Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.
A/N: Shout out to Chermayne, tannerose5, OhSnapItsMadison, and Hippichic81 for reviewing chapter 24.
Sorry for the delay on this chapter since I decided to focus on finishing up on chapter 26 of my other in progress story since I was dealing with intense writer's block for that chapter before focusing on this chapter.
Even though Mr. Scratch is dead in this universe, I am still going to have 12 prisoners escape because it was another unsub who was the reason of serial killers from escaping from prison so the next chapter will include a lot of fluff before I deal with Devil's Backbone and The Storm.
Spencer and Olivia looked at their three oldest children as they ate baked chicken, mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables for dinner.
"Excited about this Saturday?" asked Olivia.
"Why are you two getting married again?" asked Piper.
"Mommy and I ran away to Las Vegas to elope instead of having the formal wedding, and I promised my teammates that mommy and I would eventually have a formal wedding so we decided that we need to celebrate our five year wedding anniversary with a formal wedding." said Spencer.
Olivia looked at Piper, Albert, Ava, and Daniel despite knowing that Daniel didn't understand what was going on.
"Let's just say that when daddy and I renew our vows, we will be giving vows to all four of you." said Olivia.
"Really?" asked Piper.
"Yes Goober." said Spencer.
"Will Papa Dave be back by Saturday?" asked Piper.
"He will be back by Friday since he's hosting our vow renewal while its still warm outside." said Spencer.
Later on that night Spencer was on the jet heading to Sacramento with Hotch, Tara, and JJ since Rossi was meeting them there.
"The two Janes Does were found in an SRO reserve water tank in the Oak Park community of Sacramento. That area has a high crime rate, 115% higher than the national average." said Spencer from his place next to Tara.
"Yeah, it's known for its drug usage. And from the track marks on our victims' arms, it's apparent they were familiar with the needle." said Tara.
"So this could be a drug deal gone wrong or an angry pimp. And given the surroundings, it's possible these two worked as prostitutes." said JJ.
"We should also consider that he's a moral enforcer. He could be a vigilante trying to clean up the streets." said Hotch.
"And Oak Park would be a target rich environment for him." said Tara.
"All right, when we land, JJ, meet Rossi at the crime scene." said Hotch before looking at Spencer and Tara, "You two go to the M.E., and I'll get us set up at the precinct." said Hotch.
JJ looked at Spencer.
"Excited about seeing the dress that Olivia picked out for this Saturday?" asked JJ as she thought about the girls day she, Garcia, Tara, Olivia, Piper, and Ava made when it came to picking out Olivia's, Piper's, and Ava's dresses since there were going to be no bridesmaids or groomsmen since Piper, Albert, Ava, and Daniel were the wedding party.
"I am, and I just can't believe that my five year wedding anniversary is on Saturday." said Spencer as he thought about how he and Olivia survived everything that was thrown their way when it came to having four kids, him getting shot, and his mom getting diagnosed with Alzheimer's and Dementia.
"At least your finally having that formal wedding to renew your vows since you and Olivia did a simple registration of marriage without vows." said JJ.
"I know, and I am glad that there will be no bachelor party or bachelorette party since Olivia and I are both married." said Spencer.
"So are you two getting new rings or keeping the ones your wearing?" asked Tara as she gazed at Spencer's wedding band.
Spencer looked at his wedding band that was dinged and nicked from wearing it for nearly five years.
"We're keeping the ones we have since I spent over $2,000 on Olivia's bridal set and Livy doesn't want a new bridal set, and the wedding band I'm wearing belonged to my late uncle Daniel who died when I four." said Spencer.
"What about getting your wedding band engraved?" asked Tara.
"Olivia and I already have September 24th, 2011 engraved on it so we decided that September 24th, 2016 will be engraved onto our rings." said Spencer before they continued talking about the vow renewal for a few more minutes before Hotch spoke up.
"Since we're landing in four hours, I highly suggest that we all get some sleep since we're hitting the ground running." said Hotch.
"You can take the couch Spence." said JJ.
"Thanks." said Spencer as he got up and headed to the couch.
Four and a half hours later in DC time Piper looked at her mommy who was helping her get ready for school.
"Where's daddy?" asked Piper.
"He got called in last night, so he should be in Sacramento, California right now." said Olivia, as she worked on pulling Piper's long light brown curly hair into two French braids.
"Can I call him?" asked Piper.
Ava who was already dressed in her uniform and had her long light brown strait hair pulled into French braids spoke up.
"Can we mommy?" asked Ava.
Olivia looked at her two little girls who looked so much alike despite Piper having her father's curly hair and brown eyes while Ava's a clone of her.
"We don't have time to call daddy since I have a meeting to attend and grandpa has an appointment to attend for grandma, so I will need to get you two and Albert to the school's before school daycare so I am not late." said Olivia.
Piper and Ava both sighed as they thought about how they both didn't like it that their mommy was no longer a stay at home mommy anymore since there's times that she ends up bringing work home to grade.
"Can we call daddy after school?" asked Piper.
"We can sweet pea, but if he's busy don't be upset." said Olivia.
"OK mommy." sighed Piper.
An hour later in Sacramento, California Spencer was at the M.E.'s office with Tara.
"C.O.D. for Debi Leitelt was exsanguination. Jane Doe died from sepsis. Both bodies tested positive for large amounts of opiates. Lab is still running a breakdown on the specifics." said Dr. Lee as she passed Spencer a clipboard.
"Debi's been clean for a couple of months, but given the statistics for relapse, it's quite possible she fell off the wagon." said Spencer before he started to read the reports that he was given.
"Or the unsub injected her himself." said Tara as Spencer noticed something.
"Am I reading this right? Two different blade types were used on the victims' faces?" asked Spencer.
"Correct. The postmortem cuts are facial slashes made by a precision blade, something like a scalpel." said Dr. Lee as Spencer looked at the victims' faces.
"A scalpel's an odd choice for disfigurement." said Tara.
"The antemortem wounds were made with a jagged tool, something with a serrated edge." said Spencer.
"OK, so, two distinct tools for two distinct goals." said Tara.
"Which are?" asked Dr. Lee.
"Unclear at this point. Jane Doe had hydrofluorocarbon and dimethyl ether in her hair." said Spencer.
"And titanium dioxide." said Dr. Lee.
"Those first two are commonly found in aerosols. Titanium dioxide is a white pigment found in a wide range of products." said Spencer.
"Like spray-in hair color, blond to be exact." said Tara.
"That's my presumption, yes. Most of it washed out in the water, but there are still trace elements on her scalp." said Dr. Lee causing Spencer to get a closer look.
"Someone who used this type of cheap hair color all the time would be more skilled at applying it. She wouldn't get it all over her scalp." said Tara as she ran her gloved covered fingers through the victim's hair.
"So the unsub did it." said Spencer.
A short while later Spencer and Tara were at the station with the others.
"Assume these victims are both victims of opportunity. High-risk lifestyle, possibly prostitutes, definitely drug addicts." said Spencer.
"We see this victimology all the time. Easier targets. It takes a while before anyone notices they're missing." said Rossi.
"Right. That part he's smart enough to plan for. If he wanted to kill them quickly, he could." said JJ.
"Exactly. Instead he spends time with them. He puts each one through a unique ritual." said Spencer.
"And he redresses one and he gives the other a sloppy dye job." said Tara.
"And then he tears their faces apart. He remakes them so he can destroy them." said JJ.
"They're surrogates for the woman who's the real object of his rage." said Rossi.
"And his anger manifests itself as a sexual release, and when he's done, he wants to do it again." said Hotch.
Later on that evening Spencer smiled when he saw Olivia's, Piper's, Albert's, Ava's, and Daniel's smiling faces on his laptop.
"Daddy!" cried Piper, Albert, and Ava.
"Dada." smiled Daniel.
"How was school today munchkins?" asked Spencer.
"I drew a picture for you." said Piper as she grabbed the picture she drew and showed her daddy the picture.
Spencer looked at the picture and he smiled when he realized that Piper was asked to draw her family so she drew a picture of him, herself, Olivia, Albert, Ava, and Daniel.
"That's a beautiful picture, and as soon as I get back I will make sure to put it on my desk at work." said Spencer.
Piper grinned at her daddy causing Spencer to grin back before looking at Albert and Ava.
"How was preschool?" asked Spencer.
"I play dolls with Sarah." said Ava as she thought about the other three year old girl who goes to Occupational Therapy with her.
"I kick a soccer ball with Jacob." said Albert as he thought about the friend he made.
"Are you liking soccer as much as Jack and Henry does?" asked Spencer.
Albert nodded as his brown curls bounced.
"I want to play soccer like Jack and Henry, but I also like watching basketball like you daddy." said Albert.
Spencer locked eyes with Olivia who nodded.
"What do you say about joining a soccer team next fall when you start kindergarten?" asked Spencer.
"I would love to daddy." said Albert.
"Plus you can also do basketball in a couple of years since a lot of schools will do soccer in the fall while doing basketball in the winter." said Spencer.
"Yes!" exclaimed Albert as he raised his fist in the air.
Spencer looked at Daniel who was watching him.
"Did you have fun with grandpa today?" asked Spencer.
Daniel happily babbled before Piper wrinkled her nose.
"DJ pooped." said Piper.
"Well I will let you get back to work Spencer, and as soon as you get to the hotel to get some sleep call me if your not tired." said Olivia.
Spencer nodded before looking at his children.
"Daddy loves you four munchkins so much and I hope you four have good dreams tonight." said Spencer before he exchanged love yous with the kids and Olivia before signing off causing Spencer to go find JJ.
"How was Piper's, Albert's, and Ava's day?" asked JJ as she thought about her own talk with Will, Henry, and Michael.
"With Albert telling me about how much he loves kicking a soccer ball, Livy and I decided that Albert can start playing soccer next fall when he's four." said Spencer.
"I noticed how much fun he was having when it came to kicking a soccer ball with Jack and Henry." said JJ.
"I just can't believe that Daniel's going to be seven months old next Monday, Albert and Ava are turning four in May, while Piper turns five in June." sighed Spencer.
"I can't believe that Henry's going to be eight in November while Michael's already a year old." said JJ.
Hotch who was walking by spoke up.
"Time does go fast, and with you turning 35 in less than a month, I can't believe that Jack's going to be turning 11 next month." said Hotch as he thought about how Jack was born a few weeks after Spencer's 24th birthday.
The next morning Spencer and JJ approached the latest victim with Detective Roberts.
"Gardener found her this morning. Noticed the jacuzzi lid askew and went to fix it." said Detective Roberts.
"Any witnesses?" asked Spencer as he climbed up the few steps to get onto the deck of the jacuzzi.
"No, neighbors didn't see anything." said Detective Roberts.
"Well, we profiled he'd find a new disposal site. I just didn't think it'd be this public." said Spencer as he noticed JJ's thinking face, "What is it?" asked Spencer.
"Oh, first a water tank, now a covered jacuzzi. It's not just the water that's important to him. He wants them enclosed, like a sarcophagus." said JJ before looking at Detective Roberts, "How long was she in the water?" asked JJ.
Spencer crouched down a bit so he could get a closer look at the body.
"Well, based on body temp, the M.E. thinks she died two days ago. But based on when the family went to bed last night, she's only been in the water 6 hours." said Detective Roberts.
JJ looked at the victim's hair while Spencer studied the cuts on the victim's face.
"A real blonde this time. Exact same dress as Debi. He's combining elements, turning the surrogates into the women he really wants to hurt." said JJ as Spencer noticed something.
"JJ, look. It's a suture." said Spencer.
"Now, why would he leave that behind?" asked JJ.
"He probably ran out of time. That would explain the two different types of cuts. One of them isn't a cut at all." said Spencer as he stood up to his full height.
"I don't follow." said Detective Roberts.
"Ripping out sutures would leave a jagged edge, kind of like when you tear a shirt at its seams. That's why it looked like the unsub was using a serrated knife. He was actually trying to hide what he was doing." said Spencer.
"And if he was sewing that in the face, then the postmortem slashing could be a forensic countermeasure to hide the surgical component." said JJ as Spencer pulled out his phone to call Garcia.
"Good timing, boy genius. I have the 4-1-1 on our second victim. The Jane Doe is Belinda Cameron. She was brought up on shoplifting, solicitation charges, but she recently entered rehab in an effort to turn her life around." said Garcia.
"Garcia, what about our most recent victim? Is there anyone in the system with a red rose tattoo on their left wrist?" asked Spencer.
"I'm on it." said Garcia as she started typing, "Why, yes, there is. Leslie Schellin. She was nabbed on possession of a controlled substance. And looky here. Her current place of residence is Changing Lives. It's a halfway house." said Garcia.
"Great. Thanks, Garcia." said JJ before Spencer hung up as she continued talking, "Well, it looks like rehab is the connection." said JJ.
"Let's deliver the profile." said Spencer as he thought about how he's been stepping up more since Morgan left..
A short while later Spencer was standing between Hotch and Tara to help give the profile.
"We believe the unsub we're looking for is a white male in his late 20s to early 30s." started Hotch.
"He is a surgical sadist, operating on women he finds in and around the recovery community of Oak Park." said Spencer.
"The fact that he's able to earn the trust of the women in this victim pool leads us to believe he may be a part of the recovery community himself." said Tara.
"So he's operating on these women just to kill them?" asked Detective Roberts.
"Death isn't the goal for this unsub, pain is." said Rossi.
"He cuts these women to inflict physical and psychological scars that won't heal." said JJ.
"So who is victim zero?" asked Detective Roberts.
"That brings us to the other part of this unsub's psychology. He's putting these victims through a transformation, most likely before he starts cutting them. He's dyeing their hair and changing their clothes." said Spencer.
"We believe they're surrogates for the woman he believes wronged him." said Rossi.
"This woman might be a first victim we haven't found yet. His anger toward her wasn't sated after hurting her." said JJ.
"We think this woman, victim zero, has had a personal connection with this unsub, and finding her will be the key to stopping him. Thank you." finished Hotch.
Later on that evening Spencer smiled when he saw the smiling faces of Piper, Albert, and Ava on his laptop.
"Hi daddy." chorused Piper, Albert, and Ava.
"Where's mommy?" asked Spencer.
"She had to change DJ's diaper." said Piper.
"So how was gymnastics today?" asked Spencer.
Piper instantly spent the next minute telling her daddy about what she did in gymnastics, and when Piper was finished Olivia came into view with Daniel causing the nearly seven month old baby to grin at his daddy while showing off the new tooth that finally appeared.
"I see that new tooth finally came in little man." said Spencer.
"Daniel wasn't a happy baby last night." said Olivia.
"I'm sorry that I wasn't there to help take care of Daniel." said Spencer as he made a few funny faces causing Piper, Albert, Ava, and Daniel all to giggle.
"Its OK Spencer since dad helped out last night, and when you were on cases I've managed dealing with a teething Piper when it was just you, Piper, and me." said Olivia.
Spencer looked at his watch before looking at Piper, Albert, and Ava who all looked tired.
"Its time for you three munchkins to go to bed and I have to get back to work." said Spencer.
"I love you daddy." said Piper.
"I love you daddy." said Albert.
"I love you daddy." said Ava.
"Wuv Dada." said Daniel.
Spencer looked at his four babies.
"Daddy loves you four munchkins so much." said Spencer before looking at Olivia who had a sleepy Daniel on her lap, "I love you Olivia, and as soon as I get to the hotel I will call you." said Spencer.
"Love you too." said Olivia before signing off.
The next morning Spencer was standing by the clear board studying a picture.
"It looks like the unsub attempted to cut flaps in the right cheek and then sew them back together." said Spencer before stepping aside.
"Look at his work. This is the kind of medical knowledge you get off the Internet." said Tara.
"What's he trying to accomplish by sewing the cheeks up improperly? He's choosing to distort his victims' faces." said Spencer.
Detective Roberts who was sitting with Rossi, JJ, and Tara spoke up.
"I thought you guys said he was trying to help." asked Detective Roberts.
"He thinks he is." said JJ before standing up and joined Spencer by the clear board, "OK, so, we know these women are surrogates for her. We thought he was furious with them, but we now know that's wrong." said JJ.
"He's in love with her." said Rossi.
"Yeah. Now, the implant is much like the dress or the blond hair. It's part of the transformation." said Tara.
"But implants are supposed to make you prettier. He's making them uglier." said Detective Roberts.
Spencer instantly thought about how he didn't fall in love with Olivia because of her looks since he fell in love with her intelligence and her caring nature.
"Uglier according to conventional standards. To him they're more beautiful." said Spencer.
"Somewhere is his love map he obsessed over someone society didn't want to look at. That's our victim zero." said JJ.
"He's doing all of this because he wants her back." said Rossi.
A short while later Garcia was calling them.
"What have you got, Garcia?" asked Hotch.
"I got a hit on a Danielle Steinhardt. She's been missing for the past two days." said Garcia.
"Does she fit his victimology?" asked Tara.
"She's blond, and she's been living at a treatment facility in Oak Park for the past couple of months. Her brother reported her missing when she didn't check back in." said Garcia.
"Where are we on the medical conditions that victim zero might have had?" asked Hotch.
"Nothing yet. But if you direct me, I can be a much more effective missile." said Garcia.
"Well, this guy's trigger happened recently, so look for car accidents, overdoses, suicides." said Tara as Spencer turned his chair around so he could look at the posted pictures as the wheels in his brain started turning.
"We also think his ideal may have some sort of facial deformity." said JJ.
"Uh, no, still bupkes." said Garcia.
Spencer slowly got up and made his way to the board causing JJ, Hotch, and Tara to realize that Spencer figured something out.
"A neurofibroma." said Spencer to himself before he spoke up, "Garcia, look up neurofibromatosis." said Spencer.
"Uh, how do you spell that?" asked Garcia as she started typing, "Wait, never mind, auto correct has it." said Garcia.
Spencer looked at Hotch and his two female teammates.
"Neurofibromatosis is a genetic disorder that causes tumors to form on nerve tissue." said Spencer.
"OK, Garcia, look for women with tumors embedded in the nerves on the right side of their face. That's where all the implants have been." said Tara.
"OK, there's a rehabilitation center that specializes in that at U.C. Davis. It's not the rehab we've been talking about. It's the medical kind. OK. I'm gonna dig into this. I will hit you back when I find a bone. OK? Bye." said Garcia before hanging up.
A short while later Spencer was going through a file when Rossi looked at him.
"So are you ready for your vow renewal this Saturday?" asked Rossi.
"I already picked up my tuxedo from the dry cleaners, dad is going to take Albert to pick up his tuxedo, and Olivia's going to take Piper and Ava to pick up their dresses today." said Spencer.
"Since I allowed Olivia access to my mansion by giving her a key and the code for the alarm system I told her that she could take the three dresses to my mansion today." said Rossi.
"I appreciate you for allowing the vow renewal to happen at your mansion." said Spencer.
"Even though you and Olivia eloped nearly five years ago before deciding to cancel the formal ceremony that was suppose to happen in January of 2013 due to the stress that we were all under, none of us are allowing you and Olivia to back out of having that formal wedding to celebrate your five year wedding anniversary." said Rossi.
"I know." said Spencer he and Rossi decided to focus on their files before Garcia called Spencer.
"What's up, Garcia?" asked Spencer.
"I sent a video to your tablets." said Garcia causing Rossi to position his tablet so Spencer could look at it with him, "I give you Sarah Sherwood, 28, blond, and the poor sweetheart suffered from neurofibromatosis." said Garcia.
"She drowned herself at her parents' house 3 weeks ago." said Rossi.
"Roughly around the time the first victim would have gone missing." said Spencer as Rossi and Spencer went through the pictures that Garcia sent them.
"She drowned herself in the worst way I can imagine. Her parents had a pool with a retractable tarp. She held down the remote and she covered herself under it." said Garcia.
"She would have locked herself in. That explains why he chooses enclosed bodies of water for his victims." said Spencer.
"And puts them in the same dress she wore when she killed herself. The only person who would know that is the one who found the body. Garcia?" asked Rossi.
"Yes, yes, sir, I am on that like brown on super healthy rice. Uh... That would be her boyfriend. He goes by the name of Joseph Berzon. According to police, he was inconsolable." said Garcia.
"How is Joseph connected to the other victims?" asked Rossi.
Garcia did some typing.
"He works for delivery dining. They deliver to treatment centers and the SRO where the first two victims were found." said Garcia.
"That's how he got access to the pain medication. The worse the rehab center, the more lax they are with the drugs and the easier they are to steal." said Spencer.
"And according to their website, they seal the meals with a vacuum sealer." said Garcia.
"Garcia, where can we find Joseph?" asked Rossi.
"I'm sending you his work and home address." said Garcia.
A short while later Spencer, JJ, Rossi, and Tara were strapping on their Kevlar vests when Garcia called them.
"Hey, Garcia, you're on speaker." said JJ.
"I've got background on Joseph Berzon." said Garcia.
"Anything stand out?" asked Tara.
"Oh, yeah. When he was 11, his mother was in a car accident that completely mutilated her face. She was then bedridden for 3 years and then died as a result of her injury. He had no other living family." said Garcia.
"That event must have imprinted on him and stayed with him all these years." said Spencer as he, Rossi, JJ, and Tara started walking.
"And after that, he was put in the foster care system, and then the group home he was in was busted on abuse charges." said Garcia.
"Sounds like the kid went through a lot of physical and emotional pain. That's one hell of a stressor." said Rossi.
A few minutes later Spencer was with Tara in an SUV, and when they almost got to Joesph's workplace they ended up calling Garcia back.
"Reid and I are nearly at Berzon's work. Is there anything else, Garcia?" asked Tara.
"Yeah. I just found some interesting emails between Sarah and her parents." said Garcia.
"What are they about?" asked JJ who was in another SUV.
"A month ago, there was an incident at a park." said Garcia.
"What kind of incident?" asked Spencer.
"Well, Sarah didn't go outside much, and according to one of these email exchanges, she was really embarrassed about the tumors on her face, but Joseph encouraged her to give it a try. That's when things got bad. He left her alone... And she had an anxiety attack. Two days later, he found her dead." said Garcia.
"Then this isn't just about recreating Sarah, it's about rewriting the past. He thinks he can get it right this time." said Rossi.
Over seven hours later Spencer quietly entered his house, and after quietly checking on his three oldest kids, he ended up checking up on Daniel who was laying awake in his crib.
"What are you doing up little guy?" asked Spencer softly as he lifted up his youngest son out of his crib and felt his diaper, "You have a wet diaper so I might as well change it and rock you back to sleep before I take a shower." said Spencer quietly as he carried his youngest son to the changing table where he expertly changed his youngest son's diaper.
A minute later Spencer was sitting in the rocking chair rocking his son to sleep as he sang a few lullabies, and after rocking Daniel for 15 minutes he was putting his sleeping son into his crib before heading into the master bedroom where Olivia wasn't in bed.
"Livy?" asked Spencer quietly.
"Lock our bedroom door and come into the bathroom." called out Olivia.
Spencer quickly locked their bedroom door before plugging in his two cellphones to charge, and a few seconds later Spencer entered the bathroom and shook his head when he saw that Olivia had prepared a bubble bath and was already in the tub.
"When I heard you through the baby monitor I decided that we should take a bubble bath together." said Olivia as Spencer sat down on the edge of the tub near Olivia.
"I appreciate your thoughtful gesture." said Spencer as he ran a hand through the bubbles while thinking about how his wife looks even more beautiful at 32 despite meeting Olivia when she was 27, "Despite knowing each other for over five years and four months, you keep on looking more beautiful every day since you gave me four beautiful kids." said Spencer as he got up and started undressing himself while knowing that Olivia was enjoying the show he was giving her before he joined Olivia in the tub.
"Thank you for giving me that show." said Olivia as she leaned herself against her husband's chest.
"I really hope that you didn't fall in love with me due to my looks." teased Spencer.
"I didn't, but how about I list the reasons why I fell in love with you before you list the reasons why you fell in love with me." said Olivia.
"OK." said Spencer as he thought about the case he just closed with his teammates.
Olivia started listing the reasons why she fell in love with Spencer before Spencer listed the reasons why he fell in love with Olivia before they got out of the tub and moved into the shower.
A/N: I thought that I should end this chapter there because you readers can probably imagine what happened in the shower before they checked on Daniel before getting some sleep. Luckily you faithful readers won't have to wait long for the next chapter because I already have 2,400 words typed.