(Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters)

Thank you, and Andi for your reviews on the last chapter.

I had hoped to upload this sooner but there were bits missing and I was struggling to connect things together.

I apologise if it seems rushed, it'll be because I tried to fit everything in in just one chapter so as to set the next chapter up.

Some strong language ahead.

Anywho, here it is.

Please review.

Enjoy!

"P'eas," Spencer pleaded as Hotch pulled his go bag over his shoulder.

"No, Spencer," Hotch deadpanned for what felt like the 18th time.

"I'll be good; I pwomise," Spencer added hopefully. He clasped his hands in front of him and gazed up at Hotch hitting him with his hypnotic puppy dog eyes. Hotch shook his head and stepped past the toddler.

"I've made my decision."

Suddenly, Hotch felt a weight on his leg and he looked down to find Spencer holding tightly to him; his bottom lip trembling dangerously.

"Why!?" He whined loudly and Hotch hoped his office walls were thick enough to keep the childish moans from escaping into the bullpen.

"Firstly, it would be breaking Strauss's and my rule: no cases until you're two. Secondly, this one involves kids so we wouldn't bring you even if we could," Hotch explained calmly.

"No one would notice me," Spencer whispered.

"No, Spencer. You're staying with Garcia and that's final."

Spencer released Hotch's leg and stomped his foot in a tantrum-like fashion. Hotch rolled his eyes and marveled at how much Spencer could act like an almost two-year-old yet profusely deny it.

"We'll be back as soon as the case is finished," Hotch said. He knelt down and opened his arms. Spencer swiveled around and rejected the hug.

"Suit yourself," Hotch sighed.

He stepped out of his office and over to his team who were already gathered in the bullpen.

"Ready to go?" He called. Morgan gave him a thumbs up and they started towards the elevator. Hotch walked by Garcia and he motioned to his office.

"He's sulking right now. Sorry about that," he muttered.

"Did you upset my boy Genius?" She gasped.

"He's getting easier to upset," Hotch sighed and he quickly followed his team. Spencer wiped his face harshly, cursing his toddler emotions for getting the better of him and he charged for the door so as to say goodbye to his team. He peered out the threshold just as the elevator door closed on the team.

"Wait-!" He cried but it was too late.

"You okay, baby Genius?" Garcia asked, clip-clopping up the stairs and coking her head at him.

"I didn't get to say goodbye," he whimpered.

The flight to was quick and soon enough the team were gathered in a conference room, flicking through files and pictures.

"This guy is one sadistic bastard," the sheriff muttered. He shook his head grievously at the images JJ had lined up on the board which depicted dead, mutilated bodies of children. The majority had their eyes open and JJ tried her hardest to avoid looking at the glassy expression adopted in their once lively eyes.

"He's no sadist," Morgan said as he narrowed his eyes at the dead children and despite not having kids of his own he felt a shiver pierce his spine especially when his eyes past a child just a little older than Spencer with the same chocolate brown eyes that could melt a grown man's heart.

"Why not?" The bewildered sheriff asked. He took his hat off and scratched his ratty blonde hair with a crinkled index finger.

"See these," Morgan said pointing out wounds on some of the children.

"These are hesitation marks; our Unsub clearly struggled to inflict these which shows us that he didn't enjoy killing these kids."

"Then why do it?" The sheriff asked. Morgan looked over at Hotch who was also trying to avoid looking at the picture that reminded him of his three children at home.

"That's what we're here to find out," Hotch deadpanned.

"Tan't you at least tell me some mowe infowmation about the case?" Spencer whined from his 'nest.' He was lay across the pillows with his head lolling over the edge of the couch and his feet propped up on the arm.

"I thought you were practicing your speech?" Garcia questioned, diverting him from the case for as long as possible.

"I am!" Spencer cried indignantly and he sat up straight on the couch, shimmying into the arranged pillows.

"Loot! Wed lowwy, yellow lowwy, wed-"

"It's Red Lorry; I swear you're getting worse" Garcia laughed. Spencer shrugged, he wasn't too bothered anymore; he got over his speech impediment in his first childhood so he would be able to do it again.

"Tell me about the case!" Spencer moaned.

"Fine. The Unsub takes siblings from their homes, schools, parks, you name it. He keeps them for 3 days and then kills the youngest. All of the youngest children haven been beaten to death," Garcia explained and Spencer gulped simultaneously.

"The middle sibling is choked to death and the eldest is kept alive, at least this has been the case on the last 3 instances that have happened within the last 7 weeks."

"9 kids," Spencer gasped. He suddenly realised why Hotch had wanted him to stay behind so much.

"For now at least, another 3 kids are missing."

At that moment Garcia's phone started ringing. She accepted and almost laughed at the three awkward and grumbled 'heys' she received from Morgan, Hotch, and Rossi so she came back with a classic witty Garcia greeting.

"If it's not the dulcet tones of my three musketeers. What can I do you for?"

"We sent you some of the CCTV footage from the Anderson's house, run through it and check facial recognition on anyone you find," Hotch said. Garcia sighed loud and purposely.

"I can do that in my sleep, Sir, if you wish for me to waste my genius," She grumbled.

"Do it for me, baby girl" Morgan's voice came through with a clear hint of seduction.

"Well if you insist," Garcia sighed.

Morgan winked at Rossi and set to work sorting the children's photos into specific piles.

"Is that all, sir?" Garcia asked. Hotch hesitated a moment.

"One more thing," He took Garcia off speaker and held the phone to his ear secretively as the team bustled about to start work.

"Hey, Garcia, could you put Spencer on?" Hotch asked quietly.

"Sure thing, Boss Man," Hotch heard the wheels on Garcia's chair roll in the background.

"Spence... phone," she called.

Hotch waited until suddenly he heard the pitter patter of tiny converse.

"Hello?" Spencer mumbled. Hotch grinned and stepped out of the room, Rossi and JJ's eyes trained on him, each with a smirk on their face.

"Hey, Spencer, it's Da-Aaron. I promised to call you didn't I?" Hotch asked and he heard a happy hum from the other end of the phone.

"Uh-Huh, you did."

"Good. I need you to start a geographical profile for us."

"On it," Spencer replied.

"And go easy on Garcia," Hotch added.

"I don't know what you'we talking about," Spencer said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Just don't drive her crazy."

"Fine."

Hotch Chuckled.

"I'll call later."

"Otay, um... I have a new wule," Spencer announced before Hotch could hang up.

"Oh yea," Hotch said with a grin.

"And what would that be?"

"We always have to say goodbye," Spencer said. Hotch's frown furrowed but Spencer was already explaining before he could protest.

"I fowgot to say goodbye," he mumbled.

"Okay. We can add that to the rules-"

"Hotch," Morgan poked his head around the door and motioned Hotch over.

"I've got to go now, Okay?"

"Otay, Don't fowget the wule," Spencer chirped quickly.

"As long as you don't forget the rules," Hotch chuckled and he caught Morgan rolling his eyes and he decided to wrap it up.

"Goodbye, Spencer."

"I can nevew fowget, Daddy," Spencer giggled and it was Hotch's turn to roll his eyes.

"Bye!"

Hotch hung up and turned to Morgan.

"It's good you've taken on the father figure role, but we need you here right now," Morgan said and Hotch nodded seriously.

"Let's get to work on the profile."

After a few hours of solid working, a solemn officer walked into the conference room.

"The Taylor kids were just found," he informed them.

"And?" Hotch deadpanned. He already knew the news before it left the officer's dry lips.

"Nathan Taylor had been strangled to death, Lillian was beaten to death, same as the others," the officer muttered.

"And Abagail?" JJ asked hopefully.

"Dehydrated, but alive."

"Okay, thank you," Hotch said and the officer took that as his cue to leave. As soon as he was into the hallway Hotch's head fell into his hands and he let out an uncharacteristic groan.

"He's disposing of them quickly," Rossi observed.

"He kept the first kids 3 days, and the next 3, but the Antons and the Taylors were disposed of in 2 days."

"He's becoming disorganised..." Morgan added.

"JJ, you and Emily go interview the family, Morgan and Rossi go to the crime scene and see what you can find," Hotch ordered.

JJ and Emily peeked through the window of the hospital room and saw a young child clutching her parents and choking on apologies that seemed to stick in her throat.

"Poor kid," Emily hissed.

"I couldn't imagine- watching her siblings die," JJ gasped.

"I know how it feels to lose a sibling but two?" She shook her head and Emily kissed her teeth in agreement.

Mr Taylor caught sight of them staring and staggered towards the door. As soon as it shut behind him and they lifted their badges, he rounded on them.

"It's too late. You're too late!" He snapped.

"Sir-"

"No! My children are dead because of you! Why couldn't you do your job properly!?" He yelled. Several nurses exchanged looks and paused where they stood.

"I'm sorry, Sir. We have been working tirelessly to find whoever did this," JJ stammered. The father pursed his quivering lips and turned his face away from them.

"It's too late..." he whispered.

"We are truly sorry, Sir. But the person who did this is still out there and he will strike within days. We need to speak to your daughter," Emily insisted .

"No."

"Sir-"

"NO! Can't you see you've damaged her enough!?"

"Sir we-" JJ started, but he cut her off again.

"Do you have children, Agent?" He asked in a hollow voice.

"Yes."

"So you will know that as a p-parent I will do everything to protect my children."

JJ nodded.

"Good. Now understand this, Abigail is not talking to you until I believe she's ready."

With that, the man pushed back into his daughter's room and shut the blinds on the agents.

"That went well," Emily sighed.

JJ and Emily got back to the station which was draped in a defeated silence.

JJ stared at the board they had constructed.

Family one: the Stokers. Eldest child- David, middle child- Lucy, youngest child- Willow.

Family two: the Cusslers. Eldest child- Chris, middle child- Ethan, youngest child- Justin.

Family three: the Antons, Eldest child- Tanner, middle child- Charity, youngest child- George.

Family four: the Taylors. Eldest child- Abigail, middle child- Nathan, youngest child- Lillian.

Similarities: youngest children were beaten to death, middle children were strangled to death, eldest children survived with no injuries.

Differences: the genders of the children didn't correspond from family to family and neither did their ages.

Profile: the unsub chose victims of opportunity and all that mattered was that they were siblings and that they were children. He was growing disorganised, likely to be desperate. Possibilities as to why he chooses specific groups: family trauma: past or present. OCD: ritualistic killings in association to disorder. Punishment of the parents...

JJ stepped back and sighed.

"JJ? You okay?"

She glanced around to see a concerned Emily watching her with folded arms.

"I'm...no...I'm not," she said honestly. Emily's arms fell to her sides and she nodded sympathetically.

"Take a break. Grab a coffee or something," Emily suggested as she placed a reassuring hand on JJ's shoulder.

"But the case," JJ protested, motioning to the images of dead children.

"He won't strike so soon after the Taylors. If you are struggling it's okay to take a break."

JJ looked down at her fingers, ashamed of her weakness.

"Okay," she breathed.

She stepped away from the board and the pictures and started towards the doors.

JJ sucked in a deep breath of fresh air as soon as the doors shut behind her. She walked down the steps and sat down on a nearby bench. A numbness serged through the tips of her fingers and she gently rubbed them together and closed her eyes.

"Are you okay, ma'am?" A deep voice broke into JJ's thoughts and her eyes snapped open to see a tall, broad-shouldered young man stood a foot away, watching her.

"Oh... I'm fine, thank you."

"You don't look fine and after everything that's going on around here I can't say I'm surprised."

"You know about the children?" JJ mumbled. The man sighed and slowly took a seat beside her, genuine sadness flashed across his face.

"Who doesn't. It's awful; I recognise some of the kids on the news and I just can't believe they're dead," He murmured, shaking his head is disbelief.

JJ's brow pinched together and she nabbed her phone from her pocket and found the pictures of the latest children.

"Do you recognise any of these children?" She asked handing him the phone. The man took it gingerly and narrowed his eyes at the young children.

"Yes, they're the Taylor's kid... they're not...dead are they?" He asked with bated breath. JJ closed her eyes and nodded.

"Oh god..."

JJ took the phone back and held it in her lap a defeated look on her face.

"Did you see them on October the 24th?" She asked.

"No, I can't say I did. I saw their parents drive past my work but the kids would've been in school at that time."

JJ rubbed her face and inhaled deeply through gritted teeth.

"Cute kids," the man commented.

JJ frowned and looked down at her phone. Her home screen was on and her screen saver was a picture of Jack, Henry, and Spencer sleeping on the couch together.

"Oh sorry," she mumbled, switching off her phone and returning it to her pocket.

"They yours?" He asked.

"Yes, they're my boys," JJ said with a small smile. She was silent for a moment before the man shifted.

"Hey, there's someone I know that worked with the Taylors; he saw the kids a lot. He's a friend of mine, in fact, he's just been at the newsagents with a delivery. He's probably still there," the man pointed to a squat shop about 2 blocks down.

"I can show you to him," the man said; a kind smile on his face. JJ drew away from him instinctually.

"I'll have to talk to my team. Do you have a name for him?" She asked.

"Oh sure, he's Alan Thomas," the man replied. JJ storer the information in her memory and nodded. The man stood and muttered a goodbye before heading in the direction of the newsagents. JJ watched him curiously and glanced back at the police department.

She didn't know whether to chance delay by going inside to inform the team when they could meet her there. If this guy had information, she needed it; there wasn't enough time for hesitation. So she hurried down the street, her eyes locked on the newsagents. She pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Hotch.

She retrieved her badge before she pushed the door open gingerly. She couldn't help cringing at the sound of a bell jingling overhead; her fingers twitching towards her gun in her paranoia.

JJ stepped up to the counter and glanced around.

"Hello? I'm here to talk to Alan Thomas... hello?" She called. She frowned at the empty shop and lent over the counter. She jumped back with a gasp when she saw the cashier lay on the floor; a small pool of blood forming around his head.

"The hell," she muttered, slowly backing away and reaching for her gun.

Suddenly, a bag came down over her face and she yelped our in shock. She kicked out desperately, but the drawstring bag only tightened.

"Chill out, Pretty, we don't want you," a voice growled. JJ kicked back and nailed the bastard in the balls. His hands released her and she quickly worked at the bag.

"Fucking bitch!" The voice snarled.

JJ managed to lift the bag just as something hard smacked into the back of her head. She collapsed to the ground and slipped into unconsciousness.

Hotch scowled at his phone as he made his way down the street with a confused Morgan at his heels.

"Jay," Hotch hissed; a grimace painted on his features.

"Hotch, where are we going?" Morgan panted after finally catching up with Hotch.

"JJ said she found a potential witness."

"And... and she checked it out alone?" Morgan muttered. Hotch bit his gum harder and hurried up to the shop.

"JJ?" He called as he thumped the shop door open. A patronising jingle from above them caused Morgan to unholster his weopen.

"Jay?" Hotch called again and he too pulled his gun out and stepped cautiously into the shop.

"This ain't right," Morgan murmured. Hotch gripped his gun tighter between his sweaty fingers and he edged towards the counter.

"Hotch."

Aaron glanced back and saw Morgan staring at the floor. The dusty lino next around Morgan's shoes was speckled with small droplets of crimson.

Hotch's breath hitched and he staggered forwards, collapsing into the counter. He tried to take a deep breath but his eyes caught sight of a limp arm on the other side of the counter.

"We have a problem, Derek," Hotch gasped; his normally stern voice cracked as he said it.

Spencer was sleeping in his cocoon of pillows and blankets when Garcia's phone started ringing. She answered it and started rambling eagerly about what she'd found.

"So I've whittled the list down to 230 and I know that's still a lot to work with but it's a start and I think that-"

"Garcia."

"-one of these guys may be our Unsub-"

"Penelope."

"It's really..." Garcia's sentence drifted away and her brow pinched together.

Did he just call me Penelope? she thought.

"Sir?"

"Garcia, we need you to get all the information about this newsagents... I sent you the details. I want to know who goes in and out."

"Sir. What's happened?" She asked; she could sense the quiver in his typically calm voice.

"JJ. She... She Uh, she was only gone for a few minutes..."

"Oh, God," Garcia muttered, her mind whirring at what Hotch was implying.

"She's missing, Garcia."

"How?" Garcia pressed her knuckles to her lips to quell the cry threatening to escape.

"It's connected to this case. It has to be; I'm sure of it. She sent me a message saying she was going to talk to a witness."

"B-but JJ doesn't fit the victimology," Garcia stammered.

"I know... jus-just find me everything you can on that place, okay?"

"O-okay..." Garcia whimpered; her fingers already skimming over the keyboard. She listened for the beep to signal that Hotch had hung up but instead his quiet voice came through once more.

"Don't tell Spencer," he whispered. Garcia glanced around at the boy sleeping contently on the couch; her lip trembled tenuously but she swallowed back her emotions and nodded.

"Okay, Sir. Please find her."

"We will."

Spencer woke up from his nap and looked groggily over to Garcia who was muttering angrily at the keyboard.

"Gawcia?" He mumbled. She didn't hear him and continued to type with a heavy hand.

"Gawcia?" He repeated, she turned her head and Spencer saw the worry engraved in her features.

"What's wong?" He asked.

"N-nothing-"

"Have mowe kids gone missing?" Spencer questioned.

"No, not yet... it's just... you know these cases are always harder."

"I'll finish my geogwaphical pwofile," Spencer said helpfully, wrangling himself from the blankets and hurrying over to the map laid out on the floor.

"Okay, Okay," Garcia whispered; she looked back at her screen and quickly minimised the CCTV footage of JJ she'd been watching.

JJ's eyelashes fluttered open. Her vision was partially blurred as she slowly took in her surroundings. She went to lick her lips and realised that a strip of tape prevented her. Her eyelids flew up like a blind and she jolted upright.

"Calm down, Pretty."

JJ's breath came ragged and fast from her nose as she whipped her head back and forth for the source of the voice.

"I'm here, sweetheart," the voice purred and JJ's eyes shot over to a dark corner where a shadowy figure stood. She drew her legs into her chest and pulled against the tape holding them and her arms together.

"Stop fighting," the voice sighed and JJ screamed into the tape hopelessly. The figure stepped forward and started humming to himself.

"You know you should really have your work phone when you're at work, JJ," the voice chuckled. JJ squinted and saw a pale light illuminating the man's youthful features. JJ cursed herself. Of course, she just had to lose her work phone on a volatile case.

"Fingerprint protected? Really? And you work for the FBI?" The voice laughed malevolently.

JJ yelled but was completely muffled by the tape.

The voice was closer now and JJ could see her phone screen tantalisingly close.

"So, what are their names, JJ?" Suddenly the voice was beside her and JJ cried out in horror when an eagle featured face loomed in front of her. He held up the phone and a new picture, which he'd found in her photo library, of Jack, Henry, and Spencer beamed back at JJ who squinted painfully at the sudden change in light.

"They're perfect," the man mumbled.

Garcia's phone started buzzing and Spencer leapt off the couch and scrambled into the empty chair beside Garcia just as the team's faces filled the screen.

"Hey, Garcia, did-" Hotch caught sight of Spencer who was sat cross-legged on his chair, smiling up at the team.

"Did Gawcia send you my geogwaphical pwofile?" He asked sleepily.

"She sure did, Kiddo," Rossi replied, plastering a forced smile on his face. Spencer didn't notice the falseness of the smile and he grinned back.

"I think the dumping sights are fowming a ciwcle, which means he will wepeat whewe he's dumped alweady," he added.

"Great job, buddy, but you do know what time it is, right?"

Hotch watched as Spencer glanced around at the clock and he turned around with a desperate look.

"I tan't go to bed now!" He cried.

"We all need sleep so we can work our best, Spencer, I promise that we are about to go to the hotel, Okay," Hotch said and Spencer pouted irrritably.

"Whewe's JJ?" He demanded, hoping that she would let him keep working.

"She's...khm... interviewing a family. As soon as she's finished we're leaving," Emily added.

Spencer grumbled and Garcia gave the team a look. She wasn't sure how long she could hide the fact that JJ was missing from Spencer.

"Otay, But you guys have to pwomise to get some west too," Spencer said hitting them all with a pair of persuasive brown puppy dog eyes.

"We promise," Hotch said with a smile and Spencer nodded solemnly.

"Bye," he mumbled.

"Bye."

Hotch hung up and moaned loudly.

"We will find her," Morgan said.

Hotch kept his hands over his eyes.

"I'm not leaving," He muttered.

"We wouldn't expect you to," Rossi simpered; a knowing smile on his lips.

"But didn't you just tell Spencer to go get some rest?"

"That's different. He needs his sleep," Hotch grunted.

"I see, is that some kind of parents code? Do as I say, but not as I do?" Rossi chuckled.

"Something like that. Come on, let's find JJ."

Garcia fumbled with her keys and unlocked her apartment with shaky fingers.

"But what if the team need ouw help?" Spencer asked as he shuffled through Garcia's front door.

"They're sleeping, Spencer. We need our rest too," Garcia lied. Although she wouldn't admit it, Spencer was starting to become hard work. And what with the news she could barely hold herself together.

"I know, but I always feel like we awe giving the unsub time to get another child," Spencer mumbled.

"We can't save everyone, sweetheart."

Spencer sighed and carefully picked up his teddy bear from out of his bag that JJ had packed for him.

"I guess not."

Before anyone says anything: yes, JJ was acting recklessly, but she wasn't in the right frame of mind, the case affected her deeply because she subconsciously related to the parents having 3 kids of her own. So I know that her going to that newsagents was a stupid decision but fear can make you do stupid things.

Like I said I feel this was rushed and I'm sorry about that. I will try to spend more time on the next chapter. It's literally taken 2 hours to proof read this and correct it as I keep getting distracted! Urgh! So it's not proof read to the best of my abilities.

Thank you for reading, I promise to be back in a... moderate amount of time with an update.

Please review.

See you soon.