A/N: First off, I'm a bit new to Criminal Minds. I love the show and have watched plenty of reruns, but rarely in consecutive order. I feel like I have a good enough grasp on the characters' personalities to write this, but I'm a bit fuzzy on background information. If anyone wants to fill me in on an in-depth (and accurate) character background, particularly of Reid, I'd really appreciate it. Second, most of the science/psychology/profiling in this story is mostly speculation and inference from watching this and other procedural cop shows, but it will always have potential to be inaccurate. However, I find the subject fascinating, so if anyone wants to lecture me on the details of it, again, I don't mind at all. Third, I know JJ was written out of the script in the sixth season. I want this story to be set as close to new episodes as possible (I'm not up-to-date on watching those), but JJ will stay in this story. Henry and Will are still involved, and will be mentioned. Finally, reviews of any kind are appreciated! Enjoy.
Chapter One
Spencer Reid sat at his desk in the BAU headquarters, playing solitaire and fidgeting with a pen. It was early on a Monday morning, and only Garcia and Rossi were there. Both were in their respective offices, so Reid savored the quiet moment. He reflected briefly on the case from last week- a man had killed his wife and two children after suffering a psychotic break due to being fired. As he often did, Reid pondered the frailty of the human mind.
His train of thought stopped when Morgan and Prentiss walked in, chuckling and talking about their weekend. Reid's had consisted of guest speaking at a local college, finishing one of many thesis papers, and writing a letter to his mother.
"Hey, kid, how you doing?" Morgan asked, swinging into his chair and letting it spin him to face his desk.
"Not bad," Reid replied absently, flipping another card. "You?"
"Good. Think JJ'll have something for us today?"
"Yeah, I think Rossi mentioned something earlier…" Reid glanced up to Rossi's closed office door.
"Morning, Reid," Prentiss said as she sat at her desk.
"Morning."
Morgan and Prentiss quickly picked back up their conversation, and Reid went back to his cards. A few moments later, Hotch strode in, scowling only slightly less than usual.
He gestured at the three agents in the bullpen. "Meeting room. JJ will be here in a moment for the briefing." When he was almost to the door, he turned around. "We have a new agent. She'll be starting today and assisting on this case."
Reid cocked his head slightly. He didn't know about a new agent. Morgan and Prentiss showed the same confusion, but Prentiss shrugged and moved towards the short stairs.
The three of them sat at the round table in the large room. Hotch, Garcia, and Rossi were already seated around the table. Next to Hotch was a young woman dressed in a light grey button-up shirt and black pants. Reid quickly evaluated the rest of her appearance, profiling her without realizing it.
A silver chain hung around her neck, with a very small, light green stone inset. There was no wedding ring, but a silver ring with a much darker green stone sat on her right hand. She was of medium height, trim, athletic build, with softly angled features. Medium length, wavy, light brown hair, dark brown… No. Reid looked more closely. Dark blue eyes. She had the tan skin of someone who spent time outside doing active things, and it complemented the color of her hair.
When he first started working for the BAU, Reid probably would have had trouble saying much of anything articulate around her. Now, he only felt a slight flutter in his chest before he returned his focus to Hotch.
Standing, Hotch addressed the team as JJ bustled in the door with a briefcase. She smiled at the team before taking her place at the front of the table, beginning to work the projector until Hotch finished.
"Before JJ presents the information on this case, I'd like to introduce Agent Bates. She'll be working both in the field and in the office with more complex profiling. Agent Bates, these are Agents Rossi, Garcia, Morgan, Prentiss, Reid, and Jareau." Hotch sat, his introduction brief and formal.
Agent Bates gave the room a small smile that Reid thought looked slightly forced, and then turned to JJ.
"Hang on, Hotch," Prentiss said. "Agent Bates, I'm not complaining about your presence; we could use all the help we can get, but I thought the BAU positions were all full?"
Hotch nodded. "They were, but we've been granted more funding recently. Enough to pay the salary of another agent."
"I see. Go on, JJ."
"Laurel, Mississippi." JJ indicated a spot on the map that appeared on the screen. "So far there have been four murders, all in the last month. The most recent was approximately two nights ago, based on the condition of the body- five days after the third victim. This is the shortest span between kills." The image on the screen changed to one of a mangled body, with various bruises and cuts varying in size, depth, and location.
Reid stole a glance across the table to the new agent. She was surveying the picture with a cold efficiency, appraising the wounds carefully. He didn't see any sign of revulsion or contempt, which surprised him.
Then again, he told himself, no one sees those signs from any of us. He returned to listening to JJ.
"As you can see, it appears that the victims undergo extensive torture before death. COD has varied from blood loss, to asphyxiation, to blunt force trauma. The only reasons these crimes are connected are the sheer violence, and the dump site."
Again, the screen changed. This time it was an image of a drain pipe opening into a ditch.
JJ continued. "The bodies have been found crammed into the drain pipe, except for the first. It's unclear whether it was originally placed in the drain and was washed out, or if the unsub deliberately left the body in the ditch." She typed rapidly on her computer, and four images of bodies, including the first they had seen, came into view. The photo of the dump site and a map were underneath.
Reid leaned forward, touching a finger his lip. "All of the bodies show almost identical bruising and cuts that obviously occurred prior to death, but you said the COD was different?"
JJ nodded.
Sitting back in his chair, Reid adjusted his tie and continued. "Since the unsub tortured his victims, he probably has a deep-seated rage to someone the victims remind him of. The victims are all men, so perhaps we're looking for someone with an abusive father. What was the first victim's cause of death?"
"Blood loss," JJ replied.
"And the most recent?"
"Blunt force trauma. It looks like-" JJ's face twisted slightly- "he was assaulted with a tire iron, or something similar."
Reid nodded, his suspicion confirmed. He noticed, before going on, that Agent Bates was watching him closely, focused on his assessment. "He's escalating. The blood loss could be due to multiple cuts sustained during the torture, or a single lethal cut. Either way, the unsub had to have used a knife and the death was, in the first instance, accidental, or quick, if the latter occurred.
"This most recent murder, however, most likely took several blows to get the job done. It was more violent, and more personal. His rage is increasing with the body count."
Rossi was nodding, pleased with Reid's explanation.
Agent Bates was studying the photo of the latest victim intently, her expression a bit perplexed. "I would need to see the body to be sure, but it seems that the same weapon that was used to kill this man was also used to torture him. The size and relative shape of the weapon needed to create a bruise like that appears to be similar to what would be required to do that kind of damage to a skull. The earlier victims, as well, have that same kind of bruising. It's possible that this latest victim angered the unsub, and this weapon just happened to be near by. It might not have been his intention to kill this man so soon."
Morgan leaned in. "Really? How can you tell, about the weapon?"
"I have a Ph.D. in Forensics. I also have a Masters in Physics and briefly studied medicine. With the combination of the three, I can usually determine the angle and force of the blow, and the type of the weapon based on the injuries. It's helpful in profiling the physique of the unsub."
Morgan nodded, impressed.
Reid was surprised when Agent Bates gestured towards him. "Not to discount Agent Reid's theory of escalating rage, but I think it would premature to dismiss the idea that this death was potentially accidental."
"I agree," Hotch said. "At this point, our profile simply leads us to believe he will strike again, and soon, regardless of his motive- continuing to work towards satisfying his anger, or continuing torture that was left unfinished. We leave in thirty minutes." He stood, nodded at the agents in the room, and headed out.
JJ closed her computer. "Garcia, you're fine to stay here, but Hotch wanted you briefed on this with the rest of the team."
"Of course," Garcia said. "Be safe, my friends."
"We'll try, baby girl," Morgan called as she exited the room.
The remaining agents stood, and Prentiss headed to Bates. "I didn't mean to imply you weren't wanted here. Another agent will be a great help." She extended her hand with a tight smile. "I'm Emily."
The smile and handshake were returned. "Vivienne," she replied in a quiet voice.
Vivienne, Reid repeated the name several times. A slightly unusual name, and decidedly French. She didn't look French.
Morgan was introducing himself, grinning his usual womanizing grin and letting his gaze linger. Vivienne (Reid usually thought of his fellow BAU members by their last name, except occasionally Prentiss, but the name 'Vivienne' seemed so… fitting.) was smiling, but still seemed reserved. Reid gathered up the papers and the few notes he'd made, and shuffled them into a neat stack.
"Hey, pretty boy," Morgan whistled. Reid glanced up. Morgan was looking at him expectantly, and Vivienne was watching him with an unreadable expression.
"Oh. Right. Spencer," he said, reaching out his hand. Vivienne smiled. Reid still got the feeling that the smile didn't reach her eyes. They were calculating; not cold, but just analytical- he wondered if his own looked that way.
Her hand met his, and her eyes snapped to meet his gaze. He sensed an instant, mutual recognition of intelligence, as if their different theories on the unsub were a representation of what they had in common. Both had pointed out something the others had failed to. As their eye contact continued, Reid eagerly anticipated working with her. The rest of the team was great, but it was hard to relate on an intellectual level.
Morgan shifted, and Reid realized he was still shaking Vivienne's hand. He didn't know by how much he'd exceeded the social norm, or really even what that was. Her eyes lingered on him for a second before they all moved towards the door. Prentiss was the first to get there, and Morgan followed. Reid caught the door just before it closed, holding it open and gesturing through it. Vivienne gave a look him that seemed to be the opposite of her previous expression- her eyes beamed, but the corners of her mouth only lifted slightly.
Shutting the door behind him, Reid watched as she moved through the office to an empty desk. It was against the wall, across from his. His hands in his pockets, he observed the way the team moved. From his vantage point on the stairs, he saw Morgan lead the way out the door. Prentiss followed, calling something over her shoulder. Vivienne stooped to pick up a leather satchel from underneath her desk, and swept her hair over her shoulder when she stood. All three moved with a natural ease and agility, if such things could be demonstrated walking through an office. No matter how many cases he worked, how many unsubs he personally talked down or took down, Reid always felt a bit awkward in comparison to the others.
Thankfully, this realization never came to him in the field, and only in social situations. He still felt awkward then anyway.
Rossi clapped his shoulder as he walked past, and Reid shook his head to clear it. After shutting down his computer, he grabbed his own overnight bag and followed the others.
Twenty minutes later, Reid hopped onto the BAU jet. There were several open seats; Reid chose the one across from Vivienne. He smiled as he sat down, and she gave him the same look from outside the door- the smile contained all in the eyes.
Though he couldn't decide why, Reid was interested in her. Yes, she was beautiful, but it wasn't just that. Plenty of women were beautiful. She'd talked about having a Ph.D. Reid supposed that could be part of it; he didn't meet many people with an education level similar to his. But that wasn't it, either.
He decided to let it go.
Prentiss and JJ were examining pictures of Henry, and Reid smiled at the thought of his godson. The little boy was lucky to have a mom like JJ.
Morgan had taken out an iPod and was staring out the window, watching them leave the Virginia ground behind. Rossi and Hotch were talking about the case.
Thinking more carefully about the discussion in the media room, Reid began to realize Vivienne may have been right. An unsub that tortured his victims, then killed them using varying methods, wasn't likely to use the same weapon to kill as to torture. Unless it was the only one readily available.
If that were the case, the unsub's rage would escalate, as Reid predicted. He would be angry that his torture had been ended before it was supposed to, and would be looking for another victim.
"Hey, Hotch," Reid called. Hotch glanced up and moved to a seat closer. "I think we need to be prepared to be looking for another body, possibly as soon as we land. If what Vivienne said was right, then the unsub will want to kill another victim as soon as he can. He needs to regain control of his victims. This one will probably be tortured for less time, but more severely. The COD will be brutal and personal, and we'll need to look for someone who knows how to keep a victim alive through significant torture. Possibly someone with a medical background."
Hotch nodded. "Rossi and I have started a preliminary profile. We'll include that in our analysis."
Reid leaned back in seat. He caught Vivienne watching him, a ghost of a smile on her lips. Her eyes showed something he couldn't quite identify. Maybe satisfaction.