Once again, direct quotes are underlined. Please, please, please tell me what you think. Seriously, reviews are so helpful! Even if you don't like it; just let me know!

"The coroners blamed the bite marks on large rodents," JJ mused, staring at the photographs. She was trying to condition herself to the sight; she'd have to come face-to-face with the corpses at some point, anyway; there was no point in acting squeamish.

"In all likelihood, the large rodents are rats," Reid responded.

"Before we debilitate reasoning behind the UNSUB's MO, let's work through the victims first, please," Hotch said in a firm voice, his eyes sweeping the group to make sure they were all listening. Especially Reid and Morgan. They had been distracted and frustrated as soon as they walked in the door of the conference room, and Hotch had noticed it right away. He just hoped they could put aside their differences and ignore whatever they had argued about for the duration of the case. He needed their minds. And a large part of him - oh, who was he kidding? all of him - wanted the two men to sort each other out. He'd never actually say it out loud, but he was rooting for them. He respected both men for who they were, and together, he knew they'd do great things.

"Well, our UNSUB definitely has a type," JJ said, looking at the pictures of the four victims. She was leaning back against the seat of the jet across the table from Blake, who laid out all the victims' photographs and said,

"If you put the pictures side by side, the women look nearly identical, as do the men."

"Could he be targeting parental figures?" Morgan asked, from one of the seats facing the table.

"None of the victims had children," Reid immediately responded, staring adamantly at the file in his lap. He hadn't arrived in time to snag a seat in the main section, so he was forced to sit beside Morgan, but that didn't mean he had to pay attention to the dark-skinned man. Judging by Morgan's lack of speaking directly to the genius, it seemed as if the feeling was more or less mutual. "So, no."

Morgan glanced sharply at Reid, the first sign Morgan had shown that he even realized his boyfriend was in the same room. "But the couples could resemble the UNSUB's parents -"

"It's possible, but highly unlikely," Reid answered, maintaining eye contact with the papers in his lap. "There are no wounds to suggest personal vengeance -"

"These people got their faces bitten off by rats," Morgan said flatly. "I don't think it can get more personal than that -"

Reid shook his head, still staring transfixed at the file. "If this were a man living out his fantasy of murdering his parents, he'd most likely let the rats kill the victims instead of shooting them point blank."

"So, it's possible that the bullet to the chest was the UNSUB showing mercy?" JJ asked, interjecting in the argument between the two men.

"Sadistic with a God complex," Rossi said, setting his folder on the table and folding his hands over his stomach. "I love those."

"I find the use of rats in the killings very interesting," Reid said distantly, finally looking up from the case file and focusing on a passing cloud. "It suggests that the UNSUB is patient and willing to wait for an undetermined amount of time before watching his victims suffer."

"Patience and organization go hand-in-hand in murders similar to these," Blake said.

"So, he's organized," JJ said. "He's not likely to make a mistake; he seems to have a pretty good handle on what he's doing."

"But why rats?" Rossi asked. "Rats would have to mean something important to the UNSUB."

"In 1909, Sigmund Freud released a case study of a man nicknamed the "Rat Man," who was supposedly so deeply obsessed with rats that he'd have nightmares and fantasies involving them," Reid said.

"But the UNSUB isn't just having fantasies about rats," Morgan said. "He's utilizing them to fit his fantasies."

"Right," Reid said slowly, "But an obsession with rats -"

"Rat Man and the UNSUB aren't similar enough for there to be probable correlation, Reid," Morgan replied shortly.

Reid finally looked at Morgan, taken aback by his tone. Reid hadn't thought he'd been provoking him; at least, he wasn't trying to. He was aware that when he got angry and upset he grew more and more sarcastic and passive aggressive, but at that moment, he'd been too preoccupied with the case to really want to partake in petty snarks. When he didn't find the regret in Morgan's eyes that he was hoping to see, Reid looked back down at his case file and didn't look up again.

Hotch looked up and stated firmly, "Morgan," to which Morgan responded with silence.

"The murders started one month ago," Blake said, trying to leap over the little tiff and continue the conversation. "Something must've triggered the UNSUB into getting violent."

"He'd clearly been thinking about rats for a long time," Hotch added. "This was premeditated; it wasn't spur of the moment. The murders were planned meticulously, so there may have been a trigger that caused the killings, but the UNSUB had been planning something along these lines for quite some time."

Garcia suddenly appeared on the tablet sat propped up on the table. "Hello, it's Penelope Garcia, playing the role of the bearer of bad news, yet again."

"What happened?" Hotch asked.

"A man and a woman were just reported missing from the Pinewood Motel; I'm sending their pictures to your tablets."

JJ sighed when she saw the photographs of the black-haired, thin woman and the average-built, blonde man. "They fit the UNSUB's victim description."

"Almost to the tee," Rossi said in agreement.

"Were the bodies identified?" Blake asked.

Garcia nodded. "Maria and Ryan Robinson were both kidnapped last night and reported missing this morning.

"If the UNSUB continues to follow his schedule, then we have six days to find them," Hotch pointed out, returning his attention to the case file.

"That's enough time, I think," Rossi said in a contemplative voice.

"Thanks, Garcia," Hotch said. (The blonde technician responded with a cheeky, "Anything to help the dream team.") "JJ and Reid,"Hotch continued, I want you two to check out the crime scenes. Morgan and Rossi, you two go interview the motels that the Tessa's and the Murphy's disappeared from, and Blake, I'd like you to go to the coroners office."

Everybody nodded their understanding.

"You betrayed the Party."

"I don't know what the Party is," the woman insisted through a thick wave of tears. "Why don't you believe me?"

"Don't deceive yourself," the man responded, heartlessly. "You did know it - you've always known it."

"No," the woman sobbed, "I don't know it! I don't know it, I don't know it -"

"Leave us alone! We didn't do anything wrong! We don't even know who you are!" the husband shouted. He hadn't said much up until then, and the UNSUB turned to look at him with an amused expression.

The UNSUB knelt down in front of the man restrained on the floor. He smiled sickly. "Don't worry, Winston. You are in my keeping. For seven years I have watched over you. Now the turning point has come. I shall save you. I shall make you perfect."

The husband tried to move away, but the UNSUB leaned down further and nestled his chin against the man's cheek. "We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness."

"The bodies were suffering from malnutrition," the coroner said, lifting up the long, blue blanket to reveal the mutilated corpse. "I'd say whoever kidnapped them didn't bother to feed them or give them water."

Blake slipped some rubber gloves on her hands and lifted the wrist of Arnold Murphy. "I don't see any defensive wounds. That tells me that they were likely taken at gunpoint. Maybe one was used as a hostage to get the other to cooperate. Were there any drugs found in their systems?"

The coroner shook her head. "No, they were clean. "

Blake carefully placed the wrist back down on the table.

"There's something else," the coroner added. "Something was stuffed into the mouths of the victims."

Blake raised an eyebrow.

The coroner pulled out a plastic bag, a small slip of damp paper inside. "I didn't want to look at it. Figured I'd save it for when you guys showed up."

"Thank you very much," Blake said with a nod. She took the bag from the coroner, opened it, and, with a grimace of disgust on her face, pulled the paper out. Carefully, she unfolded it and sighed when she saw the pristine, obsessively-perfect drawing.

"I can see why this place attracts so many people," Morgan commented. He and Rossi pulled into the parking lot of the Cliffrock Motel, where the Tessa's had been kidnapped. As he opened his car door, he added, "Nice and quiet, scenic hiking paths, a pond."

"Not to mention the abundance of motels, so that camping outside in actual tents isn't really necessary."

Morgan nodded but didn't respond.

Rossi looked at other man for a moment, reading his tense and stressed body language. "So, how're you and Reid doing?"

The younger man sighed and adjusted his sunglasses. "Is it that obvious?"

"The kid's never been able to hide his emotions very well," Rossi said, putting his hands in his pockets. "And it doesn't help that you jump on him every chance you get."

"Hey, Reid's the one that started this whole thing," Morgan said before he could stop himself.

"This whole thing," Rossi repeated, looking steadily at Morgan. "Mind if I ask what whole thing you're referring to?"

"Yes," Morgan said. "I do mind. Don't worry about us; we'll deal with it."

"If you two break up, it'll make working together very difficult," Rossi said, as the two men began walking to the motel entrance. "Take it from me; I know."

"Don't even joke about that," Morgan said in a serious voice.

Rossi held the door open for Morgan and they both stepped through. "I'm just saying, you have to look at these things realistically."

"Not yet, I don't," Morgan answered. He walked right up to the main desk, away from Rossi and the unbearable conversation they were having to say to the man behind the desk, "Excuse me, sir? Are you Mr. Sterling?"

The man looked up from the book he was reading and removed his spectacles. He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I am. Who wants to know?"

Rossi pulled his badge from his coat pocket and held it up for the man to see. "The FBI. Specifically, Agent Rossi."

"And Agent Morgan," Morgan added. "We'd like to ask you a few questions about the kidnapping that occurred here about a week ago?"

The man closed his book and put it on the desk. "I don't know nothing about that."

"Saying that you 'don't know nothing' is a double negative, indicating that you do, in fact, know something," Morgan said, folding his arms. He exhibited confidence, but on the inside he was cursing himself for having picked up on Reid's obnoxious way of speaking.

Judging by the look on Rossi's face, the parallels didn't go unnoticed.

Mr. Sterling stood up and rested his knuckles on the desk, leaning forward. "Listen, there ain't no footage of them being stolen. I certainly didn't see nothing; I try to keep away from the folks that stay here -"

"Your accent," Rossi interrupted. "You're not from around here?"

Mr. Sterling nodded. "Moved from Tennessee a couple years ago. Nothin' like New England leaves, that's what I always heard. Had to see for myself."

Morgan removed his sunglasses. "So you moved up from the south to own a motel?"

Mr. Sterling hesitated. "Well, it wasn't all that simple. Some others involved. Nothin' bad, a'course," he assured. "I can tell you, I didn't come here to see the people. I leave the people alone. They write the check, I give 'em the key. That's the way it works 'round here."

Morgan fished the photograph of the Tessa's from his pocket and slid them on the desk to Mr. Sterling. "Ever give them a key?"

Mr. Sterling put his glasses back on, picked up the pictures, and studied them briefly. "Maybe. I don't remember. Like I said, I leave the people alone. I don't look to see who comes and who goes."

Rossi and Morgan exchanged glances.

"Well, if you think of something," Rossi said, pulling his card out of his coat pocket, "Just give us a call."

Mr. Sterling took the card and nodded. "Sure thing."

"Why rats?" JJ asked, disgust hiding at the back of her throat. She turned away from the body to look at the surrounding trees. "Seems a bit over-complicated just to torture someone."

"Although rat torture is difficult to ensure, the torturer will often find that the desired results are well worth the wait," Reid responded.

"I can see that," JJ said, with a nod. "So, uh, what's going on with you and Morgan?"

Reid cleared his throat, kneeling in front of the body. He completely ignored the question, and instead said, "The bodies are posed in a prayer-like position."

JJ sighed and relented. She knew it would take a lot of patience to get Reid to talk, so she let it slide, but made a mental note to bring it up when the conditions weren't so gruesome. "You think that these crimes are religiously motivated?"

"It's possible, but rats in the Bible, when mentioned, didn't play a significant role," Reid said. "I doubt the UNSUB found the presence of rats in the Bible particularly memorable. I think the positioning has more to do with submissiveness than religiosity."

"The UNSUB has a God complex," JJ said, comprehension dawning on her face. "He doesn't need a higher power because he believes he is the higher power."

"Or that he could at least become the higher power for those at his mercy," Reid added with a nod.

"Sometimes I'm baffled by how sickly creative people can be," JJ commented, glancing at the body briefly before turning away.

Reid would have answered her, but something caught his eye. On a tree a few paces to his right, he noticed something carved into the bark. He narrowed his eyes at it, before stepping around his blonde friend to get a closer look.

"Reid?" JJ asked, watching as he walked away. "You see something?"

Reid paused before responding, his fingers running along the carving. "The UNSUB carved something into the tree," he muttered.

"What is it?"

"An eye," Reid said in a quiet voice.

"Couldn't that just reinforce our theory of the God complex? God is always watching; the UNSUB is always watching?" JJ asked.

Reid stared at the carving, skeptically. "Maybe."

"You think it could be something else?" JJ asked.

"I don't know," Reid answered, turning away and standing right beside the body. He thought for a moment, before plopping down on the slightly damp dirt, crossing his legs, Indian style, and folding his hands in his lap.

JJ watched with a raised eyebrow, but didn't say anything. The team had learned long ago not to disturb Reid while he was working through theories in his mind. JJ had always been impressed and, to be honest, slightly spooked by how smart Reid consistently proved himself to be. She was so proud that Reid liked her so much, that he treated her as a sibling. Ever since the loss of her sister, JJ had been looking for a surrogate, but nothing had ever come of her search, until she had met Reid. They instantly took to each other, and she even had a mild crush on him towards the beginning. That is, until he came out and she realized that, yeah, he would probably make a better brother than boyfriend.

Suddenly, Reid jumped to his feet and said very fast, "She's surrounded!"

JJ blinked. "You're going to need to give me more than that, Spence -"

"Sorry, sorry," he said, gesturing grandly with his hands, his eyes looking slightly wild from his epiphany. "Look at how the body's position. Yes, it's in a sort of prayer position, but look where it is in relation to the trees."

JJ looked around. "She's in the middle of a clearing."

"Yes, a very small one," Reid said. "Andrea was positioned in a way so that she was surrounded, trapped on all sides. I can guarantee that Ralph's body is similarly placed." Reid jumped over a root, his body hyper-vigilant. "You see that tree there? That one's got an eye carved in it, as well. And this one," Reid bounded to another tree, "Has the final eye. The third eye. The victim was put in the center of a triangle, surrounded by eyes carved into the trees."

"What does that mean?" JJ asked.

Reid pursed his lips. "It means we need to call the group together."

Morgan and Rossi walked out of the second motel, without much luck.

"I can't believe these owners don't pay attention to the people who stay here," Morgan said, putting his sunglasses on.

"What do you expect them to do?" Rossi asked. "Pretend to be cordial to people they don't care about?"

Morgan shrugged. "It'd be better."

"Would it? Then how come you and Reid seem incapable of -"

"Look, Rossi, drop it, okay?" Morgan said, holding a silencing hand out.

Rossi put his hands up in a gesture of surrender.

When Morgan's pocket began to ring, he pulled his cell phone out, and answered, "Morgan."

Rossi put his hands in his pockets and waited for the say-so.

Morgan glanced at the shorter man and nodded. "Alright, we'll be right there."

"Yes, I'll see you in five." Blake ended the phone call, turned to the coroner, and said, "Thank you for all the help. I'll come back if I have any more questions."

The coroner nodded. "Of course. Anytime."

Reid hurried into the police building, into the back room where a white board was set up for them. (The police station wasn't well equipped; a single white board, a cramped conference room, and a virtually useless side room were all they could muster up. But Reid took it as it was. All he was used to he considered a luxury, not a necessity.)

The team was already inside, some sitting and some standing. The room truly was very small.

"Andrea's body was placed in the very center of a clearing," Reid immediately rattled off. JJ was trying to keep up with his long strides, and entered a few seconds after him. "On three trees that surrounded her, I found eyes carved into the bark."

Blake groaned. "The coroner found pieces of paper stuffed in the mouths of the victims, with guess-what drawn on them?"

Morgan folded his arms. "The persistent presence of eyes in both the crime scenes and inside the victim's bodies could further indicate his God complex and reinforce our theory of the UNSUB's increasingly strong delusions revolving around his being an all-seeing, omnipotent god." As soon as the words left his mouth, Morgan closed his eyes. He was subconsciously talking like Reid again.

Although Reid was in a fluster of adrenaline, he took the time to quirk his eyebrows at Morgan. Reid hadn't realized he'd affected Morgan's speech that much. For a moment, he felt amused, but then he remembered what he was doing, and the nature of the crimes he was solving, and his lips fell into a frown again.

"The bodies were also in a position of prayer," JJ added, hiding a smirk. Despite the situation, she found herself tickled by the interaction, and accidentally released a soft breath of a laugh.

All the eyes in the room turned the blonde-haired woman, but seconds later, the team ignored her.

"Reid, you said the body was placed in the center of the clearing?" Hotch asked.

Reid nodded. "The three trees were equidistant to where she lay."

"So, he's meticulous," Rossi said. "He plays close attention to detail and makes a point to ensure perfection in the crime scenes."

Hotch nodded. "JJ, call a meeting; we're ready to deliver the profile."

"The UNSUB is a white male, between the ages of 35-45. He mostly likely lives alone," Hotch began.

Reid twiddled his thumbs. Even though he'd delivered profiles numerous times, he'd never quite gotten used to speaking in front of a crowd. "Because of the use of rats in his killings, he likely owns the rodents as pets, but, because of his reclusive nature, few if any people would know this about him."

"He isn't memorable, which is why it's going to be so hard to catch him," Morgan added. "He blends in, and it's likely he does this on purpose."

"Judging by the areas that he deposits the bodies, it's clear he has an intensive knowledge about the forest," Blake said. "He probably lives in a remote cabin or small house."

"He's employed," Rossi continued, "But he most certainly doesn't work with people because of his social anxiety."

"For this, he's likely been fired from past jobs more than once, causing him to see a job with little to no human interaction," Morgan said.

"What's strange about this UNSUB is that., although he has a God complex, he is a true introvert," JJ said.

"Introverts, as opposed to extroverts, lose energy while in the company of other people and recharge, for lack of a better term, when they subject themselves to utter solitude," Reid explained.

JJ continued. "Typically, in criminals with God complexes, either a narcissistic personality disorder or generalized sense of superiority to the point of constantly putting others down is present."

"Because of his contradictory behavior in correspondence with his personality, it's going to be even more difficult to find him," Reid said. "Often times, when people live seemingly two different lives, there can be conflict when trying to balance both."

Morgan folded his arms and shook his head slightly. The passive aggression was coming out. Finally. It'd been long over-due.

"The UNSUB has consistently targeted people with similar appearances," Hotch continued. "The woman have black hair and a thin frame, while the men have blonde hair and an average body type. Those fitting the description should take care when hiking or camping near the forest."

"Look for awkward men who works behind the scenes in small businesses, most likely something that requires patience for meticulous detail. Stocking bookshelves by alphabetical order, filling prescriptions at a drug store, even helping in the backroom of a pet shop," Rossi said.

"Pet shops are a great place to start; it could explain how the UNSUB is getting his hands on the rats," Blake added.

"The UNSUB holds his victims for one week before disposing their bodies," Hotch said. "The Robinson's were kidnapped two days ago, leaving us a decreasing time frame. Do your best and stay safe. Thank you."

There was some murmur in the crowd of police officers as they stood and dispersed.