A/N: Hello again, everyone!

Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds. No copyright infringement is intended.

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

"Reid?" Élise mumbled.

Reid groaned. "Hmm…?"

"Reid." She covered her mouth as she yawned.

"Wha…?"

Reid drowsily opened his eyes just as Élise was flicking hers before they both realized they had fallen asleep on the couch. Most of their bodies were covered by the large warm cashmere blanket. His arms were wrapped around her from behind. And she had her head on his chest.

"What happened?" Élise almost fell off the couch, but Reid caught her before she could.

"We fell asleep on the couch."

"Why, thank you, Dr. Oblivious," Élise joked with him. "But how?"

"Probably because we were too lazy to go back into our own beds after repeatedly checking in on an almost-two-year-old girl after we brought her home from the hospital to have a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy."

Running her fingers through her hair, "I never thought it would be possible for someone under two or three years old to have their tonsils removed. But then again, she woke up every two hours crying and screaming…"

"From sleep apnea and sore throats she's had lately," Reid finished the sentence. "Well, at least she's not snoring up a storm anymore, unlike a certain someone."

Élise gave him a playing imitating Rossi's signature deadpan facial expression, "You just won't let out of that, will you?"

"Nope." Reid proudly yet teasingly smirks.

Moving closer to him, "Why, you…" Reid goes to get his phone on the coffee table as it was vibrating. "Lucky you had a call," Élise smirked; Reid goes to his room to take the call and changes into a quick set of clothes and she makes him a quick cup of coffee.

"We got a case," Reid said as he was fixing up his tie; which went well with his dark sweater, light purple dress shirt, dark dress pants, and shoes.

Élise had a little blush.

Reid always looked so chic.

As he grabbed his bag, "Maybe I stay. Anastasia just had her tonsils and adenoids removed and Prentiss did say I can have a few more days off…"

"I got it," Élise said as she poured the coffee in his travel mug. "And if anything, I'll call you. Girl Scout's honor, even though I've never been one but always wanted to be one." Giving him his travel mug, "Be safe."

"I will. And if anything happens…"

"I'll let you know."

On the jet ride to Nashville, they discussed what we knew. 52-year-old Monica Feinstein taught preschool and volunteered in a soup kitchen. She was also a single mom and had an adult son; which concluded of a low-risk lifestyle No sign of forced entry, so, the unsub was either someone she knew or didn't see as a threat. The fire was set to destroy the evidence, but he could also be setting it to hide his own shame or disgust for having taken the face and even if it was a trophy, he might've hated himself for wanting it.

Rossi added Most unsubs have a love-hate relationship with their compulsions. Reid clarified it as a case of erotophonophilia or lust murder. It involves the mutilation of body parts the unsub finds most attractive; could be anything from feet to kneecaps, but it's usually breasts or genital

Why was the face being the case? That was the question the team needed to pursue when they landed.

The unsub is a con-man, a creature of habit, which is a nice way of saying they're fundamentally lazy. Like most psychopaths, they get bored easily. They change just enough about their appearance to keep their con alive. This guy did more than just change his clothes and hair. Based on our interviews, we learned that he altered his mannerisms, his body language, even his accent. Someone who can change that much, the way he would feel about himself, he had no identity Like he had no face.

They knew they needed to give the profile.

After re-interviewing the family members of the victims, they realized they all had one detail in common; the unsub had a daughter named Grace who died when she was five; she bumped her head and drowned. And it was his mother's fault.

Simmons and Alvez went down to Aberdeen, Mississippi and found a police report of accidental death. Searching for arrest records of fraud, and instead, one bigamy was found.

The unsub's mother.

Roberta Lynch.

After Simmons and Alvez made a visit to see Roberta Lynch and getting all that they could from him and since Reid was known for finding the black cat in the coal mine, they finally caught up to the unsub.

Or so they thought.

As Simmons, Rossi, Tara, Alvez, Rossi, and Reid walked into the house, armed with their guns and weapons, they wish they could un-see.

Cut-up faces of his victims.

And there were more than they ever expected.

"Okay, little lady," Élise set the small tray down on Anastasia's lap, who was still recovering from her tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. "For your dinner, I got and made you some of your favorites; some al dente pasta, blue raspberry Jell-O, and two scoops of French Vanilla ice cream from Breyers."

Anastasia placed her fingers to her lips, keeping them flat before she moves her hand forward and down in Élise's direction with a small smile.

Élise signs 'Thank you' back. She thinks it was a good idea that Reid taught Anastasia American Sign Language since she was still not talking from time to time. She has been picking up how to learn some sign language from him and Alvez.

Reid burst through the door of Anastasia's bedroom, causing Élise to go into a fighting stance and for her to grab a toy baseball bat that was near her.

"Ah!"

"Whoa!" Reid jumped.

Élise released a heavy sigh and put the bat away, "You almost gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry."

Élise noticed the look on Reid's face. "Are you okay?"

Not wanting to answer her question, "How are you doing, little girl?" He asked his daughter.

Anastasia gave him a thumbs down.

"Still tired?"

Anastasia nodded her head.

"Oh," Giving her a forehead kiss before running his fingers through her hair. "You'll be fine, okay? After you eat your dinner, you want me to tuck you in and read to you?"

Anastasia shook her head again.

"Okay. Uh, you get want to rest after dinner?"

Anastasia gave him a thumbs up.

"Okay." Reid smiles softly before giving her another forehead kiss. "Good night." As he and Élise left her room,

"Seriously, now. Are you okay?"

"I'm just going to go to bed."

"You want any dinner?" Élise curiously asked him.

"No thank you." Reid closes the door.

After Élise was finished putting away the dishes, she couldn't help but worry about Reid. She knew he has a tough job, but she couldn't help but worry. She knew Reid said she didn't want any dinner; maybe a snack would do. She made a quick stop at Anastasia's bedroom and sees her fast asleep. Tiptoeing to her bedside, she kissed her fingers before gently pressing them on Anastasia's forehead.

Élise knocks on Reid's bedroom door before opening and gently putting one hand on the wooden door to make it give in. She sees Reid on his side with the blanket over him. After walking over, she sets the Cherry-flavor Jell-O on his bedside. Before she could touch him,

"I'm awake," Reid admits; Élise noticed he was still in his work clothes. "I can't sleep."

"Spencer…" Élise can't just walk away from this. "Please. May I…get into your bed?"

"Why not?" Walking over to the opposite side of the bed, Élise got into his bed and tucked herself under his comforters. Reid turned around to face Élise, who gave him a soothing smile.

"Now, will you tell me what's going on with you?" Élise started to guess, "Is it about someone? The case? The unsub in particular?" From the way Reid's eyes widen, Élise rightly guessed. "The unsub, huh?"

Reid simply shook his head,

"You can tell me. I'm listening."

Reid told Élise everything about the case: from the victims to the profile; the unsub himself, Everett Lynch, and his incarcerated mother, Roberta Lynch. Reid had even told her about the surprise that happened to him and Alvez.

"Holy hell," Élise said, horrified. "He used his daughter?"

"Yeah." Reid softly said.

"Oh, god. Thank God you're okay. Are you okay?"

"She injured Luke's arms to the point where it would have to take a week or two to heal; Rossi almost got killed by him and he needs stitches in his head. He even left Rossi a reminder of what he could have done. And me, I…" Weightily sighing. "He played us, outsmarted us. I feel like such an idiot. I missed it. I…"

"You're not an idiot," Élise assures him. "You saved Mary and arrested Grace."

"But he got away. And this wasn't the first time an unsub evaded us."

"You'll get him."

Shrugging his shoulders, "I can't help but feel like we lost. He could up to Rossi or any one of us and could have a gun on him and you'd never see him coming. He's a chameleon. He wears a mask."

"In a way, he lost, too, because eventually, the mask will come off and you will get to see the real Everett Lynch."

"What if we don't? Did you know that Hotch's ex-wife, Haley, was killed by a notorious serial killer who had put in prison in Boston, George Foyet. He escaped, stalked Hotch, tormented Hotch, tortured Hotch. He lured Haley and Jack back to the house they lived. He's planned everything down to the last detail."

"You and your team are not Boo-Boo the Fools; you all are the smartest minds in the FBI for a reason. If anyone can catch him, you can. You may have lost this battle, but in the end, you guys will win the big war." Élise gently puts her hand Reid's chest before giving him a consoling smile.

Moving closer to Élise, smiling back at her, "Thank you for listening to me."

"You're welcome." She moves closer to him now before, "I'd go back to my own bed, but I'm just too lazy, now, to get up." She and Reid broke out into giggles.

"It's okay. You can stay in my bed tonight."

Once they were holding each other's hands, there came the tension again. That…irresistible…tension. Just...Those feelings. Leaning in closer and closer to each other, they allowed their lips to touch and gradually move together simultaneously. Wrapping their arms around each other, Élise plays with the ends of Reid's hair before running her fingers through the rest of his hair and neck and Reid tenderly caresses her face. They stopped for a moment and stared at each other when they realized they half-way unbutton each other's tops; Reid gulped down his spit but still did not say anything. Élise did the same. But they didn't care. Still looking at each other's eyes, they continued to unbutton each other's tops, almost leaving their chests exposed to each other when,

"Anastasia!"

Anastasia was standing at the doorway with her weighted teddy bear.

Quickly buttoning up their shirts and Élise pulled away from him.

"Hey," Reid felt a bit embarrassed that his daughter possibly walked in on them before they could take it any further. "Hey there, little girl. I didn't hear you come in. What happened? You can't sleep?"

Anastasia shook her head.

"Ohh…" He and Élise looked at each other with concerned looks. "Do you want to sleep with us, tonight?"

Anastasia nods her head.

"Okay, close the door behind you." Once Anastasia did that, "Now, hop on up. Oh! You're getting big now, aren't you?" Reid placed her in between him and Élise. Kissing her head,

"Good night, sweet girl."

"Good night, daddy-o," Élise said, smiling; Reid smiles back.

A/N: Sorry to leave you hanging there, but until the next time!