I'm not sure how many parts this is going to be but I'm aiming for at least 5. Please let me know what you think!
Warning: Contains mentions of sexual assault, suicidal thoughts
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.
Six months. Half a year. 24 weeks. That was how long it has been since her attack, the night when the life she had built came crashing down around her. He crept through her window in the dark of the night and left two days later taking her with him, while leaving behind her battered and bloody body. Somehow still alive. Or so she was told.
BAU
Hotch knew it was a bad one when he saw the look on Garcia's face as she walked into his office, files in hand. It was small, despite the nature of the crime the file in her hand was tiny showing him that in taking this case they would be starting this thing from scratch. Local PD had nothing.
"This just came in" she told him "Local PD requested our help after they found a pattern linking these 5 rapes to these 4 murders. The guy went on a spree six months ago, breaking into the homes of these women where he held them hostage for 2 whole days; raped them repeatedly, beat them within an inch of their lives and left. Coming back to finish the job 6 months later."
She handed him the folders, showing him the pictures of the battered women and his stomach turned. There wasn't an inch of skin left unmarred by his vicious assault. Scuff marks around the bed where the women had struggled to against him, their homes in complete disarray and this was just the first assault. His return with a vengeance was completed with a ferocious stabbing, but surprisingly this time no rape.
"How do they know this is the same guy there's not evidence of sexual assaults in the murders" he asked her; he didn't want to waste his time looking for one unsub when they needed to be finding two.
"The sick sick sicko left PD a charming note telling them that he would never have been able to reach them a second time if they cared enough to protect them after the first" she told him.
He released a long sigh. "Gather the team, I'll be in in a minute" and with that he picked up the phone. He had to tell Jessica that he probably wouldn't be making it home for dinner tonight, even if this case was a local one. They would have to analyse the two crimes separately of each other; allowing for the understanding and differentiating of his behaviour both as a power assertive rapist with that of murderer. What changed? Why?
Approaching the round table occupied by his too tired, overworked team he wished that maybe just once the psychopaths of the world would take a day or two off. Handing them their files he thought about what he would be missing tonight and wondered what it was his team was having to cancel this time, time with family, maybe a date or even just a night on the sofa. They needed a break. Unfortunately, it was back to work.
Giving the team the briefing, he had received from Garcia just moments earlier he opened the room to their ideas, their individual takes on the file in front of them. Each of them bringing a fresh take. Morgan putting forward the likelihood that the unsub stalked his victims for a prolonged amount of time before making his initial move. Prentis highlighting his very probable abandonment issues, evidenced by his need to keep the women for days and his inability to let them go even after the first assault. JJ stating that this guy would have to be young and fit to be able to hold these women for any amount of time, being supported by Dave who added that he would probably have a physically demanding job. Reid as always focused on the victimology; all the women were young, attractive, successful women who lived alone and appeared to rarely have any time for dating. He furthered his opinion suggesting the women had likely met the unsub at earlier time, solidifying a specific moment for the unsub and starting his obsession.
How or why, he was choosing his victims wasn't clear; maybe he was finding them on a dating app, perhaps he stumbled across them in the street. The only thing they knew for sure was that they had a woman, whose life was in danger, whom they could not possibly allow to be further harmed by this man. The first thing they would have to do would be to locate the remaining woman, a one Nicole Everall, and inform her of the danger which she was in and do everything in their power to ensure that they were, for once, one step ahead of the unsub.
"We'll be running point from Quantico but liaising with local PD, we could use their cooperation in this so let's attempt to keep them in the loop" Hotch told the team "Reid, JJ, Dave I want you stay here with Garcia and see what we can find in the files to suggest how he's choosing his victims; Morgan, Prentiss and I will go to the last known home of Miss Everall and see what we can find out there."
Heading straight for the SUV with Morgan and Prentiss he couldn't help but feel this was going to be a messy one; someone was going to hurt. He just hoped for her sake it wasn't Nicole Everall.
She jumped when she heard a knock at the door. She had been doing that a lot lately. Every time she heard a knock at the door or the slam of a car door she felt her heart racing, unable to stop herself from imagining it was him coming back for her. Knowing she was being ridiculous she took a deep breath and made her way to her front door. Staring through the peep hole she saw the faces of 3 people she had never seen before, the one in front holding a badge that said FBI in front of his face. Furrowing her brow trying to think as to why the FBI would be at her door after 6 months, she opened the door.
"Can I help you?"
"Nicole Everall?" Hotch asked "I'm SSA Hotchner, these are Agents Morgan and Prentiss." He continued after her nob of confirmation "May we come inside for a moment please?"
Widening the door to allow them entry, Nicole was unaware of the fact that she had just made the one move that would change her life forever.
Well change it further that was.
