Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds, but I certainly wish I did, just like all those other fangirls out there...

Chapter 10: Thanksgiving Chaos

When Jeremy Sayer was eleven years old, he had a very, very…interesting Thanksgiving dinner, to say in the least.

He was still trying to cope with his…dad's departure and mostly all the time, he felt so much hurt. Initially, he had tried to distract him from the sadness by plunging himself deeper and deeper into his studies. He received good grades for it, but good grades could never replace his…Dad…

He eventually realized there were some things you just had to accept. Just like Dad. He's probably never coming back.

Later, he learned his Dad settled down in Wisconsin. Far from Jeremy's little town in Iowa.

He's not coming back.

So then, his sadness hardened into bitter pain and cynicism. Oh, yeah. Just like that, a somewhat docile Jeremy Sayer changed into a suspicious and resentful little kid all in a matter of a bit of time.

Time, they say, can heal some wounds. But time, you realize, can also rupture your thoughts and your heart, and transform you into someone else…perhaps someone unrecognizable, too.

Jeremy Sayer was changed now. No longer was he eager to please. Nope. Now, he held the world with such deep wariness that betrayed unfathomable distrust.

He no longer smiled that much, save for events such as school dissections or fun time with his ants, and a scowl was stretched upon his face most of the time. Other times, his face was just blank, devoid of emotion.

He was a different boy, a different person, and a less happy one at that. His mom noticed it to, and it worried her a bit.

But on that fateful Thanksgiving Day, what Jeremy did reaffirmed his mom's belief that he was…dangerous…not normal.

One of his neighbors had invited him over to show him something a day before. They were on somewhat friendly terms.

"You like little animals, boy?" the graying, older man asked as he hobbled off towards his garage.

"Sort of…" Jeremy said, trotting after him.

"Here. I've got rats all o'er this ol' place. Do you know what gets rid of them?"

Knives would…

"Erm…a cat or something?"

"Wrong. Rat poison. It's the best way to get rid of these dirty animals."

"Why?" Jeremy asked.

"Well," the old man said, "these rodents are actually smart. You see, they eat stuff…nibble at it first, wait a bit to see if it's poisonous or not. If it's not, they continue eating it. If they can't taste it, they keep eating it."

"Now, with the rat poison, it's tasteless, and it takes a bit longer to kill. But, it's effective."

"How do you know if they'd eaten the stuff, then?" Jeremy asked. A strange look had started to creep up his face.

"Well, it's been said that after ingestion, seizures, lethargy, and bruising occur, but who actually pays attention after? At least you know those vile scum are eliminated." The old man rumbled.

"Oh. Okay." Jeremy said, shuffling his feet.

"Now, I've seen rats and all sorts of rodents scurrying about these neighborhoods. You never know what type of filthy disease they carry. Here. Take it, and use it well. Protect your property. Nobody likes scum." The old man menacingly said, thrusting a package of rat poison in Jeremy's hands.

Oh! The things he could do with that!

"Thanks, mister." Jeremy said. "I'll come by later and help you mow your lawn…or something."

The old man grunted. "That's a good lad."

What irony!

Jeremy returned home wondering…scheming the things he could do with this poison.

Of course, there will be mice to decimate, rodents to eradicate, but what else? Does it work on dogs? Does it work…on humans?

Jeremy walked back to his house with a wicked plan occupying his mind.

"Hey, mom?" he said, walking through the door. "Can I help cook the turkey this year?"

His mom pursed her lips and sighed. "I suppose. I can't believe your grandmother invited her neighbors over, too. I've never cooked this much food, well, ever…"

Great. He had full access to the turkey now.

"Watch the rest of the food, Jeremy. I'm going to go pick up Carrie from her friend's house. I'll be back in a few minutes. I trust you know how to prepare the turkey, then?"

"Yup." Jeremy said, not taking his eyes over the raw bird.

It was…huge. Last year, it was just an average size, but this bird…was…really big. But of course, they were having more guests, so it made sense.

Slipping his hand in his pocket, he pulled out the rat poison.

Let's see if this thing is really potent as that old man said...Now, how much of this do you think I need to put in order for it to be effective?

Jeremy gathered the ingredients needed to brine the turkey nicely.

Add salt, brown sugar, vegetable stock, peppercorns, ginger…

Jeremy added more ingredients into his large bowl and mixed them in until everything was nicely blended together.

He then looked at the rat poison. Now, how much? Wait…should I even do this? Eh...Let's see what happens…

Impulsively, he dumped the whole package in and stirred for a bit.

Mmhmm….Poison…

He chuckled darkly to himself.

All right, turkey. Let's brine you…

Jeremy dumped the potent liquid into the container with the turkey inside of it.

He managed to push it inside a large, empty spot in the refrigerator.

…What have I done? I mean, I'm really not going to eat that…But, what's going to happen to the others who eat that? Are they going to…die?

Eh. Only one way to find out.

Tomorrow, it's Thanksgiving Day, a time for thanksgiving and family. You're supposed to eat scrumptious food, stuff yourself till you practically burst, and generally have a good time. A nice time.

But, you're certainly not supposed to die while eating it.

Because you're certainly not going to suspect the eleven year old who prepared the turkey would poison it.

OoOoOo

"Carrie! You've grown!" Jeremy's grandmother said, pinching his sister's cheeks.

"Oh, Jeremy! You're getting to be a handsome young man, too!" his grandmother beamed and harassed his cheeks as well.

She then hugged and kissed Jeremy's mom.

"Meet my neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Kent. Oh, and they also brought their dog, if that's okay with you."

They brought a dog…Maybe he'd try the poison on the dog first…

Mr. Kent beamed. "Thanks for having us! We also brought you a smaller turkey and some side dishes, so you didn't have to do all the cooking."

Mrs. Sayer smiled. "Thank you. Our turkey's almost done cooking, but those sides look certainly tasty."

And so, for the next hours, his family chatted with their guests. But while they did, Jeremy entertained their dog.

After all, this might be this dog's last few moments of life…of existence…of breathing…

The thought of it all made Jeremy feel suffocated.

What's it like to not breathe? What's it like…to die?

It's all so scary. Breathing is something people shouldn't take for granted, he realized.

Well, life in general, shouldn't be taken for granted.

Jeremy patted the dog and threw its ball far away.

Go fetch…

Jeremy leaned back and stretched.

Yes…this was a doomed dog.

OoOoOo

"Jeremy, take the turkey out and let it cool for a bit. We'll take it to the table after grace." His mother commanded.

"Okay, mom."

Jeremy pulled oven mitts over his hand and took the turkey out of the oven.

The dog came rushing in, wagging his tail.

I'll just place the turkey somewhere the dog can access…

Jeremy placed the turkey on a low table and returned.

"Why don't we let Mr. Kent do the honors of saying grace this year?" his mom said.

"I would be glad to." He said.

"Let's begin, shall we?"

Thank you, God, for giving us all that we have. We are so thankful and grateful for everything, including this wonderful meal sitting in front of us…

Jeremy tuned out and turned his head towards the kitchen and spotted the Kents' dog padding through the kitchen. The dog's eyes were resting on the cooling turkey.

Okay…This could be interesting…

Jeremy turned his head back and eagerly waited for what would happen next.

…We bless this food in your name, Ame—

A loud crash echoed through the kitchen, dispersing the peaceful mood. The sound of messy eating and gobbling could be heard.

Mr. Kent sat up, moving towards the kitchen. "What are you doing?"

"BAD DOG! GET! OUT!" Mr. Kent yelled.

"Mrs. Sayer, I am so sorry…it seems my…stupid dog got to your turkey…"

Jeremy's mom cringed, but straightened.

"It's…fine. We still have your turkey, right?"

So, dinner continued, a little bit more awkward, though.

But, Jeremy did not pay attention to the mindless chatter. Oh, no. He keenly observed the dog for signs of the poison until finally giving up, remembering what the old man said…

…It takes a bit longer to kill…

Ah. He would have to be patient.

He would have to wait…until that dog would presumably drop dead…

OoOoOo

And wait, he did. He waited for nearly one and a half weeks. Until, his mom received a distressing phone call.

"What is it, Kendra?" his grandmother asked, looking up from her knitting. She was staying with them for a bit.

"Jeremy… You cooked the turkey right?" his mom asked. Her face was slowly turning red. Again.

"Uh…yeah."

"The Kents' dog dropped dead. From rat poison…Do you want to explain yourself?"

"What rat poison?" Jeremy nonchalantly shrugged it off.

So it did work…

"Don't play dumb with me! I know exactly what you're capable of. TELL ME! You know why? Because they say that whoever cooked that turkey that killed their dog is facing a lawsuit and a charge of animal cruelty. What. Did. You. Do?"

Jeremy sighed, and then told her everything.

But I was just curious…

Jeremy's mom rubbed her forehead.

Don't scream…Don't scream…Don't scream…She told herself.

"Never mind that now…What I find more distressing, is that…you cooked that turkey with the intent to kill. What were you going to do? KILL YOUR WHOLE FAMILY?" She finally blew up.

"Jeremy, were you going to kill us all?"

Jeremy said nothing.

"ANSWER ME!"

Ah. The questions with no answers. Again.

"Kendra, give the boy a break. He's only eleven. There's plenty of time for him to learn to know better. Besides, I never liked that dog anyways….bit me once on the leg…" his grandmother said.

His mom gave him a hard, calculating look. She said nothing more, and exited the room.

His grandmother let out a chuckle.

"That was just a joke…right?"

Jeremy wished it were so…but he didn't want to hurt his grandmother. She was old, and old people don't take hard things well.

"...Of course, Grandmother."

She turned, pinched his cheeks, and walked out of the room probably off to watch one of her soap operas again.

The room became empty, and Jeremy was left alone within his thoughts, his cryptically dark thoughts…

If anybody else were to have a peek inside his imaginations, rat poison would seem quite humane when compared to the other things he thought of up there.

A/N: Okay...so, I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, so I apologize if you found it inconsistent or too wordy...