It was 6 pm exactly, when they taxied to a stop on the tarmac. As they were deplaning, Morgan began to talk about going out for food. He couldn't get anyone to take him up on his offer, and the group separated to their vehicles. Spencer walked alone to his car, and watched Karen get into hers. He didn't notice that a third person was watching them. He almost didn't hear her call to him as he opened his car door.

"Hey Spence!"

He turned, surprised, and watched JJ walk nervously to where he stood. She never spoke to him outside of working hours not since…

Don't go there genius, keep your mind on the present.

"Hi JJ, did you need something?"

Oh the power of that innocent question, those eyes gazing forthrightly at her, with no deceit in them. Yes she wanted something. She wanted him, but was it already too late. Had the one thing she'd always needed in her life been lost? Had she been fooled by the plainness of the setting, into ignoring the beauty of the diamond?

"JJ, are you ok?" She realized she'd been standing there staring at him. He was fidgeting uncomfortably under her stare. She forced her eyes away from his gaze, and looked down at the tarmac. This was ridiculous; she could always look him straight in the eye.

"Listen, I'm too keyed up to just go home and try to relax, I was wondering if you might want to join me for some coffee, or a drink somewhere."

She wasn't surprised when he only stood there gaping at her, after all she'd been the one that had rejected him in the first place. The memories she tried so hard to suppress came flooding back as he looked at her silently. She remembered his nervous approach to her on the plane back from San Diego a year ago. She remembered saying yes to a seemingly harmless afternoon at a football game

He'd come to her home to pick her up. He'd been so nervous he could hardly speak, and she had tried valiantly not to laugh when he dropped the car keys twice, before he was able to start the car. The trip to the game had been long, and made awkward by his inability to look her in the eye. She had wondered if she done the right thing by accepting a date with him.

She was so relieved when they finally made it to the game, and the box where they were going to watch it. He began to relax a little, when she found out he didn't know anything about the game, and she began to explain it to him. He seemed to enjoy it, and they began to talk about other things besides work and football.

She hadn't thought she'd have such a good time, but she did. Spencer was a gentleman who didn't try to paw at her like some of the men she'd dated recently. She liked spending time with a friend she'd known for a couple of years instead of a stranger.

She admitted to herself that they'd both had too much to drink, and she still felt bad that he had driven her home in that state. They were FBI, and were supposed to know better. But that wasn't the last of the things they did that were against her better judgment. She'd been laughing over some strange trivia he was spouting, and had invited him into her house.

Now, thinking about that afternoon, she was surprised that he accepted so readily. The alcohol seemed to take away his shy awkwardness, and for her, well it made her horny. She pushed him up against the door as soon as it closed behind him, and kissed him. If he'd been shocked or surprised, he didn't show it, and he responded eagerly to her kisses.

She'd never had wild vertical sex before, but when he switched their positions, and her back was to the door, she didn't try to stop him. Even his very apparent lack of experience was a turn on for her; she'd never felt anything so erotic before that moment.

They had gone from there to the couch in the living room, then to her bedroom. It was as if they'd denied themselves, and each other, their whole lives, and giving into what they felt was greater than anything either of them could imagine.

She had awoken the next morning with a hangover, and had panicked when she realized she hadn't been dreaming, he was there sleeping beside her. She'd gotten out of bed as quietly as she could, and had showered, dressed, and left her house. She'd left a note for him, saying she'd gone out, and that the night before had been a mistake. She'd begged him to keep it a secret. She'd said she was sorry if she hurt him, but that they shouldn't see each other again.

It was the most cowardly thing she had ever done. Although he had respected her wishes, she knew he'd been deeply hurt. They never talked about that night, and he'd remained a friend. She couldn't bring herself to talk to him about the reasons she'd driven him away from her, mostly because she didn't understand them herself.

When she'd awoken that morning, through the pain, and the guilt over her serious lack of judgment, she'd felt safe, and loved, and it scared her to death. It meant that nothing would be the same. She didn't want to feel this way about a coworker. She didn't want to love anyone, but especially not geeky Dr. Reid, after all, what would everyone at the office think if they knew she'd slept with the office nerd. She hated herself for caring, but she did.

All of this raced through her mind in an instant as he stared at her in disbelief. She saw the confusion and the anger in his eyes, and was burned by it. When he finally spoke, his voice was laced with acid, "JJ why are you doing this, I thought you only wanted to be friends?"

"Please Spence, can we just go somewhere and talk, I'll answer your questions, but I don't want to do it here."

"No, I want an answer JJ. You've spent the last year ignoring me, and after what happened that night, I think I deserve to know why you suddenly want to see me outside of work."

She chewed on her lower lip, and normally the sight of her pink tongue peeking out of her mouth, would've rendered him speechless. This time he ignored the fire that awoke in his belly.

"Can you answer me honestly JJ, or can I expect more excuses and apologies."

"I'm sorry Spence; I never wanted to hurt you -"

"God damn it, stop lying to me JJ, you've been punishing me for a year, because you let yourself get caught up in several hours of bad judgment. I want it to stop. I don't want to deal with your jealous snits."

"Jealous, who said I'm jealous," she tried to shrug it off, but he saw the truth in her eyes, and the basest part of him rejoiced. The green eyed monster was loose in her and she couldn't conceal it.

"Its obvious, you pretend that nothing happened between us, you claim to be my friend, then another woman enters our universe and you freak out. You're so jealous you can't see straight. Finally there's someone in my life that likes me for who I am, and it pisses you off. Well guess what, I glad you're upset. I'm so happy, I could sing for joy."

JJ's face had turned crimson with rage. "You've known her for less then two days and you think she likes you for your own sake. How can that be true when you're total strangers? You know nothing about each other. "

"I'm drawn to her JJ, I don't know why but I want to see where it goes."

"Yeah, you're "drawn" to her alright, I don't blame you, she's a beautiful woman. I forgot that you're a man, and men think with their pants, not their brains don't they? I have to admit that I'm surprised that you turned out to be just like any other man. "

He was angered and dismayed by what she said. He was dismayed because JJ was right; he was physically attracted to Karen. Secondly, he was upset by the twitching desire in his hand to reach out and slap JJ. He clamped down hard on that impulse, and instead he turned, got into his car and drove away without another word.

"Damn it!" She ran back to her car, tears welling up in her eyes. She couldn't leave him alone; she had to hurt him again and again. What she'd said was completely unfair, and she'd known it even as the words were leaving her mouth, yet she hadn't stopped them from crossing her lips.

She got into her car, and slammed her fists against the steering wheel. He would never forgive her for those words. She would never forgive herself. When had she turned into such a bitch, had it been a year ago when she'd turned her back on him, or had it happened when another mysterious and beautiful woman took an interest in him.

She pulled her cell out of her pocket, and called a familiar number. "You've reached the office of complete omniscience, speak favored one."

"Garcia, it's JJ, can you do me a favor off the record?"

"Sure girlfriend, whose number do you want me to track down for ya, Johnny Depp or maybe Josh Grobin?"

"Not now Garcia, I need you to do a deep run on Agent Abbott."

"Why?"

"There's something not right about her, and she's got Reid wrapped around her little finger. He won't stop thinking with his head and not his brain."

Garcia winced at JJ's tone and decided the best thing would be to agree with her. "Men are pigs sunshine, but are you sure you're not just jealous."

"Damn it why is everyone saying that to me. Penelope, something is wrong, please just do the run and do it quick."

"Ok, I'll do it, nobody messes with my friends especially my sweet Reid."

JJ heaved a sigh of relief, if anything was fishy about the new agent, Garcia would find it fast. "Thanks girl, I owe you."

"Of course you do, but we'll talk about that later." She punched her phone off and got to work. If there was anything rotten in Denmark she would find it.

JJ started the car and put it in gear, as she drove away she didn't notice the car just down the street from the parking lot. Karen Abbott started her own car, and drove away in the opposite direction.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was sometime later when Karen's car pulled off the road into the Virginia woods west of Washington DC. She lived in a cottage 2 miles off the road. The money she'd inherited from her dead husband had allowed her to make certain modifications to the house.

She opened the car door, and got out into the night. She liked the woods at night, the sounds of the owls hooting in the trees, the wind sighing through the leaves. The myriad of sounds that frightened other people, didn't disturb her. Why should they, when she'd survived so many other terrible things in her short life.

She walked up the four steps to the front porch. It was a stone cottage with 6 rooms. She entered the house through the heavy oak front door. She strode through the small front room to the sound system and turned it on. She grabbed a CD and placed in the player. "Free Bird" from Lynyrd Skynyrd began to play as she pulled off her shoes. She turned the volume up loud enough to have been annoying if she'd had any close neighbors. Her skirt and blouse hit the floor next, and she gingerly touched her bruised face.

She had been lucky that the team had believed her story. She was furious that she'd run into Michael Lange, of all people, in Arizona. She'd been sure he hadn't recognized her, but then he'd shown up at her room, and threatened to go to her boss, and tell him all about her past.

She went to her closet and pulled out a pair of jeans, and an emerald green cardigan sweater. She still couldn't believe that he'd said if she slept with him, he might not tell Agent Hotchner about her years in the Sanitarium where he'd been a guard. At first she'd agreed, but then she told him no. He'd flown into a rage, and begun to hit her. She'd managed to get to her gun and she'd shot him. She couldn't risk anyone hearing what he had to say, and besides, the days were over when she'd let men hit her. First had been her stepfather, and then the incident in high school that had landed her in the institution in the first place. Then she'd gotten out of that terrible place, and met her husband, and he'd been like all the rest. Killing him had given her great pleasure No one knew she killed him, the poison she'd used was undetectable, and it had left her free, with enough money to do what she wanted to do.

The stupid doctors at the Sanitarium had said she was psychotic, but that wasn't true. She knew what she was, a sociopath with no conscience. This didn't bother her, she reveled in it. It made it easier for her to get what she wanted. She hadn't tried to convince the doctors otherwis,e and had obediently taken her meds, or at least they thought she did. They had released her, thinking she was no longer a danger to society.

What she wanted now, was to watch Jennifer Jareau suffer. She'd been planning revenge ever since high school. Then she'd been a nerd who skipped two grades in school, and was an easy target for kids like Jenny Jareau. JJ had been the pretty one, the athletic one that all the boys wanted to go out with. When Karen had first known who she was, she'd seemed nicer than her friends, and because of that, Karen had let her guard down, and had let Jenny put her in a position to be hurt. But now wasn't the time to dwell on that.

She opened the door to the room next to her bedroom, leaving the door open so she could hear the music. The collection of computers that were set up, nearly rivaled what Garcia had in her office. She was glad that she taken a programming class at the trade school. It had made changing her background, and names almost as easy as changing her appearance.

She knew that Jenny wouldn't recognize her, girls like her never remembered the nerds in school. Now she would make Jenny suffer, she would take from Jennifer Jareau what she most valued, and the agent would be powerless to stop her.

Seducing Spencer Reid would be very easy, and although her run in with Michael Lange had proved inconvenient, it had also earned her sympathy. She would enjoy making Spencer hers, after all he wasn't your typical geek, he was handsome and kind, and she had a sneaking suspicion that he would be great in bed.

She finished a simple task at the computers, and went into the bathroom. On the vanity mirror there was a picture of JJ cut from her yearbook. She stared at it, remembering, and keeping the rage fresh in her mind, and as the rollicking bridge from "Free Bird" began its loud crescendo, she picked up a heavy cut class bowl of silk flowers, and hurtled it at the mirror. The mirror shattered with a crash, and shards rained down on the counter top. She stood for a long moment looking at her reflection in hundreds of little mirrors. Then, when the song ended, she turned and strode out of the room, slamming the door behind her.