The weekend was AMAZING! Wiped out on the tube TWICE, fell off a pontoon boat and got a nice bruise because of it (pretty nasty-looking, too)… and saw some AMAZING fireworks! And I got some swimming and kayaking in, too. Anyway… Back to the story…

I have an idea for a sequel (but I probably won't post it until after season six starts; it'll be taking place in a city I'm slightly unfamiliar with, and I need to do some research; I'll be there at the end of the month, actually). So… If you want that sequel, go ahead and ask. Don't be afraid to do that; I really want to write it; I feel that it's an important story in this series, and shows major growth.

I own the two pairs of Converse my mom and I bought last night at Target. I own my computer, the 2-in-1 dandruff shampoo and conditioner I washed my dog with (I couldn't find the dog shampoo, but I really like how Charlie Brown (my dog) smells like Ocean Breezes), my iPod, cellphone, and various other things. However, I do NOT own Criminal Minds. Thank you for your time.

….

It didn't take long for them to finish up around the lake; after their UnSub was hauled away in handcuffs medical personnel swarmed in to check up on Reid and Aislinn, pronouncing them both fit and altogether unharmed, except for a couple of sprained ankles, various bruises on their bodies, and some bruising and cuts on Aislinn's neck and shoulder.

"Do we have a name on the guy?" he heard Morgan ask Rossi as he walked toward them.

"Garcia's checking for his records now. We don't have a name yet, but Garcia said she'd call when she said, and I quote, that 'she'd nailed that evil scummy skeezeball to the wall, dug up every disgusting detail of his life, and revealed it for our sparkling eyes to see every little detail.'" Rossi reported. "So, how are you holding up, kid?" he added turning to Reid.

"M' fine," Reid muttered. "Some, ah bruises, but nothing serious."

Morgan clapped a hand to the younger man's shoulder. "We'll wrap this up; with any luck, this guy'll be in lockup by tonight, and we'll be wheels up tomorrow morning."

Reid smiled at Morgan for a moment before turning to see Aislinn, who was embracing her uncle and talking to her cousin. He watched her for a second, thinking over everything that had happened in the last four months, and through today.

He thought about her smile, her laugh. The way she made him feel warm and content. He thought about how comfortable he was around her, how easily she fit into his arms, and how her arms, whenever they were wrapped around him, made all his fears and worries vanish. He loved Aislinn, he really did. She brightened up his life, made his heart race. But he thought over the events of the past five years, the dangers he had faced as a profiler. And his fear, the fear that someday, he wouldn't come home. He'd always worried about it when it came to his mother; his worry that there would be no one to care for her if he… died… while doing this job. And now, with Aislinn… how would she deal with it if she got a call, saying that he had been shot down by an UnSub, or he had been in a car accident… But what could he do to protect her?

"Hey Reid."

He turned to see Morgan standing by one of the SUV's, and quickly made his way into the car, his mind racing. Maybe it was better this way…

Would she understand? Maybe he should just go to her before they left, explain to her…

But it would tear her apart….

And, he had to admit, it would tear him apart, too.

….

Aislinn gingerly hopped down from the ambulance onto the gravel road just beyond the small dock that was the boat launch. She was soaking wet and shivering slightly, despite the thick wool blanket she had been given by the EMT's. She noticed that Spencer was talking with his team members, a similar blanket wrapped around his shoulders and she started toward him.

"Aislinn!"

She turned to see her uncle Tom racing toward her, cousins Cullen and Maggie trailing behind him.

"H-hey," she chattered in greeting as her uncle wrapped her in a hug.

"Thank God you're alright!" Cullen cried. "That guy in the pontoon… We thought for a moment… If the police and the FBI hadn't been there when they were…" He trailed off. "You alright?"

"Fine," she stated shortly. "Just bruises a twisted ankle and stuff."

"Aunt Molly is gonna flip," Maggie pointed out. "Which reminds me, aren't you gonna talk to your FBI boy friend?"

Aislinn wheeled around in time to see the black SUV's take off behind a cop car, lights flashing and sirens wailing.

"Maybe not now," Aislinn admitted in a small voice. "He has to interrogate the bad guy first." Despite the obvious truth in her words, she felt a small, hard weight in her stomach.

He hadn't even said good-bye….

….

Morgan walked into the observation room, watching through the window as the UnSub's interrogation, headed by Hotch. Reid, Rossi and Prentiss were already inside the room, watching the scene unfold.

"Garcia's on speaker," Morgan began simply, putting the phone on the table.

"But before I speak, how's my Baby Boy?" Garcia asked sweetly.

"Just some bruises," Reid replied.

Morgan chuckled darkly. "Yeah, some bruises and wet clothes. You look like a wet puppy who just got kicked."

"All right," Garcia continued. "So your scumbag is Jason Hawthorne, age 38. No employment history, but as we saw when Stalinger, Rossi and my Chocolate God raided his rustic cabin, he worked from home, carving little wooden figurines and such. He broke up with his girlfriend, or, more accurately, his fiancée, who axed the wedding and such when she caught him with another woman. According to the report, he was complimented on his boats by the other woman, and thanked her for her kind words." A sigh echoed from the phone. "Disgusting dirtbag."

"Anything else, my Sweet Goddess?" Morgan asked sweetly.

"Nope, Sugar. Nothing. Just the figurines." Was the reply.

"All right, Baby Girl," Morgan said. "See you soon."

"Garcia out!"

"Yeah," Rossi added. "Little wooden figurines that looked like his victims," He emphasized his point by opening up the nearby case file to reveal pictures of said figurines, complete with matching photos. "There were also pictures of his victims doing things in town and on the lake. Every kidnapping was spur-of-the-moment; if they were doing something that gave him the opportunity to grab them, he took that opportunity."

"He was also very proud of his work," Prentiss noted, watching Hotch from the window. "He took every moment to point out how good it was."

"Especially the boats," Reid deadpanned. "The boats he was the most proud of. He never sold those to customers. All his 'lesser' works," Reid paused, sighing before he continued. "He sold all his 'lesser' works for profit, and kept the boats for friends, family."

"And his MO." Morgan finished. "Because he felt that more people should be seeing his boats, but he didn't want to sell them. So he kidnapped people who were enjoying the outdoors."

"People admiring the work of Mother Nature," Rossi continued. "And when he took them, he made them admire his work until they couldn't anymore."

"Then he killed them," Reid concluded, staring at the interrogation outside the window that was wrapping up with the exact same confession from Hawthorne.

….

A/N: Yes… Very sick UnSub…

There should be another chapter after this, plus an epilogue and a playlist. And, I'm considering another sequel… You'll receive a clue for the setting and time in the timeline in the next chapter…

Reviews are a Strawberry Avalanche! And I LOVE strawberries!

*~N_CBAU~*