Sheriff Daniel Connor was desperate. This was the fourth murder in two months in his town and he was running out of options fast. He had been called to the scene by a hysterical rookie. Said rookie was now losing his lunch on the front lawn. Not that Connor blamed him, what a horror show. This was worse then anything he had seen in his career, and he had thought he had seen it all. He thought he had left all of this behind when he retired from the bureau five years ago, but psychotics seemed to pop up even in the relatively small town of Lawrenceville Kansas.

He thought he could leave the madness of Washington DC behind and spend the rest of his active days in obscurity, making sure the local teens didn't park after midnight at swimming hole. He could mediate disputes over land and water rights. And a host of other mundane things, but murder and murder of this kind, he'd hoped never to see it again. Hope had failed him spectacularly. You could all but swim in the blood. Worst of all was the writing on the wall in the victim's blood. This was getting beyond his skill to deal with effectively.

"The Medical Examiner should be here soon so stay out of her way" he told the detective on scene. A lot of luck trying to process the scene with the pathetic equipment they had. Damn bureaucrats and their damn budget cuts he thought to himself bitterly."

When were the dunder heads in Topeka going to learn that their small jurisdictions needed equipment just like the capital had to command? "The dead don't vote" the legislators would say sounding officious and condescending. The dead may not vote but he did and he longed to have the power to throw the governor and the legislature out of office and start over.

"I've had it detective. I don't want to see another dead body on my watch. And with this change, the writing in blood, I am calling in a favor. I should've done this after the second one but I let the city council over rule me"

"But sheriff the feebs-"

"You watch your mouth boy, Jason Gideon and his team are hardly "Feebs." They happen to be the very best at what they do. So you will show them respect, do you read me detective?"

"Yes sir" the young detective said coming smartly to attention.

"Good, now you finish here I have a favor to call in."

Sheriff Connor walked out to the front of the small house and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed a number and smiled when the familiar voice came on the other end.

"Jason, how the hell are you my friend?"

"Danny is that you? I don't believe it. It's been ages. How are Marsha and the boys?" Gideon asked

"We're all right as rain but I got a huge problem here my friend, I need a favor and I need it as fast as you can get here."

5 am Reid's apartment

Spencer sat at the kitchen table sipping a cup of coffee. He had been unsuccessful in getting back to sleep after the dream. He didn't understand why this dream had changed. He enjoyed this recurring dream he had had all of his life. The woman in the dream had been a child when she first appeared in his dream just as he had been a small boy when he had the dream for the first time. She was his only friend for most of his life and she grew up with him. Many times he had tried to rationalize her. That she was the manifestation of some deep rooted need, or some other Freudian thing, but he couldn't quite believe it. It was almost as if he had once known her or seen her somewhere. But how could that be when she had never shown him her face. To see her dead like that had been a severe shock and he didn't know what to make of it.

He was very happy that it was another work day. He would be distracted even if there wasn't a case because she would be at work. She was so beautiful; she took his breath away every day. He hadn't believed his luck when she said she would go to the football game with him. He would be forever grateful to Gideon for giving him the tickets. They had a lot of fun and she listened to him afterwards when they went for food. He found himself telling her all about what had transpired at the hospital, how he had been hurt by what Hotch had done. He knew that Hotch would rather cut off a limb than hurt him that way but it still bothered him more than he could admit to anyone except for her. He was disappointed when she wanted to remain friends, but for now he was content to see her every day. It didn't appear she was dating anyone right now so he allowed himself a foolish hope that someday she might look at him differently. For now he would remain at arms length because it was what she wanted, even if it was a knife to the heart to be near her. She deserved to be happy even if it wasn't with him.

730 am Wednesday morning BAU

JJ was pacing her office. This was ridiculous, she never paced. She hadn't been able to go back to sleep after the dream last night. She had turned the problem over and over in her mind for hours and had gotten no where. She had snuck in here like a thief hoping to avoid everyone until she could get herself under control. She had beat Gideon into the office and would not have to endure his gaze for a while. She was sure he had some idea of her feelings and she didn't want to talk about it.

She knew that she should be working on something. Her desk had piles of paperwork on it and she was actively ignoring all of it. She wanted to go into the bull pen so badly she could almost taste it. She just wanted to see him at his desk. If she were honest she could admit to herself that this is more then a sexual attraction. Not that he wasn't hot because he was, but not like other guys who know they're attractive. He is kind and gentle and he could be very funny, too.

She sat down behind her desk and tried to concentrate, hoping that work would help get her mind off Spencer. "I think I'm in love. I'm in big trouble" There came a knock at her door. What if it was Gideon, or worse Spencer? "great, just great, come on Jareau get it together maybe you can fool which ever one it is or if God is listening a really big case will drop into you lap and totally distract everyone. Oh God, not that I want anyone dead but- Jeez, girl stop babbling to yourself and answer the door already or whoever is on the other side will wonder what is wrong with you.."

It was Gideon when she answered the door and she sighed inwardly hoping her heart wasn't on her sleeve.

"Good morning boss, how are you?" She said brightly, trying to cover up her feelings. Gideon wasn't fooled by her attempts. After all he wasn't one of the best for nothing. And he knew his team and something had changed in the way she was looking at a certain young genius. If Gideon knew his agents and he did then he was pretty sure her interest was returned. He wondered how long it would be before they both gave up on each other in despair, or until they stopped denying their mutual feelings and got together. But now wasn't the time for that discussion, something had dropped in their laps that needed to be dealt with more than inter-office affairs of the heart. JJ was elated when he told her about their latest case. She could use it to keep her mind off of Dr Reid. And she could see him up close and no one would question it or think it odd.

8:30 am Wednesday morning BAU bull pen

"Hey there Reid, I see you're still drinking high octane sugar" Morgan quipped. Did you have a rough night?"

"Just once I'd like to have some coffee in peace and not have to answer to you about my sleeping habits" Reid said irritably as he walked back to his desk. The circles under his eyes that morning were big enough to swim in.

"Hey I am just a concerned friend, Morgan said as he approached Reid's desk. He sat down in the chair across from Reid and asked, seriously are you ok? I thought you said the nightmares had backed off a bit?"

Reid sighed and said, "I thought they had to, but the last few nights have been worse then ever and the tone has changed too." It was a testament to how their friendship had progressed, that Reid would have this conversation with Morgan.

"My whole life, well for as long as I can remember I have had this recurring dream. There is no pattern to when it will come, usually recurring dreams return to people in moments of stress in their lives, or when they can't get anywhere with a problem, or-"

"Whoa Dr Reid you're off in the land of tangent again, stick to your point" Morgan interrupted.

"Sorry bad habit, anyway the recurring dream I have has always been fairly benign if a little mysterious."

Reid got no further because Hotch and JJ entered the bull pen. JJ avoided looking directly at Dr Reid when she said. "Everyone we have a new case, Gideon wants all of us in the conference room now."

As they turned to walk up to the conference room Spencer caught her eye and smiled nodding his head in greeting. She smiled and nodded in return her heart beginning to race.

"Damn it did I just blush?" She looked around carefully and no one appeared to have noticed including Spencer. "Thank God he is a little dense when it comes to women or I would be so busted!" she thought mortified to her toes.

JJ was immediately more comfortable as she took her place and began to tell the other about the case they had just been handed.

She tapped some keys on her laptop and brought up the images Gideon had sent her from an email file he had received.

"Four women have been murdered in and around the area of Mariposa County in Kansas. The MO is the same every time. These women are kidnapped from their homes in the middle of the night. He uses chloroform to grab them and then other drugs to keep them under his control. He will keep them from exactly ten days and then he dumps them in various places where they are easily found."

"Why are we just getting this case now?" Hotch said looking very annoyed.

"Two reasons, JJ said, first the City Council of Lawrenceville overruled Sheriff Daniel Connor after the second murder. They don't want the media attention we always bring with us. They believed that Sheriff Connor who is retired FBI and their brilliant young Medical Examiner could catch this guy on their own; in fact they insisted that they do just that. Also when the latest victim was killed it was in her home. He held her there for only five days before killing her and the violence against her escalated as well." JJ began to click through photos of the other dump sites and the crime scene at the last victim's home.

"As you can see the first victim was beaten and her throat cut. This is true with the others but the violence goes up with every kill and the last one, well you can see for yourselves. It looks like he also left a message for the authorities written in blood on the wall above her bed."

"I wonder what it was that caused him to alter his fantasy and escalate so rapidly, Dr Reid said his lips pursed, he rocked a little in his chair. "He killed her after only five days so drawing out their pain isn't doing it for him anymore." He looked up at JJ and said "Where they sexually assaulted?"

"No, just mutilated and throats cut, and in the case of the last victim, stabbed several times."

"Interesting, he seems to be into piquerism."

"What is that" she asked.

"He is impotent even rape doesn't get him off, so he uses a blade as a substitute for penetration." Elle explained

"Oh," JJ said looking a little ill, which she didn't think was possible after all she had seen in the last year with this team

"So why did we finally get this case?" Hotch asked again.

"Because Sheriff Connor is a friend of mine from his days in the Bureau in DC." Gideon said. "He wasn't in the BAU. He investigated a lot of kidnappings and serial murders before the BAU even existed. He was the one that called me in on this and he is the one that has to tell the City Council he just overruled their decision to keep us out."

"Well at least we won't have problem with attitude from the locals" Morgan said.

They got up and headed out to grab the bags they always had packed for these trips.

On the plane they were discussing the problem of the first three victim's trails going cold because they had been shut out.

"So, what is with the folks in charge in this town, do they like seeing their women tortured and murdered." Morgan said sarcastically.

"No, Mariposa County is mostly farming country miles and miles of corn and wheat fields as far as the eye can see. Lawrenceville is the largest town in the county and is the county seat so the City Council is the ruling body for the entire county. Recently the county won best place to live in the country for its low crime rate and the recent factories that have gone up creating lots of new growth. So the council doesn't want the rest of the country to know they have their own serial killer, it's not good for business." Gideon explained what Danny had told him.

"So they pin their hopes on a small police force and a Medical Examiner, albeit a brilliant one isn't that a bit like spitting into the wind?" Morgan said bewildered at the politics that had kept them out.

"Yep, sounds like a lot of fun for me. JJ said. I assume that will be part of my job this time, keeping the council off your backs?" She looked at Gideon hoping he would say no even though she knew he wouldn't it was her job after all. He just nodded at her a little smile of sympathy on his face.

Ok, then I guess I had better get to work on a strategy" she said getting up and moving to a corner seat out of their way. She brushed past Spencer on her way and her pulse rate skyrocketed again at the contact. It was like that game you play as a kid, rubbing a balloon against your hair and it stands up on end and then you touch a door knob or something else that is metal and there is an electric shook that makes you jump.

"Oh jeez Jennifer, you really are in trouble, gotta hide now before someone notices." She sat down and buried her face in her laptop.

As for Reid, his heart rate had jumped as well, "Oh God, she smells so good, ok Spencer get a grip man! What if she notices, she thinks you are over her? What if Morgan notices, I'll never live it down." He moaned to himself. He lowered his head to the case file in front of him pretending to study it while he waited for his flushed face to cool. He wanted the floor of the plane to swallow him up even if they were at 25 thousand feet.

Of course Gideon saw the whole thing and battled successfully with his desire to laugh out loud. He knew he shouldn't find it so funny, but really these two had it bad for each other and it was either laugh or wince in pain at how hard they were both trying not to give into their feelings.

It was a short flight in distance, but a very long one for two agents who both sighed in relief when the plane finally landed at a small private airstrip just outside Lawrenceville. They owner of the airstrip was another friend of the Sheriff and had been very willing to let the bureau land there and house their plane in his hanger. JJ had almost whimpered with relief to know that they wouldn't have to land in Topeka and drive eighty miles in close quarters with Spencer. It was bad enough when she found herself in the back of a squad car sandwiched between Morgan and Reid. As for Spencer, he sat staring straight ahead not speaking to anyone just like JJ was doing at his left. He was so preoccupied that he didn't notice the looks he was getting from the officers in the front of the car. Spencer was used to people looking at him like he was an interesting new plant species so it is doubtful that he would've noticed even if he had not been concentrating so hard on not becoming intoxicated by how close JJ was to him. Thanking God the ride was only 15 minutes he got quickly out of the car when they parked in front of the police station in the middle of town.

The Sheriff met them at the front desk and was much more successful then the rest of his staff in hiding his surprise at seeing Spencer. By this time everyone on the team including Spencer noticed the attention he was getting and when the dispatcher came out of the break room and saw him she dropped her cup of coffee. The noise of the cup shattering was like a bomb going off and everyone jumped including Gideon.

She put her hand over her mouth to stifle a cry and Spencer blushed crimson this time he didn't care who saw. "What is it with these people did I suddenly grow a second head?" Spencer thoughtThis was worse than his first day in high school, a scrawny kid with a huge intellect who had become the teachers' favorite and therefore the kids hated him.

"Excuse me, but what is the matter with you people, you are staring at my friend here like you have never seen a genius before now." Morgan was extremely put out by their stares, these were professionals after all.

"I think I can answer that for you." Connor said motioning them to follow him to another room. He turned to the bull pen and said angrily. "Get back to work and stop staring at the poor man, didn't your mothers teach you all manners for God's sake!" Everyone averted their eyes and tried hard to look busy. By this time Spencer was thoroughly unnerved and refused to make eye contact with anyone. He brushed past the last officer and entered the room at the back of the group. A hand fell on his arm and he looked down into JJ's beautiful eyes. She smiled at him and said quietly, "It'll be ok Spencer." He gave her a small smile and then looked up again realizing the group had gone dead quite they were looking at him like the other had. He realized he hadn't heard what Connor had said to them. He opened his mouth to ask them why they had all gone crazy, then his eye caught a picture of a woman tacked to the coke board. He stared in disbelief for a moment before the world went black and he fainted dead away into Morgan's arms.