Summary: It was something he'd learned of late. If you truly wanted to hurt someone, you aimed for the heart. Teamfic. Warning, character death! Set pre-Cradle to Grave.

Disclaimer: Ava and Cara don't own Criminal Minds. But if they did, it'd probably be the most character-whump show in the world.

Author's Note: Just a reminder; this is set pre Cradle to Grave, so Hotch is still the boss-man! Sorry for the delay folks, Cara was having some internet problems! So we couldn't get it organised! Really sorry guys. Hopefully this makes up for it anyway. And it's the last 'casefic' chapter so to speak. Things will really get interesting in the next chapter. Trust us. Thanks to our reviewers: nexis44, Mogo Girl, Dicsi and the-vampire-act! Your reviews fuel us!

Cara and Ava (The Instincts. Amplified.)


Chapter Six: Profilers, Profiling

"Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." -Galatians.

The Conference Room, The Enclave Suites, Orlando, Fl.

"Reid - how's the Geographical Profile going?" Hotch asked as he entered the conference room of the hotel they were staying at. Reid had a large map of International Drive and some of the surrounding area pinned on the wall. Next to the map, Reid had already set up a board with their victims on it. The crime scene photos, identification photos and any valid information about the victims.

Reid himself, was standing in front of the map - his crutches supporting him. There was a young, short, brunette female officer standing next to him. Reid had been staring intently at the map, while the officer had been looking at it with an absolutely perplexed expression. Both of them looked at Hotch, however, when he spoke.

"It all seems fairly obvious," Reid sighed, as the young officer raised her eyebrows, "Cara Casey and Lacey Jones were killed literally across the road from each other. Cara Casey worked next door to where Lacey Jones was killed."

"Where did Cara Casey work?" Rossi asked, curious.

"In the coffee shop based in this hotel." Reid answered promptly.

"I've already talked to her employers, they said that Cara was a lovely girl, very polite and helpful. They couldn't think of anybody who would want any harm to come to her." the officer said. The team turned and stared at her and she blushed immediately.

"Ah, guys this is Officer Darcey Miles. She's been helping me with the Geographical Profile and setting up the Victimology board. Officer Miles, this is the team."

"Pleased to meet you," Officer Miles said, blushing.

The team greeted the officer before proceeding.

"Would you have any idea where the next victim...?" Emily asked, cutting off the question as she felt Reid knew what she meant.

"I can't tell you much more, other than the fact that it will be in International Drive." Reid clarified, "or at least in a nearby area."

"But if he knows you guys are here, than won't that scare the UnSub away?" Darcey asked, confused.

"No," Morgan confirmed, "This UnSub is confident. He'll want to kill some one right under our noses. Rub it in our faces; show he's smarter than us."

"His last kills have been in very public places - he wouldn't step down now." Hotchner sighed.

"So... there's no stopping this guy unless we catch him." Darcey said uneasily, and her eyes were drawn to the Victomology board.

Seven pairs of eyes looked at the crime scene photos. At the blood. The gore. The eyes of the victims, open wide in horror. As they looked at the board, they all had the same awful thought - how many more people would have to suffer at the hands of this UnSub before he was caught?

"I think we're ready for the profile now," Hotch sighed, "Officer Miles, contact Detective Devlin and have him and the officers meet us here."

"Will do, Agent Hotchner," Darcey said as she left the room, before adding, "I have to go on patrol anyway. Which sucks, I wanted to see you guys giving the profile. Anyway, it was nice meeting you all."


The Conference Room, The Enclave Suites, Orlando, Fl.

The profilers watched as the police officers filed into the Orlando hotel conference room. As usual, Hotch began giving the profile.

"The UnSub we're looking for is a Caucasian male, in his mid twenties to mid forties."

Reid, who was sitting in a chair near where Hotchner was standing, took over the next part, "We know he is Causisian as he is most likely the same race as his victims."

"We also know that he is male, as most knife crimes of this nature are either revenge from percieved wrongs, or knives are used as a substitute for penetration. Since we have not found any connections between the victims, we assume it is the second option." Prentiss input.

Morgan stepped out from the wall he was leaning against to have his say, "This UnSub is smart. He managed to kill Georgia Everett in the women's changing rooms as she tried on a dress. He killed Cara Casey in the restroom of a restaurant. When you compare this to the first victim, Ivy Stevens, being killed in a car park late at night, it proves something. He's evolving."

"This UnSub is an organised offender. Despite the lack of connection between the victims, we believe that he choose his victims specifically. We need to find out how he choose them. He chooses very low-risk victims, that do not pose a threat to him." Rossi explained.

"He uses power assertive behaviour, he uses agression to gain control of the situation and show that he has the authority in the situation." Reid said from his chair, before Prentiss added, "He gets off on the fact that we can't catch him."

"This UnSub is also a clear example of Anger Excitation Behavior - nothing excites this UnSub more than the suffering his victims suffer. He's a sadist, and won't stop until he's caught." Hotch concluded.

Almost as soon as the team had finished the profile, Rossi noticed officer Miles entering the room, walking up to Detective Devil, and saying something to him which resulted in his facial expression etching into a scowl. Detective Devlin walked up to the team and sighed, Officer Miles not far behind.

"Darcey's just informed me there's been another body found," he sighed.

"You sure it's our guy?" Morgan asked, curiously.

"You thought that him killing Georgia Everett in a women's changing room was bold?" the female officer asked, before continuing, "wait until you see the latest crime scene. It's the most bizarre thing I've ever seen."


Wet 'N Wild Water Park, International Drive, Orlando, Fl.

"He struck right around the corner from us. Right under our noses." Morgan said in disgust.

Just as Reid had predicted, the UnSub had stuck in International Drive again. But this time, in an extremely high profile area.

Wet 'N Wild water park was one of the many tourist attractions within international drive. A water park in a humid area such as Orlando was almost a necessity. A water park provided men, women and children alike a place to have fun. A water park attracted tourists and locals alike.

A water park was the last place the Behavioural Analysis Unit would have expected their next victim to be found.

"I've been a cop going on twenty years," Kenneth Devlin sighed, "and I don't think I've ever seen anything like this."

The BAU and the Orlando Police Department were staring at the latest crime scene, in complete shock. Darcey had been right to describe it as bizarre. Not only had seventeen year old Ava Quinn been murdered in a water park, it hadn't been the changing rooms she had been killed in. Nor in a secluded area.

Unless killing a victim who was on one of the rides counted as secluded. The FBI agents and police officers gathered around the pool at the end of the ride known as the Disco H20. Ava had gone on the ride, and ended up murdered. This UnSub was extremely confident.

Prentiss was horrified when she saw the latest victim. Though she wouldn't admit it, it was haunting her a little. She had talked to this girl a little over two hours ago. And now there she was. Lying on a water tube, in her black and white polka dot bikini, lifeless.

"So how could the UnSub have done this?" JJ asked, perplexed.

"This is a two person ride," Darcey explained, "Ava wouldn't have been able to go on it alone. Perhaps the UnSub offered to go on with her? Than before she knew what hit her..."

"But there are lifeguards at the beginning and end of every ride." Rossi pointed out.

"Maybe the UnSub struck when the lifeguards were switching shifts?" Darcey suggested.

"How the hell would he have known that?" Morgan snapped. Darcey blushed furiously and stepped back from Morgan's frustration.

The FBI agents had decided to leave the scene exactly as it was. Therefore, they didn't waste any time rolling up their pants to their knees and stepping into the shallow pool at the ride's end. Prentiss, Morgan, Hotch and Rossi seemed at ease in the water and didn't let them affect their analysis. Reid remained on the dry land, simply observing, while JJ went to take care of the media storm that was gathering outside the park.

"You not going to join us Officer Garvey?" Rossi asked the young police officer, who blushed furiously. He struggled to think of an eloquent response.

"Ah, well, err.... you see. Umm it's just me and water..."

"Say no more," Morgan replied, seeing that Garvey's fear of water wasn't a minor one, "you're in the company of someone who's still afraid of the dark."

"For the last time Morgan - it's perfectly reasonable to be afraid of the dark!"

"For a five year old, maybe," Morgan smirked. Reid's cheek flushed a shade of scarlet.

Darcey smiled kindly at Reid. "I don't think it's weird."

"Hey Princess, I don't see you getting in the water either." Morgan retorted.

Darcey froze for a moment, as if stuck for words, before Emily quipped, "I don't blame her Morgan. Do you know how long it takes a girl to do her hair in the morning?"

"Are we ever going to get around to doing our job?" Rossi sighed.

Morgan immediately snapped into action, "Officer Miles was right, this is our guy. Stabbed seventeen times, but this time all in the abdomen."

"Maybe it was too difficult to go for her ribcage?" Officer Garvey suggested.

"I think it's more than that," Darcey replied, "Why would he need to stop her screaming? She's on a water slide, with a steep enough drop. Most people scream on thrill rides regardless of whether they're scared or not."

"Who discovered the body?" Hotch asked, speaking for the first time.

"Lifeguard on duty," Darcey replied, "She arrived to relieve a lifeguard of his shift and found the body instead."

"Rossi can you go interview the lifeguard? Reid; call Garcia and have her check the security cameras to see if we can get a visual of the UnSub. Prentiss, Morgan you head back to the hotel while we finish up here."

Reid proceeded with whipping out his cell phone and keying in one of the most called numbers.

"Empress of all knowledge, you may speak!" Garcia quipped as she answered her ever-ringing phone.

"Hey it's me. I need you to try and find some footage please." Reid quickly said on the other end.

"About time! I thought you guys were gonna do this with out the help of a technical goddess and put me out of a job!"

"Thats not going to happen any time soon, Garcia."

"Aw, Reid, your sweet. Keep this up and I might forgive you for insulting our time together."

"I already told you I-"

Garcia cut him off, giggling, "Whatcha need?

"Security footage from the entance of the Wet 'N Wild Water Park, could you try and get one of the rides, too?"

"Ha you think I need to try, that's cute! What ride?"

"The Disco H20?"

"Ah that ride sounds like a party... Coming to you in five, four, three, two, Bing!"

"Thanks Garcia."

"Anytime! No, seriously anytime. I got's bills to pay, my junior G-man. Keep me in a job, try not to solve it all by yourself. Remember to share!"

"I'll try, thank you."

"Garcia out!"


En-route to the Enclave Suites, International Drive, Orlando, Fl.

"Prentiss, you haven't said anything for the past ten minutes." Morgan said glancing at the woman beside him.

"You usually beg me to shut up." Emily said quietly staring out the window.

"Nuh uh, not fair. Morgan said frowning. "You know that if I ever say that I'm joking. What's eating you up?"

"Can we hurry up please? I just want to get back." she sighed not meeting his dark eyes.

"Sure." he replied changing gear. He pulled up at the curb. Emily turned to him annoyed.

"This isn't the hotel Morgan."

"What's up with you, you don't seem yourself."

"Can we just get back to the hotel please?" Prentiss asked, forcing herself to be calm.

"I fancy a heart to heart don't you?" Morgan asked shifting in his seat to face her.

"This is stupid," Emily snarled, reaching for the handle, "I'll walk."

Morgan grabbed her arm, gently pulling her back.

"Hey hey hey. Talk to me."

Emily flopped back in to her seat and closed her eyes, Morgan's hand still on her arm.

"You know the last victim? Ava?"

"Yeah?"

"I talked to her, not even three hours ago."

"What? How'd you-?"

"I interviewed her. She was one of the staff working in TGI Friday's the night Cara Casey was found. She was going to the water park with her sisters. They were going to spend the day there. Instead she gets murdered on her favourite ride."

"Prentiss he's arrogant. Killing her in a public place just-"

"Proves how good he is?"

"This isn't your fault Prentiss, you got that?"

"We're profilers Morgan. We should have known. I should've known...

"Yeah we are profilers, but we're not psychics. You're not responsible for what this son of a bitch did, ok?" Morgan said looking into Emily's tear-filled eyes. She looked up slowly, before sighing and looking down again.

"Ok?" he repeated.

She smiled a small watery smile, "Ok, if you say so."

"Oh I do say so." he replied, poking her in the ribs.

She giggled a little. He nodded, finally satisfied. Starting the engine, he pulled out from the curb, as Emily looked out the window again, wiping away her unshed tears.

"Morgan?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."


The Conference Room, The Enclave Suites, Orlando, Fl.

"This is hopeless." Officer Garvey groaned in frustration, "There's nothing to connect these victims. Nothing in the family backgrounds hold! Cara Casey and Ivy Stevens are only children, Lacey Jones had an older brother, Georgia Everett is the eldest of three and Ava Quinn is the middle kid of five girls."

"We do have some connections." Reid commented, looking at the board closely. "Ivy Stevens was a lifeguard at the water park where Ava Quinn was killed. Ava Quinn was a waitress at the TGI Friday's where Cara Casey was killed. Cara Casey worked in a coffee shop in this hotel, which is right next to the one in which Lacey Jones was killed. It's possible that the UnSub saw the victims at these locations before choosing them."

"It's certainly true for Ava Quinn," Darcey agreed, "Ava's twin sister Demi Quinn said that Ava loved water and that their family outings to the water park was quite a regular thing."

"But why choose Ava?" Morgan questioned, "She was the middle of the family. We have two older sisters. Simone Quinn, twenty-three. The same age as Ivy Stevens. Thalia Quinn, twenty years old. Ava was next, at seventeen. Ava has a twin sister, Demi Quinn. Than last but not least, we have Vanessa Quinn. Say I'm the UnSub. I'd rather go for Vanessa Quinn, seeing as I didn't get my fourteen stabs to Lacey Jones."

"But the UnSub was more in contact with Ava," Prentiss pointed out, "She was working the night that Cara Casey was murdered."

"But she and Demi are almost identical twins," Officer Garvey pointed out, "how did the UnSub know she was Ava and not Demi?"

"But the bigger question remains," Rossi argued, "How exactly did the UnSub get on that ride alone with Ava?"

The team and the two cops had been throwing ideas around for hours. It had been over six hours since Ava Quinn's body had been discovered, and they had been working non-stop to try and figure out the UnSub's identity. They had decided that Victimology was extremely important in this case, and they would just have to discover the link between victims, or the motivation behind choosing those particular victims. Garcia had been absolutely distraught to discover that the security camera watching the get-on point of the Disco H20 had been sabotaged just before Ava had gone on the ride. Their only lead was dead.

It was now nearing eleven o'clock and the team had been on the go for almost twenty four hours, still running on a few hours sleep on the jet. Aaron Hotchner understood this team's determination, but he knew that they needed some down time, before they all went insane from 'all work and no play'. Rossi seemed to understand also, as he looked at Hotch, right before asking the eager young officer next to him, "Officer Garvey, you know anywhere good to get something to eat around here?"

"Well," he began smiling, "there is a good steakhouse not too far from here..."

"I like the sound of that," Morgan grinned.

"I think you all deserve a break for now," Hotch input, "and we could always discuss the case in a different environment for the time being."

"Just the six of us Hotch?" Morgan prompted.

"I think since Officer Garvey knows where to go, he also has an invite?" Rossi replied. Officer Garvey smiled at the gesture.

"Officer Miles -"

"Darcey," she corrected immediately.

"Well then Darcey," Morgan continued, before throwing a quick wink at Reid, "how'd you like to join us profilers for a meal?"

Darcey looked unsure for a moment, torn the way a teenager would look when they want to do something, but unsure would they be allowed. After a moment a grin spread across her face and she answered, "I'd love to."


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