Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.

A/N: Shout out to southernbeauty13 for being the 125th reviewer of this story, and also a shout out to tannerose5, TVHollywoodDiva, fishtrek, Hippichic81, Kassandra Starr, and Angel Wings00 for reviewing chapter 24.

This chapter starts on December 15th of 2007, and I hope that some of you readers can figure out which book/TV show characters that I named some of Diana's classmates after. I have it that after Rossi came out of retirement, Hotch ended up telling his teammates that he and Haley are in the process of getting a divorce.

Clarissa woke up to being given kisses by Diana and Bridget's constant babbling, and as soon as she had her glasses on she saw her husband holding a tray filled with breakfast while her daughters were in bed with her.

"Happy birthday, mommy," said Diana.

Spencer smiled at his 26-year-old wife.

"Happy birthday, love," said Spencer as he set the tray filled with pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon and two plates.

"Why are there only two plates?" asked Clarissa.

"We're sharing a plate," said Spencer.

Clarissa got out of bed.

"Before we eat, I have to use the bathroom," said Clarissa.

"I'll use the next couple of minutes to fix Diana her plate and bring up orange juice," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Diana was happily eating her breakfast in her parent's bed while Bridget who was on her mommy's lap enjoyed watching her daddy feed her mommy and himself some breakfast.

Later on that morning at 11:30 AM, Spencer grinned when he saw his nephew with Haley.

"Unca Spence," said Jack.

"There's my favorite nephew," grinned Spencer as he knelt down.

Jack ran to his uncle and hugged his legs while a laughing Haley looked at Spencer.

"He's your only nephew, Spencer," said Haley.

Spencer swooped up his nephew.

"I know, and its a shame that Sean couldn't make it today," said Spencer before looking at his nephew, "What has your mommy been feeding you? You have grown since the last time I saw you, Jack Attack," said Spencer as he blew a raspberry on his nephew's cheek.

Jack giggled.

"You silly, unca Spence," said Jack.

Clarissa giggled.

"With the magic show you have planned for today, Spence, a lot of kids will think your silly," said Clarissa.

Spencer looked at his nephew.

"Can you wish your auntie Clarissa a happy birthday?" asked Spencer.

Jack looked at his aunt.

"Happy birfday," said Jack as he blew a kiss at his aunt.

"Thank you, Jack," said Clarissa.

Haley looked at Clarissa who had Bridget in her arms.

"Happy birthday, Clarissa," said Haley.

Clarissa glared at her former sister-in-law as she thought about the anger she had at Haley for hurting her brother.

"Thank you," said Clarissa.

"Bridget's getting so big while looking more like you every day, Clarissa," said Haley.

"I know, but we both know that Bridget has her daddy's eyes and curly hair," said Clarissa.

Haley instantly noticed a noticeable baby bump before looking at Spencer and Clarissa.

"Congratulations on the upcoming addition," said Haley.

"Thank you," said Spencer and Clarissa in unison.

Jack who hadn't seen his favorite aunt and uncle in a couple of weeks looked at his favorite aunt.

"Baby?" asked Jack as he pointed at Clarissa's stomach.

"You're getting another cousin, Jack. Hopefully, auntie Clarissa and I have a little boy just like you," said Spencer.

At that moment Jack saw his daddy coming with his older cousin causing him to grin.

"Daddy!" cried Jack.

Spencer instantly set Jack down, and a few seconds later Hotch was scooping up his two-year-old son.

"Have you been a good boy for mommy?" asked Hotch.

Jack nodded while Haley looked at Diana.

"Are you going to teach Jack how to ice skate?" asked Haley.

"Yes," said Diana before looking at her mommy and daddy, "Are you two going to skate with me?" asked Diana.

Clarissa rested a hand on her nearly 11-week pregnant belly.

"My doctor told me that I can't ice skate due to your little brother or sister being in my tummy, so I'll spend time with Bridget while talking to a few other parents who aren't skating with your friends," said Clarissa.

Spencer looked at Diana.

"I'll be skating with you, Diana," said Spencer.

"OK, daddy," said Diana.

Over an hour and a half later Spencer and Diana who were both wearing their winter jackets, hats, and gloves were ice skating while holding hands as Diana smiled at the sight of her classmates from preschool and Sunday school skating with their parents.

"Thank you for this party, daddy," said Diana.

"Your welcome, bumble bee," said Spencer just as Haley and Hotch who were each holding one of Jack's hands skated over to them causing Spencer to inwardly smile about Hotch and Haley willing to skate with their son together for the sake of their niece.

"Jack!" exclaimed Diana as she let go of her daddy's hand and gracefully skated over to her cousin.

Jack grinned at his cousin.

"Hi Iana," said Jack.

Hotch chuckled a bit.

"Eventually he'll be able to pronounce Diana," said Hotch.

"Its OK," said Spencer before looking at his nephew who was bundled up, "Are you having fun, Jack?" asked Spencer.

"Yes," said Jack.

Diana looked at her daddy.

"Can I please show off the jumps I learned in my classes?" asked Diana.

Spencer chuckled.

"Go ahead," said Spencer as he let go of his oldest daughter's hand.

A few seconds later Spencer, Hotch, and Haley were watching Diana do an axel jumps, lutzes, and a few other jumps causing Hotch to look at his brother-in-law while Diana's friends and their parents stopped skating to watch Diana skate.

"Diana is definitely a figure skating prodigy like her mother was," said Hotch.

"I know, and I wonder if she'll end up in the 2022 Winter Olympics," said Spencer just as Diana skated over to them.

"Did you see my jumps?" asked Diana.

"I sure did, and you definitely have better balance than I did when I was your age, Diana," said Spencer.

Diana giggled before she looked at her daddy.

"When are you going to do magic, daddy?" asked Diana.

Spencer looked at his watch.

"I'll be giving you and your friends a magic show in about a half-hour," said Spencer.

"OK daddy," said Diana as she quickly skated off causing Spencer to chase after his daughter.

Meanwhile, Clarissa was sitting on the bleachers with a bundled up Bridget when JJ, Emily, and Garcia joined her.

"May I hold my goddaughter?" asked JJ.

"Sure," said Clarissa as she passed Bridget over to JJ before Garcia handed her a cup.

"Here's some hot chocolate," said Garcia.

"Thank you," said Clarissa before smiling at the sight of her laughing husband chasing after a giggling Diana on the ice.

"After what happened to him earlier this year, I'm glad to see him smiling and laughing again," said Garcia.

"Who knew that Reid could be good at ice skating," said Emily.

"Spence told me about the times that his aunt and uncle took him ice skating, and he explained that he applies ice skating to physics as his way to keep his balance," said Clarissa.

Emily, JJ, and Garcia laughed before Garcia watched Diana do a few jumps before she skated over to her daddy for a high five.

"Diana's really good at figure skating," said Garcia.

"I know, and I'm hoping that Diana ends up in the 2022 Winter Olympics," said Clarissa.

Emily looked at Clarissa.

"How are you feeling about Diana turning four next week Friday?" asked Emily.

Clarissa sighed sadly.

"I'm sad about my oldest turning four, but now Diana is old enough to go on more adventures that she wasn't old enough to go on before," said Clarissa before smiling down at Bridget and resting a hand on her small baby bump, "At least Spence and I will have a few years to enjoy Bridget and the baby being babies and toddlers before they start attending preschool like Diana," said Clarissa.

Spencer looked at his teammates, Diana's classmates from preschool and Sunday school, and the parents of the kids

"I'm now going to do one of my favorite tricks which I call physics magic, but I need everyone to close their eyes," said Spencer.

As soon as everyone closed their eyes, Spencer instantly got to work on getting a film canister ready for physics magic. As soon as he had the bottle rocket ready, he looked at everyone.

"Everyone can open their eyes," said Spencer.

Clarissa, Hotch, Haley, Morgan, Garcia, Emily, JJ, Rossi, Diana, Hannah, Aria, Emily, Spencer, Allison, Sammy, Courtney, Skylar, Tyler, Willie, Ian, Tony, Dewey, Dylan, and Gavin opened their eyes along with all the parents who came to the party.

Spencer Eliza Nichols who was sitting on her daddy's lap looked at Spencer.

"Nothing's happening," said Spencer.

"Just watch," said Spencer.

A few seconds later the bottle rocket shot up and flew across the room causing Morgan to catch it while all the children cheered.

"How did you do that, Mr. Spencer?" asked Sammy.

Diana looked at Sammy.

"Daddy says that a magician never reveals his secrets," said Diana.

Spencer beamed at Diana.

"That's correct, bumble bee," said Spencer before looking at Hannah, "Hannah, would you like to be my assistant for my next trick?" asked Spencer.

"Yes, Mr. Spencer," said Hannah.

A few seconds later Spencer was stumping Hannah with a card trick before he went around the room so he could stump every child before the pizza that was ordered arrived.

A half-hour later Spencer lit the candle that was the shape of the number 4 on Diana's birthday cake, and a few seconds later everyone started to start singing.

"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Diana. Happy birthday to you," sang everyone.

Spencer and Clarissa who were standing on either side of Diana looked at their oldest daughter.

"Make a wish and blow out the candle, Diana," said Spencer.

Diana closed her eyes and blew out the lone candle before everyone clapped and cheered before Spencer and Clarissa started cutting the cake.

Later on that evening Spencer and Clarissa were settling down in the back of a movie theater as they waited for "Alvin and the Chipmunks" to start.

Four hours later Spencer and Clarissa entered their bedroom, and as soon as they locked their bedroom door they were undressing each other before they started a heated make-out session that caused them to fall into their bed.

Two days later Spencer was sitting next to his brother-in-law at the round table when JJ entered the room.

"Everyone's here. Sorry I'm late," said JJ before she became serious, "Last night in Fredericksburg, a 20-year-old woman, Molly McCarthy, was abducted. She's the third to go missing in the last six weeks. All disappeared from public places. No one's seen them since," said JJ.

"Until now," said Rossi.

"A couple days ago, body parts with cigarette burns were recovered from a national park which was once the site of the Battle of Chancellorsville," said JJ.

"Were they able to make an ID?" asked Hotch.

"It was the first victim, taken six weeks ago. Decomp indicated that she had been dead just over a week," said JJ as she continued to show more pictures.

"So he likes spending time with them," said Hotch.

Emily looked at the picture of an arm.

"How'd she end up like that?" asked Emily.

"ME found microscopic tool marks on the bone," said JJ.

Spencer used his eidetic memory to think of similar cases that he read about as he sat up straighter.

"I remember reading about a case like this in Spotsylvania County. Similar markings on the bone," said Spencer.

"It was the winter of 1980, also Fredericksburg. Five women, 16 to 24. Buried in pieces. Same markings. Same Civil War battlefield," said JJ.

"Killed the same time of year and left at the same dump site?" asked Rossi.

"It's like an anniversary," said Morgan.

"That case is still open," said JJ.

Spencer thought about the case file he read as he rubbed his forehead a bit.

"Back then the victims were drug addicts and runaways," said Spencer.

"If he spends that much time with them, there's a chance these two women could still be alive," said Hotch.

"Wait. We think this could be the same killer? That's a hell of a cooling-off period," said Emily.

JJ turned around to look at the pictures of the victims.

"BTK resurfaced after a 25-year hiatus," said Morgan.

"True, but he didn't kill anyone. He only taunted the police," said Spencer.

"Marks on the bone and where he dumps them- that's a very specific signature. Hard to copycat details that were never made public," said Rossi.

"Garcia, check the MO against girls missing in other states. It could explain the long absence," said Hotch.

"I'm on it," said Garcia.

While Garcia left the room, Rossi looked at his teammates.

"If this is the same unsub, what's he been doing for the past 27 years?" asked Rossi.

Hotch looked at his teammates.

"Since Fredericksburg is only a half hour away from here, we'll be driving. So be in the parking garage in 30 minutes," said Hotch.

"Since Fredericksburg is about an hour from DC, will we be able to sleep in our own beds tonight or are we going to stay in a hotel?" asked Spencer.

"We'll be staying in Fredericksburg," said Hotch.

A minute later Spencer was sending both Clarissa and Lucy a text message.

GOING TO FREDERICKSBURG, BUT I WON'T BE COMING HOME TONIGHT. ~ SR

Spencer sat in the backseat as he looked through some photos.

"The killer has an obvious disregard for women. He sees them as disposable and worthless. You know, he'd need a lot of time and privacy to do this to them," said Spencer as he looked at his brother-in-law.

"Seclusion. Time. Back then, the theory was he was a seasonal worker on one of the farms," said Hotch.

JJ noticed a sign.

"There's the dump site," said JJ.

Spencer noticed the landmark.

"It's funny-he always dumps the bodies in this battlefield, no matter what the risk," said Spencer.

"It's a respected landmark. He's flaunting. It makes him feel important," said Hotch.

Spencer smiled at the horses that were neighing at him as he followed Hotch and JJ towards the sheriff who was walking towards them.

"Sheriff Ballantyne, Jennifer Jareau," said JJ as she shook hands with Sheriff Ballantyne.

"Appreciate you all coming down so quickly," said Sheriff Ballantyne.

Hotch shook hands with the sheriff.

"Aaron Hotchner," said Hotch before he gestured to his brother-in-law, "This is Dr. Spencer Reid," said Hotch.

Spencer waved at the sheriff.

"Crime scene's right up here. I figured if this is the same killer as before, I didn't want to waste any time before I got your help," said Sheriff Ballantyne as he started to lead Spencer, JJ, and Hotch towards the crime scene.

"The other agents are meeting John Caulfield, the sheriff from the original case," said JJ.

"Yeah," said Sheriff Ballantyne.

Spencer noticed something in the sheriff's voice.

"You know him?" asked Spencer.

"No, not personally, you know, I just heard stories," said Sheriff Ballantyne.

"How do you mean?" asked Hotch.

"Well, you know, by all accounts, he was a decent sheriff, good man," said Sheriff Ballantyne.

"Right," said Hotch.

"Truth is, we don't get a lot of murders down here, and this case broke him," said Sheriff Ballantyne.

"How so?" asked Spencer.

"Ah, same old-you know, he started drinking, marriage busted up. Finally they, uh, asked him to retire," said Sheriff Ballantyne.

A few minutes later Spencer was ducking under crime scene tape while Sheriff Ballantyne pointed out certain areas of the crime scene.

"There were about 20 kids partying 100 yards that way. Molly McCarthy was taken here. We found a blanket, sweatshirt, and a pair of shoes over there," said Sheriff Ballantyne.

"How does someone not see or hear them?" asked JJ.

"It was dark. He had the advantage. Molly's boyfriend was the last person to see her. Said she was alone for a minute, maybe less," said Sheriff Ballantyne.

Hotch looked at the crime scene.

"He's patient, works fast," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at his surroundings.

"He's perfected his MO," said Spencer.

"If our unsub's pushing 60, he's gotta be strong enough to carry her a long way without her struggling," said Hotch as he noticed JJ walking away as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

Spencer thought about the car ride to the crime scene as he made eye contact with Sheriff Ballantyne.

"I've seen a lot of properties on unmarked dirt roads with no visible street signs, nothing on any maps," said Spencer.

"Yeah. If you don't live around here, it can be hell finding your way around," said Sheriff Ballantyne.

"He's definitely local," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at Sheriff Ballantyne.

"Can you show us the various entrances to this place?" asked Spencer.

"Sure," said Sheriff Ballantyne.

Hotch looked at JJ before his brother-in-law.

"I'll catch up," said Hotch.

Spencer nodded before he followed Sheriff Ballantyne, and 10 seconds later Sheriff Ballantyne noticed Spencer's wedding band.

"How long have you been married?" asked Sheriff Ballantyne.

"Five years, and I've known my wife for seven years," said Spencer.

"Seven years is definitely a long time to know your wife, but you look a bit young to be married for five years," said Sheriff Ballantyne.

Spencer chuckled a little bit.

"I married my wife when I was 21, and I turned 26 over two months ago," said Spencer.

"Any children?" asked Sheriff Ballantyne.

Spencer beamed.

"I have a daughter who will be turning four this Friday, a four-month-old baby girl, and my wife is 11-weeks pregnant with our third child," said Spencer.

The next morning Spencer was standing by a picnic table as he wrote in a file.

"I got 2 sets of parents waiting for an ID," said Sheriff Ballantyne.

"I can help you with that," said JJ.

"Thanks. He didn't spread them around this time. They were in plain sight," said Sheriff Ballantyne.

Spencer approached JJ and Sheriff Ballantyne.

"He's taunting us. He's basically saying, "I'm doing this and there's nothing you can do to stop me."," said Spencer.

"Nobody can get in here without showing their ID at the gate," said Sheriff Ballantyne.

"I have a copy of that visitors list, but there's a hundred ways in. These fences back up to personal properties," said JJ as she pointed at a nearby fence.

"He knows these grounds as well as anyone. He could have jumped the fence, disposed of his victims, and walked right back out," said Hotch.

The next morning Spencer was going through a file in the police department when JJ and Sheriff Ballantyne stormed into the room.

"There's been another abduction," said JJ.

Spencer quickly followed JJ and Sheriff Ballantyne towards the others.

"Name's Tara Ricker. Family called this morning. She didn't come home last night. We're still trying to locate the vehicle," said Sheriff Ballantyne.

Spencer moved his growing curls away from his eyes.

"Well, we know he kills after he takes another victim, so we're running out of time here," said JJ.

"All right, what do we know?" asked Hotch.

"Definitely a copycat. Same MO, same dump site," said Emily.

"Only you never released any of that to the press," said Rossi.

"No," said John.

"He had to learn it from someone- a family member, a friend maybe?" asked Spencer.

"Mary and Robert Wilkinson had a son," said JJ.

"Are you suggesting there is a genetic predisposition to killing?" asked John.

"It's one factor, along with psychology and socialization," said Hotch.

"If you have a combination of genetics and a son who grew up without a father searching for his own identity, it could be a stressor," said Rossi.

"I remember Charlie Wilkinson. When he was 15, killed a neighbor's cat. He put it in a bag and hit it against a tree," said John.

Spencer inwardly shuddered as he thought about his five-year-old Maine Coon cat.

"How old is Charlie Wilkinson?" asked Emily.

"Mary was pregnant with him when Robert died," said John.

"That's 27 years ago. That makes him roughly the same age Robert was when he started killing," said Emily.

At that moment Morgan's cell phone rang causing him to answer a call from his girlfriend.

"What do you got for us, girl?" asked Morgan.

"I just found the reason why Karen Foley was lying," said Garcia as she started to explain what she found out.

Morgan looked at Spencer as he drove them to Charlie Wilkinson's workplace.

"When are you going to start the nursery for your third child?" asked Morgan.

"As soon as Clarissa and I find out the gender in five weeks," said Spencer before looking at Morgan, "Have you told your mom that you've gotten together with Garcia?" asked Spencer.

"I did and she's glad that I finally realized my feelings for Penelope," said Morgan.

Spencer thought about what Morgan said during his nephew's first trip to the BAU.

"Are your days of practicing over?" asked Spencer.

"What?" asked Morgan.

Spencer looked at Morgan.

"When Hotch brought my nephew to the BAU for the first time, Garcia asked you if you wanted a baby of your own before you answered about sticking to practicing," said Spencer.

"Sometimes I hate your eidetic memory," said Morgan.

Spencer chuckled.

"Even though my eidetic memory can be a curse; Clarissa, Diana, and Bridget all give me positive memories that I can't forget," said Spencer before looking at Morgan, "Are you planning on having kids with Garcia?" asked Spencer.

"I am, but it's going to be a few years since I just started dating her," said Morgan.

Spencer smiled at his big brother.

"Becoming a father has been one of the best things that have ever happened to me, and when I watch you interact with my daughters and nephew, I know that you'll be a great dad someday too," said Spencer.

Spencer stood by Hotch as they watched Morgan and JJ talk to Chrissy Wilkinson before both men turned their heads and looked at the barn. As soon as Chrissy nodded at them, Hotch looked at his brother-in-law.

"Let's go," said Hotch.

Spencer quickly followed his brother-in-law towards the direction of the barn. A few minutes later Sheriff Ballantyne broke the lock of the barn before all three men entered the barn with their guns out before Hotch looked at his brother in law and pointed out where he wanted Spencer to search.

Spencer quickly headed in the direction that his brother-in-law wanted him to go in, and after a few minutes of searching, he heard his brother-in-law call his name.

"Reid," said Hotch.

Spencer looked over where Hotch was opening up a door of a stall causing him to quickly jog over only to find an ax and a stump with dried up blood.

Spencer and JJ were going through journals before they found something.

"Hey, Hotch. We got something," called out JJ.

30 seconds later Hotch joined them.

"This was all locked in the closet. Looks like it was Robert Wilkinson's before Charlie got his hands on it," said JJ.

"So Charlie went looking for a father figure and this is who he found," said Hotch.

Spencer nodded

"He was killing animals. It's clear he already has murderous impulses, and... Finding this must have made him feel like it was... OK, like it was almost his birthright," said Spencer.

JJ looked at the journal that she was reading.

""They like it when they get to share me."" read JJ.

"Is there anything in there about where he keeps them?" asked Hotch.

"Nothing yet," answered JJ.

"Keep reading," said Hotch before he walked away.

Spencer got into the back seat of an SUV and a few minutes later he sent Clarissa a text message.

CAN YOU, DIANA, AND BRIDGET COME TO THE BAU? I'M HEADING BACK TO QUANTICO NOW. ~ SR

A minute later Spencer's phone vibrated.

I'M GETTING THE GIRLS READY, SO I'LL SEE YOU IN AN HOUR. ~ CR

An hour later Spencer was slinging his messenger bag over his shoulder while Morgan got up from his desk.

"Who's up for a drink?" asked Morgan.

"Who's up for 5?" asked Emily.

"Count me in," said Rossi.

Spencer checked his phone and smiled at Clarissa's text.

DIANA, BRIDGET, AND I WILL BE IN THE BAU IN TWO MINUTES. ~ CR

"Clarissa is on her way up with Diana and Bridget because I asked them to come pick me up," said Spencer.

"You're off the hook this time, but the next time your coming," said Morgan before looking at JJ, "JJ?" asked Morgan.

"I'd love to, but I'm gonna have to take a rain check," said JJ.

"Hotch?" asked Rossi.

"Yeah?" asked Hotch.

"You up for a beer?" asked Rossi.

"Sure," said Hotch.

30 seconds later Spencer smiled when he saw Clarissa exit the elevator with Diana by her side and Bridget in her stroller, and a few seconds later Diana's face broke into a huge grin when she saw her daddy.

"Your home, daddy!" shouted Diana as she sprinted to her daddy and hugged his legs.

Spencer instantly lifted up Diana, causing the nearly four-year-old girl to wrap her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.

"I missed you while I was away," said Spencer.

"I missed you too, daddy," said Diana as she pressed her nose against her daddy's nose.

"Thank you for the Eskimo kiss, bumble bee," smiled Spencer before he smiled at his wife and pecked her on the lips, "Hi," said Spencer.

"Welcome home, Spence," said Clarissa.

Spencer instantly heard some whimpering causing him to pass Diana over to her uncle while he unstrapped Bridget from her stroller and cradled Bridget against his chest.

"I see that someone's not happy that I saved her for last, but daddy really missed you too," said Spencer as he kissed Bridget's forehead.

Bridget started to happily babble at her daddy.

"Are you telling me about what you did with mommy, Diana, and Lucy during the past three days?" asked Spencer.

Bridget babbled her response just as Diana's stomach growled causing Clarissa to look at her husband.

"We haven't had supper yet, but I was thinking that we could go out to eat during our drive back to DC," said Clarissa.

"Great idea, love," said Spencer before looking at his teammates as he placed Bridget back into her stroller, "I'll see you guys tomorrow," said Spencer.

Diana looked at her daddy.

"Can I please have a piggyback ride, daddy?" asked Diana.

"Only because you said please," said Spencer.

Hotch quickly helped Diana get settled onto her daddy's back before everyone got into an elevator.

Over a half hour later Spencer was at The Golden Corral listening to Diana telling him how the past day went for her as he, Clarissa, and Diana ate what they picked from the all you could eat buffet.

Two days later Spencer and Clarissa were smiling as they watched their now four-year-old daughter blow out a candle that was stuck into her stack of pancakes.