
"Emi," Emi turned around to see Hotch walking over her. "Good work, you helped us a lot."
Emi smiled at the man, "It was nothing really. You probably would've figured it out without me."
"Even so, if you hadn't reasoned with Clara Hayes, we might've had to result in shooting her," Hotch said. He took out a card and gave it to Emi. "Expect a call from this number soon. I think you'd make a good addition to the team."
"You can't be serious," Emi gasped, taking the card. "Thank you, I will do my best to do whatever I can to help."
Emi could've sworn she saw Hotch give her a small smile, but he had walked away before she could make sure.
Emi looked down at the card, and smiled, still a little shocked. "I did it, Spencer," she whispered to herself. "I finally did it."