So i totally meant to post this like three days ago... Oops.

Anyway so this chapter leads into my absolute favourite Criminal Minds episode. Yay. please enjoy.

Xoxo


Jessa pulled at the hem of her yellow sundress, waiting for the front door to open. The team was all going to Hotch's for a Fourth of July barbeque.

"Well, look at you, Bright Eyes." She turned around to find a smirking Derek Morgan leaning against his car. "You scrub up alright."

"Very funny."

"I wasn't trying to be."

Jessa rolled her eyes and turned back to the door just as it opened. Haley Hotchner stood there wearing a lovely blue blouse and skirt, baby Jack in her arms.

"Come in." She beamed, stepping aside to let them in, "Everyone is out the back."

Jessa followed her to the backyard where the rest of the team was milling about. Hotch and Gideon were behind the barbeque discussing something in depth, and JJ was mid conversation with Garcia, each woman had a glass of champagne.

"Looks like we're the last here, Bright Eyes." Morgan commented, before walking toward the barbeque.

Jessa walked over to JJ and Penelope.

"About time you got here." JJ said, handing her a glass filled with sparkling liquid.

"I'm not late."

"Ah, but you weren't early." Penelope put in. "Speaking of, I couldn't help but notice you arrive with a certain tall, dark and handsome man…?"

"Yeah," JJ agreed, "Did you and Morgan come together?" She accentuated the question with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

"Goodness no! He got here a little after me." She explained.

"Uh-huh." She could tell that neither of her friends believed her. Instead of trying to convince them, like every other time she say them, she just rolled her eyes and dropped it.

"I'm barely here and you're already hounding me."

JJ and Penelope exchanged a look but said nothing. It was then that Haley approached, Jack still sleeping soundly in her arms.

"He looks so sweet!" Garcia cooed at the baby.

"I know I should put him down to sleep, but sometimes I just can't bear to." She gushed, not taking her eyes off her baby.

"How are you feeling?" JJ asked.

"I have never been more tired, or happier in my entire life."

"Speaking of happy," Penelope started, "We need another bottle of this." She held up the empty bottle to prove her point, before she disappeared inside the house.

"I moved the other bottle." JJ said after a moment, "I'd better help her find it."

When they were alone, Haley turned to her, "I've been meaning to thank you."

"What for?"

"I haven't seen you in a while, and I need to thank you for saving Aaron." She smiled sweetly, "The way he tells it, you saved his life in that parking garage."

Jessa shook her head, "If it weren't for me he wouldn't have been in that situation. You shouldn't be thanking me, Haley, you should hate me."

"Hate you? I couldn't because it wasn't your fault, don't beat yourself up."

Jessa opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by a buzzing sound.

"That's the oven." Haley declared, "Do you mind holding Jack?"

"I, um," She wasn't given a chance to respond because the baby was thrust into her arms and Haley disappeared into the house. "I'm not good with kids." She finished to herself. "I'm sorry. I have no idea what I am doing." She arranged him in her arms the way she had seen other people do.

After a moment, the little boy's eyes fluttered open and he let out a cry.

"Shhh." She tried, "Come on." Jessa started gently rocking him from side to side and after a moment he quietened down and closed his eyes.

"Wow, who know you would be so good with kids." JJ stated, coming to sit beside her.

"Good? JJ, I have no idea about kids."

Her friend just shrugged, "No one does."

"Where's Pen?"

"Helping Haley with the food." She told her, "And I think they need more hands." Again, she disappeared leaving Jessa alone.

"What about you kid, are you going to go too?" She asked Jack.

"You know he can't answer, right?" Hotch stated from behind her.

Jessa just shrugged, "I know, he's asleep." She said it as if that was the only thing stopping him from replying.

"He's also four months old." Hotch chuckled.

"That too."

"I'm surprised."

"About what?"

"He doesn't usually like strangers."

"Well, he's asleep. I doubt he realises."

"But you got him back to sleep. Most of the time I can't even do that." He took a step closer and stared at his child over her shoulder, "He should probably go to bed."

"I'll take him." She offered.

Hotch smiled and led her into the house and to Jack's nursery. The crib was nestled against the far wall, just below a large window. Jessa carefully placed the sleeping boy down, trying her best not to wake him.

She wanted to stay and watch him sleep forever, something that surprised her because she had never liked kids. Instead she turned away and almost ran clean into Hotch, who seemed to have the same idea about watching him sleep.

"Sorry." She breathed, realising how close they were standing.

"We should go." Hotch whispered, but neither of them made an attempt to move.

After a moment, Jessa cleared her throat and took a step backward. "We should go." She repeated his words, stepping around him and out the door. What was that? She asked herself, shaking her head.


The sun had long since set, and Jessa declared that it was time for her to head off.

"How are you getting home?" Morgan asked her, slurring his words slightly.

"I'll call a cab."

"No, no, no." He said, pulling his keys from his pocket, "I'll drive you."

"Morgan, I don't even think you should drive yourself." Hotch told him. The whole team had been present at the barbeque, but none of them had drank quite as much as Morgan. He wasn't drunk, but he was definitely past being able to drive.

Jessa snatched the keys from his hands, "I will drive you." She told him, then turned to their hosts, "Thank you for a lovely day."

Haley stepped forward and embraced her, "Any time. You're always welcome."

Jessa thanked them again, then led Morgan out the front and to his car.

The ride to his place was silent and it wasn't until they pulled up that Derek spoke, "What are you going to do?"

"I'll call a cab." She told him, climbing from his car.

"Do you want to come in and wait for it?"

"Sure."

She followed him into his apartment, "Do you want tea? Coffee? Whiskey?" He asked her.

"I'm fine."

"Alright." He paused, standing right in front of her. "Are you going to call a cab?"

Jessa didn't even realised that she hadn't done that yet. "I should."

He took a step closer, "Probably."

"Yeah." Instead of getting her phone to make the call, she closed the distance between them and kissed him hungrily, pushing everything else to the back of her mind.

It didn't take long for the kiss to deepen, and after a moment her legs were wrapped around his waist and he was taking her to his bedroom.


Jessa lay awake, listening to Derek's gentle snoring. Her naked body was pressed up against his, and a warm summer's breeze blew in from the open window. She waited a few moments, before silently slipping from his bed and grabbing her discarded clothes from the floor. Careful not to make a sound, she stepped into the dress and shoes and snuck out the bedroom door.

She was sneaking through the living room and toward the front door when a light lit up the room.

"You leaving?" Derek asked.

Jessa turned to see him leaning up against the doorframe of his bedroom, dressed only in boxer shorts. "Yeah."

"Why?"

"Why? Derek, this has to stop happening!" She told him, "How many times is it now? We work together, it's not a good idea."

"Have you ever stopped to think that it keeps happening because you want it to keep happening?" A trace of anger had seeped into his voice.

"Of course I have!" She yelled, "I do want this, but it can't. Not while we're working together."

He was silent for the longest time, and Jessa thought the conversation was over. She was about to turn and leave when he spoke again, "Then come away with me."

"What?"

"Come away with me. We have vacation time coming up in a couple of weeks and I have a buddy that has a hotel in Jamaica. Two weeks, just you and me. Then, if you still want to walk away, fine."

Jessa considered it for a moment before answering. "Ok." She told him, against her better judgement. "Two weeks."


Holiday time rolled around far quicker than she ever could have imagined, and suddenly it was the eve of their departure.

Jessa was sitting at her desk when a mug of coffee was placed in front of her, "Just think, this time tomorrow we will be sitting on a beach in the sun." Morgan smirked, sitting himself of the edge of the desk.

"Sounds heavenly." She replied, then added with a smirk, "Just wait until you see the bikini I got for the occasion."

"Oh, do not tempt me like that." H grinned, returning to his own desk. "What do you say, pretty boy?" He said to Reid, "Last chance. I can get my man to swing you a hotel room for next to nothing. Even you might get a little lovin' out there."

"Thanks anyway." He answered, stuffing things into his satchel, "I have to go—I'm going home. But, have a good one." He said then rushed out the door.

"He look ok to you?" Morgan asked, but Jessa just shrugged.

"He looks about the way I would if I was going to spend a fortnight with my family." JJ said, appearing behind them.

"Hey, don't knock family. I'm going to get nothing but it for the next three hundred and thirty six hours." Hotch said, all but skipping down the stairs. "Haley's got a list a mile long of chores, and I cannot wait. The hardest decision I'm going to have to make is where to start."

"I'm pretty sure she'll have something to say about that." Jessa smiled.

"Bring it on!" He laughed before leaving.

"What are your plans, JJ?" Jessa asked the media liaison.

She just groaned, "I don't get the same holiday time as the rest of you, so I will be hiding behind the stack of files in my office."

"Gross." Jessa commented.

"I'll be lost in a cabin in the woods for two weeks!" Gideon said, appearing beside them, "Do not call me for anything. Have a great time, you all deserve it." He rushed while walking away, "But seriously, don't call." With that he disappeared.

"That's my cue to leave." Jessa declared, grabbing her bike gear.

"Meet you at the airport in the morning." Morgan told her, "Do not miss that flight or so help me."

Without turning around she raised one hand in a wave and disappeared out the door.

The first thing she did when she got back to her unit was switch her mobile off and put it in the empty drawer in the kitchen.

"Two weeks, no distractions." She told herself.


As soon as they arrived at the hotel, Derek stripped off his clothes and dressed for the beach.

"I will meet you on the sand." He declared, leaving the room.

Jessa used the time alone to dress in her brand new khaki bikini. She looked herself in the mirror, checking it out from all angles. The top was simple, with a secondary strap a little lower than the first one, and the matching bottoms left very little to the imagination. She then pulled her hair out of its braid, and styled it so it would cascade down her back, with the shorter bits resting on her shoulders. Then she grabbed her broad brimmed straw hat. I was a light tan colour, with the sides upturned to resemble a cowgirl hat, with a string of shells resting along the brim. Refusing to take off her bracelet, she slipped her wayfarers on and left the room, locking the door behind her.

When she got to the beach it didn't take her long to find Derek. He was standing next to two empty beach chairs, talking to another man. She sauntered toward them, loving the way Derek's eyes followed her every step. When she reached them Derek placed a hand on the small of her back and introduced her to the man he was talking with.

"Jessa, this is Gerald Dupree. Gerald, this is Agent Jessamine Winchester."

"Jessa, please." She told him, shaking his hand.

"Pleasure to meet you." He smiled, "If you need anything, please ask." With that he walked away.

"You," Derek turned to her, "Were not lying about that bikini." He pulled her closer and kissed her deeply.

When they broke apart, Jessa laid back on the chair and grabbed the margarita that he had got for her.

"Come on." Derek said after over an hour. He got to his feet and took Jessa's hand, pulling her to hers.

"What?"

Without warning, he wrapped one arm around her legs and slung her over his shoulder. "Derek, what the hell are you doing?" Her hat fell to the sand by her chair as he carried her off. "Put me down." She laughed.

She seemed to spur him on, and he took off at a run. Jessa understood what was happening when water from his feet splashed onto her, but by then it was too late to stop it.

Suddenly, she was being thrown through the air and into the ocean. The water was only waist deep and she stood up, pushing her wet hair from her face and straightening up her sunglasses.

"I'm going to kill you." She declared walking toward where he was standing, barely knee deep.

Derek caught her before she reached him, and she ended up in the water yet again, only this time she pulled him down with her. When they both surfaced, he was laughing at her and Jessa couldn't help but join in.

"Still going to kill you." She said.

"And I believe you." He chuckled in reply, splashing her with water.

"You're an ass." She took a step toward him and he enveloped her in his arms, kissing her. Jessa smiled against his lips and wound her arms around his neck, allowing him to pull her even closer. "You keep kissing me like that and we won't see much of the sun and sand you promised me." She said walking out of the water.

"Would that be such a bad thing?" He called out after her. She just chuckled and returned to the chair to dry off in the sun.

They spent the remainder of the day between the water and the sand, and when the sun set Derek pulled her toward the bar where a number of couples were dancing. It was very late in the night when she finally declared that she was going to bed. Derek was at the bar talking with a new friend he had made.

"I'm heading to bed." She told him, giving him a quick kiss.

"I'll join you." He bid goodbye to his mate and draped his arm over her shoulder as they walked back to their room.

"You know, I think this is the first holiday I've ever taken."

"What?"

"Yeah, I think this is the first."

"How do you go your whole life without a holiday?"

She shrugged, "We travelled around as kids. I guess Dad didn't see the need."

"What about when you lived in Nebraska?"

"I was always working."

"Well then, I'm glad I'm your first." He joked, pulling her in and kissing her.

He backed her against a door, running his hands down the length of her mostly bare torso. She was wearing nothing but her bikini and a white sarong, and Derek played with the knot holding it up.

Jessa smiled against his lips and swatted his hand away.

"Come on." He whined.

She just gave him a flirty smile and reached into his back pocket to grab the room key. She laced her fingers with his and pulled him up the hall toward their room.

She barely had the keys in the lock when his hands were on her body again, his lips on her neck.

As soon as the door fell open, Jessa was pulling him inside.

She spun around in his arms, letting her sarong fall to the ground in the process. She smiled up at him through thick lashes and tugging him the last few feet toward the bed.

Derek's hands were gentle on her body as he touched and caressed her. His lips roamed her body as they each shed the last of their clothes.


Jessa lay on her stomach, drifting into a contented sleep as Derek traced soft circles on her bare back.

"Feels nice." She whispered, sighing happily.

She felt Derek's soft chuckle before his hand ran through her hair.

"I'm glad I'm here." She whispered, opening her eyes to look at him.

"That makes two of us." He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

She allowed her eyes to slide shut, just revelling in the moment. A warm breeze blew in from the open window and the moonlight cast an eerie silver light across the room.

"I'm going to run downstairs, get something to eat." He told her after a while.

"Can't you order room service?"

He just chuckled, "Not this late at night. Plus, if I drop Gerald's name I might be able to get us a decent bottle of something."

"Sounds amazing."

He climbed from the bed and slipped into some clean clothes, "I'll be twenty minutes. Thirty tops." He gave her a quick kiss before ducking out of the room.

Jessa lay in the bed for another few minutes before climbing from the bed and getting a bottle of water from the mini bar. She took a few sips before slipping into a tank top and boyshorts and climbing back into bed to wait for Derek.

She must have drifted off to sleep because the next thing she knew someone was on top of her.

"What the hell? Get off of me!" She screamed, trying to wriggle free from the hands that held her. "What is going on?" It didn't take her much longer to realise what was going on before a pair of handcuffs were slapped on her wrists.

As she was being led from the room she noticed all the blood.

"That wasn't me!" She tried to tell them but no one would listen. "Where the hell is Derek?" She asked, but again was ignored.

She was taken to the local police station where they cuffed her to a chair. She was made to wait for what felt like hours before someone arrived to interrogate her.

He asked her the usual questions: Name, why she was there, who was the victim, why did she kill him.

"For the hundredth time," She yelled in frustration, tugging at the cuffs that bound her, "I didn't know there was a victim until you dragged me out of bed!"

"Where is the victims head?"

"Well, I must have dropped it on my way down here." She tried to keep the sarcasm from her voice but failed miserably. "Come on, you know I have nothing to do with this! I am an American FBI Agent. I'm here on vacation! I'm the police, just like you." The last part of her tirade sounded defeated, and she slumped back against the chair just as the door opened and an officer walked in, placed a sheet of paper on the table and left again.

"Are you the 'her'?" Her interrogator asked.

"Excuse me?" He put the paper in front of her Jessa realised it was a picture. It was of the crime scene and on the wall, in what had to be the victim's blood, it said 'SAVE HER'. "I don't know anything about this."

The man got up and walked out of the room, leaving her alone. Where the hell are you, Derek? She thought, Please help me get out of here.

The longest time later her interrogator returned. "What time did you leave the beach?"

"Around midnight, I think. I don't really know, it was late."

"Were you alone?" He asked her.

She considered lying for a moment before deciding that the truth was the best option, "No."

"I have witnesses that put you with a man at the beach." He shrugged, "Care to elaborate?"

"I don't, actually."

"I'm going to rephrase that. Who was the man you were with, and where is he now?"

She rolled her eyes, "He's my—" She struggled to think of a word that adequately described her and Derek's relationship, before settling on, "boyfriend."

"And where is he now?"

"He went to get us something to eat."

If he was going to ask her any more questions, he didn't because right then the door opened and Hotch barged in with Derek behind him.

"Thank god." She whispered.

"Detective, I'm SSA Hotchner, Agent Winchester's superior."

Jessa couldn't help but smile, the cavalry had arrived.

"We're not finished here." The detective said.

"Agent Winchester only arrived yesterday afternoon, and I brought a forensics expert. He's examined the body and put the time of death at no less than twenty-four hours ago." He shrugged out of his jacket and handed it to Jessa, who took it gratefully. It was hot so she was wearing nothing more than a tank top and some shorts in a questionable size. Jessa wrapped the jacket around herself, glad that it covered more than her 'pyjamas' did. Despite the fact that she was on vacation with another man, there was something extremely intimate about wearing her boss' clothes. Hotch went on, "This is based on advanced rigor mortis and the contents of his stomach that contained a meal he ordered from room service two days ago. What this means is that Agent Winchester wasn't even here when this man was killed. Now, I appreciate that you're in a difficult situation and Agents Morgan and Winchester are happy to cooperate in any way they can, but they'll do it from our offices in Quantico, Virginia."

The detective sighed and tossed the keys to the handcuffs across the table. Jessa snatched it up and unlocked herself, flexing her sore wrist. She slipped her other arm into the jacket and followed her boss from the station. They climbed into a car and he drove them back to the hotel in complete silence.

When they pulled up out front he finally spoke, "The plane leaves in an hour, go get your things." His voice had the finality of an order and both Jessa and Morgan hurried from the vehicle.

They packed up their bags in silence, and Jessa slipped into the bathroom to put some clothes on. She opted for the most modest outfit she packed, an almost sheer white singlet with a ribbed back and a denim skirt. She slipped into a pair of black sandals before grabbing the rest of her bags and leaving the room with Derek.

"I'm going to pretend that I didn't see that between the two of you only one room was booked." Hotch said during the all but silent ride to the airport. "As long as you can assure me that whatever this is will not interfere with your work."

Jessa just nodded, suddenly feeling like she was five years old and being scolded for taking too many cookies.


When they landed they headed straight to the FBI building at Quantico to meet with the rest of the team.

"Are you sure you don't want to go home and get some rest? Have a shower?"

"Like hell." Jessa replied.

"I'm good." Morgan added.

"How much sleep have the two of you gotten in the last twenty four hours?"

Jessa averted eye contact as a blush crept up her cheeks when she realised what he was insinuating.

"We're good, Hotch." Morgan told him.

"I've spent half of the night in an interrogation room. I'm not going to rest until we have this Frank Giles."

"Frank Giles left Jamaica last night on the red eye." JJ announced, coming to stand with the group. "Flew to Florida then got on another flight to Virginia."

"Virginia? You mean that son of a bitch is from here?" Jessa asked, shocked.

"I don't know if he's from here, but this is where he flew to. Arlington. He's got a long criminal record, robbery, manslaughter, rape."

"What about the victim, Marty Harris?" Morgan asked.

"He's a two time convicted fetish burglar," JJ read from the file in front of her, "Registered child sex offender."

"We have his head." Gideon said, joining them. "CSU just positively identified the one that was sent to my cabin."

"Don't waste time on the first two victims. They were unrepentant bad men." Hotch quoted, "And they only got what they deserved."

"What is that?" Morgan asked.

"I got a phone call last night just before you called me from Jamaica."

"He didn't mention a 'her'?" Jessa asked.

"You must help him save her." Hotch finished.

"There's a 'him' now, too?"

"I think he means Reid." Gideon explained.

"Reid?"

"We need to regroup." Hotch told them. "Briefing room."

"I'm just going to change." Jessa grabbed her go-bag from at her desk and took out some work appropriate clothes and quickly changed in the bathroom. Then she returned to her desk for her badge and gun before meeting the others in the briefing room.

"Clearly we have a psychopath intent on drawing us into his game." Hotch began as soon as Jessa sat down.

"He's toying with us." Gideon said.

"Then let's return the favour." Jessa thought out loud.

"He kept telling us to save her." Morgan started, "What 'her'?"

"The items he sent might be some kind of clues." Gideon tried.

"Let's get them up on the board." Hotch ordered.

Gideon started, "I got a Nellie Fox baseball card from 1963 and I got a head in a box."

"I got a rare butterfly in a shadow box." JJ added, writing it all up on the board.

"And repeated messages to 'save her'." Hotch put in.

"I got a decapitated body and a nice trip to the Jamaica police headquarters." Jessa bit sourly.

"Reid called me from Vegas." Gideon informed the team, "He's on his way back with a skeleton key and a note he got too."

"And the guy that called me said that the youngest one holds the key." Hotch finished.

"Well, that's gotta be Reid."

"Wait a minute." Morgan interrupted, "Unsubs, they don't contact us this way. I mean, they might taunt us, dare us to catch them, but they don't drag us into their fantasies."

"Why not?" JJ asked, turning away from her list.

"Because they're sexual fantasies." He explained. "I mean, taunting us is a show of power but making us the object is…" He trailed off, "I don't know what the hell that is."

"There's something else about the baseball card." Gideon said, "Nellie Fox is one of the stars of the 1959 White Sox. I went to almost every game with my father that year, Fox was my hero. So, is it a coincidence he sent this to me, or does he know how I feel about him?"

"I collected butterflies when I was a little girl." JJ told them, "That's how I knew what type of butterfly was in the box."

"So then he knows us." Morgan said, adding up the facts.

Hotch shook his head, "I got an anonymous message."

"And I got a police raid." Jessa added, "Surely he doesn't think that's what I wanted."

"But he knew where we were." Morgan went on, "Hotel in Jamaica, Gideon at the cabin, Reid in Vegas, you at your home." He turned to face Hotch.

"He got that from the Bureau computers." Garcia entered sadly. "Your location's always in there so we can find you if we need you."

"Creepy." Jessa breathed.

"I checked the log, the hacker was definitely in the personal folders. It was all in there, the room numbers to the hotel in Jamaica, the address of Gideon's cabin. There's a lot of information in those databases."

"Have you figured out how he could get into the Bureau's computers?" Hotch asked.

"Uh, I'm still working on that." She said.

"Garcia," Hotch cautioned, "If you know something…"

"No, it—um, its—I was playing a game yesterday," She finally stammered out, "An online game."

"A game?" Gideon asked.

"Not on the Bureau computers, sir." Garcia quickly replied, "On my own personal laptop."

"No, Garcia." Morgan moaned. "No, no, no, no, no."

"I don't understand." Hotch said.

"Wireless internet." Jessa said quietly.

"By wirelessly hooking into the net here to get online, the hacker could have gotten into my computer first, and I have far less protection on my laptop."

"He could have gotten into the entire Bureau computer system this way?" Garcia nodded her reply.

"A game." Gideon repeated, shaking his head. "How could you be that stupid? Information files? You have a responsibility."

"I know, sir. I'm so sorry." She sobbed. There was an awkward silence in the room until she added, "But I found him."

"You what?" Jessa stated, astonished that she hadn't told them that first.

"I found him." She repeated. "I know who he is. His name is Giles, Frank Giles. He lives in Arlington, Virginia. Four miles from here, I have his address." She handed Hotch a slip of paper.

"Garcia, you said Giles?" Morgan asked, "Frank Giles?"

"Yeah."

"We got him." Jessa smiled.

"Gear up." Hotch ordered.


It only took them a few minutes to get to Giles' apartment. When they found the appropriate one, Jessa kicked the door in so the other agents could clear the room. When it was cleared, she entered side by side with Morgan, the rest of the team following behind them. They came to a set of double doors, and when they pushed them open they found the last thing they wanted to find: Frank Giles dead in the middle of the room with a sword in his chest.


I hate myself a little for leaving it there...