new year. new story. this story came in as a request so we shall see where this story goes. this unsub is smarter than most of the others I have created over the years so lets see what happens. enjoy

"That man is wisest who, like Socrates, realizes that his wisdom is worthless" – Plato

Christmas break never seemed to last long enough. He was given more time off than regular teachers who worked in elementary schools or high school, but he still wanted to throw his alarm against the closet when it went off that morning. He rolled out of bed, and got ready for work without waking his wife. Abby worked at the university with him, but they usually had opposite schedules. She worked nights teaching English to undergrads while he taught mornings and days working with grad students who were interested in learning more about philosophy. He always wanted to teach. That had been his dream for as long as he could remember, and he would never complain waking up before the sun if he could spend his days in front of curious students yearning to know more about this world.

Marriage, on the other hand, had never been a dream of his. He almost felt pressured into it because of his parents. Even before he finished high school, his mother was always nagging him about which girl he was dating and she was going to end up being his "special one". He dated girls at his school, like his buddies did, but not of them seemed right for him. He would lie and tell his parents everything was going well with his love life, but he usually never called a girl back after the first date. Abby was different. She stood out from the other girls with her long red hair and bright green eyes. She proudly told him the freckles that scattered her face went back generations in her family, and whenever Nick forgot to call her, she would just call him. She didn't slink away when he told her that he didn't have the money to take her to the movies, which was just another lie, and she usually made their plans for the major holidays. Nick couldn't figure out how in the world a woman like that would just put up with his excuses and lies, but she always did. She told her family that he was shy when he didn't want to meet them, but she did help him with his homework a lot. She listened to his long rants when no one else would, and she put up with his quirky behavior and habits.

He eventually proposed her after they graduated college. Both sets of parents were ecstatic, and Abby had her younger sister be her maid of honor. Abby was coming from a wealthy family and Nick wasn't too bad off himself. They bought a large house that wasn't too far from the school, and both of them continued going to school for their master degrees. It seemed like a dream marriage. Nicky and Abby sitting in a tree. Kissing. First comes love. Then comes marriage. Then comes the baby in a baby carriage, but that didn't happen for Nick. Their wedding night was hell. He didn't want to touch her. She started crying and so he started drinking. He drank enough to almost pass out, but it was enough to get the deed done. She was happy, and he couldn't recall anything the morning after. It was a win win for both of them, but sex was rare in their happy home. He wouldn't touch her during their honeymoon, and he had to drink himself silly to bed her on special nights like Valentine's Day or her birthday. It was a gift from the heavens that she never got pregnant. Nick didn't hate kids. He just didn't want any. He was sure his parents thought something was wrong since they had almost been married an entire decade and they didn't have a house full of giggling children yet. His dad did ask him once. He told his dad he was working on it, and they left it at that. His dad never asked him again.

Nick woke up early for work, and got home right around the time Abby would be leaving. They might have a late dinner or early lunch together, but that was it as far as meal times. Abby treasured the weekends. She liked to spend Sundays with her sister, but Saturdays were always saved for her beloved. Lately, Nick had been making more excuses of why he couldn't go on her little adventures to the zoo or riding with her parents at their farm. He was happiest when he was all by himself. When they were first married, they agreed to have a few rooms just for their own uses. Abby loved the basement. That was one of her favorite rooms. Within just a few weeks of moving in, she transformed the dark and gloomy room into a luscious library. Nick was only allowed down there when he was helping her redecorate or add new books, but even he was impressed. It was prettier than any library he had ever been to, and it wasn't far from the fantastical library from the Beauty and the Beast movie. She also claimed a few of the sun rooms as her own too. She kept one of them as a sitting room for whenever her girlfriends came to visit, but the second room was the one she kept her dolls in. She had been collecting antique dolls since she was a little girl, and ever since their marriage, her collection seemed to just grow. Dolls freaked Nick out. He was happy to keep out of that room.

Nick chose the attic as one of his personal rooms. It was spacious, and Nick took it upon himself to get rid of all the old boxes and clutter that past families left behind. He supposed it be could be an adventure to sort through the old mementos from days past, but he didn't really have the time or patience for that. He just wanted it all gone. When he was finished, the attic looked bigger than ever. There was one large window overlooking the property, and he was sure that if he got a telescope, he could spy on the neighbors if he wanted. He never wanted to though. There was an old widow living next door to him, and the other side had an older couple that usually just kept to themselves. He didn't mind. He had no desire to talk to any of them. The second room he chose was the room directly beneath the attic. The previous owners of the house kept it as a playroom for their children, but he turned it into a study. He decorated it with a large wooden desk next to a burgundy colored armchair, and a small collection of his favorite books. He had a stone fireplace built in across from the desk, and he usually had the curtains closed. The only soul he would ever allow in his private room was his cat. He loved that cat. She was just a stray tabby that he found wandering around the neighborhood, but she was his main girl. He named her Critter, and whenever he was home, she was at his side.

Today wasn't a day for cuddling with his cat though, and it wasn't a day for hiding out in his special rooms. Today was going to change his life forever, and he was more than ready for this change. He listened to the radio on his way to school, and was delighted to hear that there might be a fifth victim already in the Tongue Ripper saga. He didn't know who the sicko was. He didn't care who the sicko was. What he did know was that the BAU would be there today. He didn't have much time to get himself ready before their arrival, but he was going to try. He got to his first class with no problems. Most of the students were groggy. It was hard going back to school after such a long break. He couldn't blame them. He wasn't going to give them a hard first week. He was going to give them a few days to get back into the swing of things. He never referred to himself as a hard teacher, and he was well loved by most of his students. He just went over what he was planning for the upcoming week for his morning classes, and by lunch time, he was heading home. Abby was gone by the time he got back. He had a quick lunch. He usually loved having big meals, but not today. He didn't want a full stomach in case something went wrong. He got in his car when he finished eating, and drove about half an hour to Cotton Wood Park. There wasn't going to be a lot of people there. Kids were at school, and most adults were still at their jobs. He expected to have the park to himself. Mostly. He parked near the back, turned on the radio, and waited.

He didn't have to wait long. He was browsing the internet on his phone when he saw a man walking his dog. He was wearing a suit like he was just coming off work too or maybe he was on his lunch break, but none of that mattered. The dog wasn't going to be much of a threat either. It was an Australian Shepherd mix that seemed a lot more interested in that the great sniffs that what was going on with his owner. Nick wasn't going to hurt the dog. He decided that in the car. He smoothed out his hair, pulled the gun out of the glove compartment, and got out of his vehicle. He wasn't sure how this was going to end. He never did anything even kind of like this before, but life wasn't worth living if he was too afraid to try out new things. He kept a few paces behind the stranger. Nick guessed they were about the same age, but the other man had darker hair than Nick. He wore a black coat over the suit, and he always stopped whenever his dog wanted to check out another tree. When they reached the lake, Nick made his move.

"Excuse me, sir?" Nick asked. The man glanced behind him to see Nick standing there. Nick didn't look like a threat. That was good.

"Yeah?" the man asked. He looked back down at his phone. He wasn't going to see what was coming.

"What's your dog's name?" Nick asked. It was a beautiful dog. Nick wasn't a dog person, but if he was, that's the breed he wanted. The dog was a blue merle with different color eyes. It was probably an expensive dog, but price wasn't a concern. Their personalities did. He knew some people that spent thousands on their pets just to find out the dog was a jerk. Critter was free, and she was everything he ever wanted.

"Shiloh," the man said smiling. The man turned towards his dog which gave Nick more than enough time he needed. He pulled the gun out, aimed, and fired. The dog, Shiloh, yelped and leaped back. The man stayed on his feet for a moment, but then he fell head first into the river. His entire body didn't fall in which was a shame, but Nick wasn't going to touch him. That was a lot easier than he expected. The blood from the stranger's head mixed with the lake water, and Nick wondered if there were any fish living in the lake that would feast on this guy's head until the police got there.

Nick got down on his knees to calm the dog down. It was still shaking and it wanted nothing to do with Nick. "Sssshh. It's okay buddy. I got you." The dog didn't act vicious or mean when Nick lifted his arm out towards the scared canine. He unhooked the leash from the dog's collar, and the dog ran off in a flash. He was sure the dog could find his way home, and Nick felt good. The practice run went well. He was ready for the real deal now. He put the gun away, and strolled back to his car. Was that the only meaning of life? Being born to die? The dead man in the lake had hopes and dreams for his future. He knew what he was going to eat for dinner that night, and he could have even had plans for the weekend. All of those thoughts and hopes were gone with a single blast from Nick's gun. The guy was enjoying his afternoon in a minute only to be fish food by the next moment. Nick couldn't quite understand it, but he felt good. He didn't even realize he was smiling. He felt awake for the first time in his life, and he couldn't wait until later. This was going perfectly, and he was happy.

Monday mornings were hard on everyone. It was rare to get the holidays off with this kind of job so J.J. was happy when she wasn't called in on Christmas or New Year's Day. She got to spend it with her boys, and she slept in with her husband which was sadly a rare occasion. When the alarm clock went off Monday morning, she didn't complain. Will saw her off, and she kissed all of her boys goodbye. As sleepy as she felt, she was ready to get back to work, and this week was going to be different. This was going to be one of the first cases they got without Morgan. It felt strange not seeing him sitting at his desk teasing Reid. His desk was empty now. It would remain empty until a new member was added to their tight knit team, but it would never be Morgan. Morgan was never be sitting at that desk again. Hotch was upstairs at his computer, but no one else was there yet. She wished Morgan would come back. She already missed him, but she respected his decision. He had to do what was best for his family, and he promised that he would keep in contact. She headed over to her own desk, and pulled out the stack of cases waiting for her. On the very top, she found the case that she would present to the team.

It was a local case, but what caught her eye was the number of victims. They already found four dead bodies over the holiday weekend, and the police were looking into a possible fifth victim just found this morning. The victims were all working females in their early 20s. They were all pretty with blonde hair so the unsub already picked out his type, but J.J. was alarmed at the shocking rate he was killing these women. The unsub probably already picked out his next victim so the team was going to need to move fast. J.J. took the folders up to Hotch to show it to him while the rest of the team were dragging themselves inside. Prentiss was the next in the office, and just like J.J., she lingered near Morgan's desk. This was going to be hard on all of them. Rossi came in a few minutes after her with Garcia coming in behind him already looking her sharpest. She was wearing a blue and green with blue tights and a blue headband. J.J. could never figure out where Garcia found all this time to come in looking fantastic every morning, but she always did. Reid was the last one in. He was wearing his messenger bag across his shoulder, and he was holding a large cup of coffee. Morgan's departure was going to be the hardest on him. Morgan was the only brother that Reid ever knew, and Reid never quite got over losing Gideon. The team was going to be there to help him cope. They were in this together.

"A fifth victim this morning?" Hotch asked. He had photographs of the deceased women all over his desk.

"They think so," J.J. said. "Nothing is conclusive, but she fits the victimology and she was murdered in the same manner."

"Okay. Get the team gathered," Hotch said standing up. He handed the folder back over to J.J., and she called the team together.

It was different not seeing Morgan tease Reid over his messy hair or flirt with Garcia, but she was going to get used to it. They weren't as talkative this morning, and they didn't say much as Garcia got the screen ready or when Hotch took his seat next to Rossi. J.J. cleared her throat when Garcia had the first photo up, and she took her place in the front of the room.

"Morning everyone," J.J. said to make sure all eyes were on her. "Got a case today from Charlottesville. They were going to contact us sooner, but they weren't sure the murders were even related until now. Four victims so far with a possible fifth."

"Possible?" Rossi asked.

"They found another body this morning, and she fits in what the unsubs target. The four women are all in their early 20s. Blonde hair, light colored eyes. They were all prostitutes. I'm not sure yet if the women knew each other yet because they were taken from different neighborhoods around the town, but they have that much in common."

"How were they killed?" Prentiss asked. J.J. moved on to the next screen showing the first of the dead women.

Prentiss covered up her mouth when she saw the photo of a decomposing body of a young woman lying in a trash bin. The blonde hair was matted terribly, and there were maggots crawling around her mouth and eyes. J.J. didn't even want to look at it. "Multiple stabbings to the chest is the cause of death, but it looks like after the women are dead, he goes back and removes the tongue."

"Have their tongues been found at the scenes?" Reid asked.

"No," J.J. said. She heard of unsubs keeping trophies for their kills, but a tongue seemed random to her.

"So he murders the women in a brutal fashion, and takes their tongues as a keepsake," Rossi thought out loud. "Why the tongues?"

"Maybe to silence them?" Reid asked. "Silencing them for the last time."

"Does he sexually assault the women?" Prentiss asked. "From here, it looks like he left their clothes on, but the body is in really bad shape."

"She wasn't found until a few days after her murder," J.J. explained. "The other bodies are in better shape, but all were found with multiple stab wounds to the chest and missing tongues. None of them have any signs of sexual assault."

"Were they all found in garbage bins?" Hotch asked.

"Yes. Most of them were found in bins belonging to old apartment buildings, and one of them was found in a restaurant garbage bin. He doesn't try to cover up the bodies much either. He ties them in a trash bag and throws them in there."

"Because these women are just trash to him," Rossi concluded. "He takes what he needs from them and gets rid of them."

"And he thinks their tongue is something he needs," Prentiss said. "Do we have the names and ages of the victims?"

J.J. put all of their pictures on screen except the unconfirmed victim. "First one missing was Michelle Madison. She was the oldest victim so far. She was 29 years old. Second one was Kristen Williams. 22 years old. Third was Emilee Peterson. She was 25 years old. The fourth confirmed victim is Colleen Patrick, and she was 21 years old."

"Alright," Hotch said standing up. "The drive will take a little less than 2 hours. Rossi and Prentiss, I want you to go down to the morgue to see if the coroner has any new information about the victims. J.J. and Reid, go down to the last scene. Maybe one of the women working there can remember the car that Colleen was last seen in. I'll be at the station. Looks like they have Colleen's mother there already. Let's go."

They didn't need to be told twice. They gathered up their paperwork, and went out to the black SUVS. Hotch was going to be taking his own car since he was the only one heading to the station, but the others carpooled with their partner of the day. Prentiss and Rossi left together, and the last one out of the parking lot was J.J. and Reid. It was freezing that day, and Reid didn't say one thing when she turned up the heat in the car.

"There might still be a sexual element to this case," Reid said. "He chose to stab the women instead of just shooting them. Stabbing requires him to be at a more personal level with the women. He wanted to watch them die."

"The crimes were all at a personal level," J.J. said agreeing. "But I've never seen a tongue being kept as a souvenir for the unsub." J.J. was beginning to wonder if the killer actually ate the tongues of his victims, but she didn't say so out loud. Cannibalism was never a fun subject to her, but she was sure that was going to be a topic at the station since the tongues never were found. She tried to concentrate more on the road than some man sitting alone in his apartment eating the tongues of young women. "How are you feeling Spence?"

"I'm alright," Reid said. "Mom is doing okay. She was talking a lot when I went to see her."

"Have you heard from Morgan?" J.J. asked.

"Not today. I understand why he left though. I would have done the same thing. He needs to be there for his family." Reid looked like he was about to drift away into his own little world, but he snapped out of it and went back to looking at the case files.

J.J. would leave the BAU too if something or someone was threatening to hurt her family. There wasn't even a question about it. She couldn't be surprised that Morgan left when he did, but she was still worried about the effects it might have on Reid. He seemed to be taking it well, but she wasn't going to pressure him about it. If he didn't want to talk to her about it, he didn't have to. He would come to her when he was ready. J.J. turned the heater up another notch, and just trailed behind Rossi and Prentiss on the freeway. This was going to be a long day.

sorry for the shorter chapter. most of my chapters are over 20 pages long, but I'm just getting into my own creation. plz review guys. reviews make me super happy and then I can get some feedback as to where 2 go from here. till next time xoxoxo