Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds. The occasional scenes from episodes of Criminal Minds in this story belongs to the writers of Criminal Minds and CBS. No copyright infringement intended.

A/N: Hello again, everyone!

Again, sorry for any delay! I've just been feeling a little bit down lately!

My apologies if I had made any mistakes but do enjoy the chapter!

Also, I would like to credit ahowell1993 for helping me with this chapter.

"Okay, sweet brain," Élise said as she timed how long she and Spencer were exercising. Looking over the checklist of physical therapy exercises. "We did aerobic training and exercises, balancing exercises, strengthening exercises, pain relief exercises. And we did fifteen minutes of each, totally an hour and fifteen minutes."

"Actually, it was an hour, sixteen minutes, and twelve seconds." Reid corrected.

Wrapping her arms around Reid's neck as she was also supporting him. "I love it when you count minutes and seconds."

Kissing her on the lips, "And I love it when you tell me you love it when I count minutes and seconds."

"Oh." Élise purred.

BUZZ!

Reid and Élise could hear Reid's cell phone vibrate on the nearby wooden table in the room. Élise gets it for him,

ON MY WAY TO PICK YOU UP! ~ DR

"You have to work as well, Lady Law." Reid reminded her as he sat down on a comfortable chair.

"I know. I just can't help but worry about you."

"I'll be fine," Reid assures her.

Élise smiled before kissing his head. "If those Unsubs hurt you…"

"You'll hurt them."

Reid was on his computer when Morgan walked in the bullpen and asked, "Reid, what did I miss?"

"Oh, man, you're not gonna believe this." Reid turned his chair around and looked at Morgan. "Some moron just posted a blog called "what would Carl Sagan do?""

"No, Reid, the case," Morgan said.

"What's the case?" Reid asked before confusingly asking, "What are you talking about?"

"These emails from Hotch," Morgan said, still looking at his phone. ""take a look at this, " "new case to review.""

"Emails from Hotch?" Reid wondered as he checked his phone. "I didn't get any emails from Hotch, did I? Nothing." Reid quickly sent a text to Élise.

GOT A CASE; WILL BE TRAVELING WITH THE TEAM AS I WAS CLEARED TO TRAVEL. I'LL LET YOU KNOW OF ANYTHING. LOVE YOU! ~ SR

Less than a minute back.

OKAY! BE CAREFUL! LOVE YOU! ~ EB

JJ started off by showing a picture of a young woman. "Kristie Taylor, runaway, drug addict, Reported missing from Farmington, New Mexico 3 years ago. Yesterday, she turned up off a freeway outside of Rio Rancho."

"Sexual assault combined with ligature marks on her wrists and ankles. She was asphyxiated." Reid said as he looked at the file.

JJ continued, "Three victims in five years. All the women are connected by marks. He likes chains."

"Definite sexual sadist. He sticks to his type. 16-to 19-year-old girls, all blonde." Prentiss said.

"Hangs on to them for a while, too," Reid said. "Look at this. Average of 2 years Between abducting them and killing them."

"Low body count, long time frame," Morgan said. "This guy's in control of his urges."

"Too controlled. Sadists need new victims, new ways to torture. There are a lot of guys out there who like chains. Are we sure this is the same unsub?" Rossi asked.

JJ said, "Kristie Taylor's autopsy report Also indicates a second connection between these victims."

"She was pregnant," Reid announced.

"She'd given birth." JJ continued. "Very soon after, the unsub killed her."

Morgan asked, "How soon after?"

JJ softly answered. "Minutes."

"This unsub isn't your typical sexual sadist," Hotch observed. "Captivity and assault we've seen before. What we haven't seen is this signature—the role he forces these women to fulfill before he kills them. Motherhood."

Reid was sitting at a conference table with Rossi and JJ as Garcia was on speakerphone.

"Ok, know this- Most adoption folk are like the nicest, most dedicated people in the world. There are, however, one or two skeezy ones." Garcia asked.

Reid asked, "How skeezy?"

"Super skeezy," Garcia answered before continuing. "I've got a spreadsheet from one of them Expecting compensation for the baby I'm having." Garcia finished that sentence as Morgan joined in.

A puzzled Morgan asked, "Something you want to tell me, Garcia?"

"Oh, that's the sad part, my prince." Garcia gently said. The genetically perfect offspring Of Penelope Garcia and Derek Morgan wouldn't fetch top dollar."

JJ asked, "Who does?"

"White babies are in higher demand than minorities. Boys are more popular than girls, At least this year, anyway. And then there's the Swedish supermodel rule." Garcia said.

A confused Prentiss asked, "The what?"

Garcia said. "If I were to deliver a blond-haired, blue-eyed bundle of joy, I'd be set for life. I would."

"Garcia, did the baby's DNA Turn up in New Mexico's adoption records?" Hotch asked.

Garcia said, "No. there's no hits on her profile. And it is a her, by the way."

"This unsub could still be selling babies, Just not through the system." Rossi figured.

Reid said, "That's gonna make him a lot harder to catch."

"All right. it's late. Let's get some rest. We'll hit this fresh in the morning." Hotch concluded.

Garcia said before hanging up, "Garcia out."

By next morning, Reid looked to his teammates as he sat by his geographical profile. "So, all the mothers were abducted and dumped in New Mexico, But he keeps the babies in Arizona."

Rossi believed, "He knows the police with stop looking at the state line."

"The adoption agency's gonna be our best lead to the unsub." Hotch guessed before asking, "Who handled the case?"

JJ said, "that's bombshell number 2. She didn't go through an agency. She was dropped off anonymously at a church."

"Hospitals and churches are safe havens." Prentiss figured. "You can drop a baby off, no questions asked."

Morgan guessed, "Child protection services would look for the closest relative."

"Another search that ends at the state line," Reid said.

And if CPS doesn't find one, the baby will go into foster care, which is what happened to Lisa. She was lucky. The adoption process happened within a month." JJ said.

Rossi said, "So, this unsub had the opportunity to make money off this infant. He doesn't, drops it off at a church Because he knows the state will take good care of it."

"That's awfully considerate," Prentiss added.

As Morgan looks over the profile Hotch wrote for him, "Outside the murders, nothing about this unsub's Behavior profiles like a sexual sadist... As I wrote."

"Yeah, Morgan's right," Reid agreed. "It's the actions of a caretaker, a mother."

JJ wonders, "Could our unsub be a woman?"

"Uh, only a man would torture his victims this much. Men get off on this kind of violence. women don't." Prentiss replied.

Morgan included, "He could be married, though, his wife being A passive participant, taking care of the moms."

"And the babies," Reid added.

"All right," Hotch said. "We need to split up. We'll give the profile to the Arizona And the New Mexico state police. Rossi, Reid, and Prentiss, I want you to head to phoenix. Morgan, you're here with me. We'll finalize the profile."

"What's this?" Rossi asked Reid as he finished the geographical profile.

It's the pattern I've been looking for." Reid said as he was on his crutches. "The unsubs hid their tracks with the mothers, but they weren't so careful with the abandoned babies."

Rossi asked, "Did you find more children?"

Reid explains, going into detail, "DNA-wise, no, but deductively, yes. I gathered all the records for all infants who entered into foster care in a 2-week window following each mother's death. Then I narrowed it down to babies that were abandoned at churches. This is where the guesswork begins. Monica's Winmar's daughter was abandoned at a Presbyterian church. Let's assume the unsub, or the wife at least is Presbyterian. That means all other unwanted children Are gonna be left at the same denomination, right? That narrows it down to 3 babies Left at 3 different Presbyterian churches All within this 20-mile radius. This is where they live."

"These kids you deduced to—" Rossi soon asked. "Have you looked at their files?"

"No. right now I've only been tracking churches. why?" Reid wondered.

"Because you just uncovered another pattern," Rossi replied.

Reid concluded, "The unsub is keeping the boys."

"Here you go, my sweet prince," Élise said to Reid as she gently placed the ice pack on his left knee. "Remember what the doctor said?"

"R.I.C.E.:" Reid said. "Rest, Ice, Compress, and Elevate."

"Exactly." Élise laid down next to Reid on the bed. "Opal's resting in her pen."

"I can't believe she's growing so much," Reid replied.

Élise sighs heavily. "I can't wait until we have our own children."

"And speaking of children," Reid just thought about the case. "Have you ever thought about adoption?"

Cuddling closer to Reid, "I think people who adopt are some of the greatest people on Earth. Blood is not the only thing that makes a family. It's love. And being there for them."

"Always."

"Exactly." Gazing at Reid. "Do you think we'll adopt one day?"

Wrapping his arm around Élise, "I think anything is possible."

Until the next chapter!