Body Parts

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds isn't mine.

The team departed from the hotel at first light. They had been awake for most of the night, and at least one person had been awake at all times. Just in case Reid came back from where ever it was he had gone to.

The SUV's travelled a bit too fast down the forest road back to where they had seen the scarecrows the previous day.

Hotch, Gideon, Morgan, and Prentiss got out of the cars. JJ had stayed behind to talk to press about the strange things happening in the area.

They stood and took in the scene, and it was only now that they noticed the cloying smell of decay. They stood and looked at each other for a minute before approaching the nearest scarecrow.

Morgan got to it first and he stood with his head cocked slightly to one side. "There is something very creepy about this." He said quietly.

The scarecrow had a rotting pumpkin for a head and a stick and straw body. It had been clothed in a wedding dress covered in sequins. It was hard to tell now because of decay, but it looked like the pumpkin part of it had been made up with red lipstick. It had a long yellow wig, which had slipped to the right a bit, and a rusty tiara on the top. A pair of rotting satin shoes were at the base of the tree it was hanging from…by its neck.

Morgan shook his head "This is just not normal."

They moved onto the next one.

"Emily, take photos please." Hotch asked. Prentiss was wearing a puzzled and slightly disgusted look as she started to snap pictures of the scarecrows.

The next one was once again pumpkin head stick and straw, but was dressed as a man. Jeans and a Metallica T-Shirt. A pair of DM's had been put at the base of this tree and the mannequin was tied around the middle by nylon rope. It was wearing a hat made of sticks and leaves. It too was slowly rotting.

Click, click of the camera as Prentiss walked slowly forwards taking more pictures.

"These are definitely creepy." She muttered. "But do we think they have anything to do with the disappearances?"

They carried on doing this for twenty minutes when Hotch suddenly called out. "Team…over hear, quickly."

What they saw they couldn't quite understand at first. It was a female mannequin, but the head, there was something wrong with the head. Though it was still a pumpkin, there seemed to be something inside. Hotch picked up a stick off the forest floor and carefully started to pull the fruit away.

The head fell with a thump to the floor. It rolled and bounced and came to rest next to Gideon' foot.

Prentiss let out a surprised yelp and Morgan used some rather foul language.

"My god, is that one of the missing people?"

It was morning and Reid was sitting out in the garden with the princess. He was showing her card tricks and sleight of hand. She was dancing and squealing with happiness.

Reid no longer had on his grey jacket. His light brown shirt sleeves were rolled up and he was sitting cross legged in his brown cords. His watch was now on the wrist of the child who danced and laughed in front of him. She was wearing an old pink bridesmaid dress, which was ripped and stained with something dark and brown over the front. She had bright green tights which were ripped and she had on her feet a pair of pink Wellingtons. She had carefully applied makeup which had since seemed to have slipped down her white face in black lines, and the lipstick was scarlet and thick. It seemed to have run, like candle wax and was in drips on her chin.

"More, more!" she yelled and jumped as Reid made the coin come and go before her eyes.

The man stood watching. Leaning on a tree and smoking a cheroot. He was looking concerned and kept looking towards the forest. "Five more minutes' princess, then you need to put him back. Something has happened. I need to go check it out." Then man then walked back into his house looking happy that his princess was being gentle today, and he sat at his desk and started typing, his fingers moving swiftly over the keys.

Reid lay down in the grass as the princess pulled him backwards. He let a surprised umph and lay squirming as she tickled the bit of tummy which was showing where his shirt had ridden up. The shirt gradually got lifted higher as the child tickled harder, and the amused look on Reid's face changed as the nails dug into his chest. He swung around and got to his knees.

"Stop it now. That hurts." He said, the smile slowly leaving his face.

"Oh so sorry, but that's how I like it Dr. And you are mine."

Reid stood and tried to push the child off him, but her nails which now seemed more like claws dug deeper in and her legs wrapped around him like a vice, and she laughed and her face came up to Reid's and she bit him on the neck with her sharp yellow teeth.

His scream alerted the man, "Damnit." And he left his computer and ran out into the garden. "Princess, what did I tell you. Be gentle with this one…and absolutely no un-wrapping."

She shouted a cry of disappointment and jumped down to the grass.

"Now go put him away. We have things we need to do." Reid was standing looking confused with his hand to his neck. "and Spencer dear friend, stop making such a fuss, it was only a little bite." And he grabbed Reid by the arm and pulled him back into the house. "I'll put him away. Princess, go get ready for a walk."

"Give me your shoes."

"What?"

"Give me your shoes, or it will be me un-wrapping you, and princess wont like that."

"My shoes?" Reid looked confused. "I I…you want - you want my shoes?"

How Reid ended up on his back again, this time on the hall floor he didn't know, but the wind was knocked out of him, and his shoes were roughly taken off his feet.

"I need them. Now get up and move your sorry arse back to your room."