"There was another one?" Leonard asked Jim. He was between patients and decided to check his messages. Now, he almost wished he hadn't.

"Yep. It's in Washington. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the WPD's chief gave it to us. I guess he figures that we're already working the case, might as well let us keep it," Jim sighed.

"Is the victim the same as the others?" he asked.

"More or less. Pretty teacher, brunette this time, who lives alone. Raped, strangled, mutilated. They didn't take as much time with her though. The mutilation was started before she was dead," she told him.

"Could they be devolving? I mean, the victimology shouldn't change that much," Leonard sighed. They all knew it was a possibility, as frightening as it was.

"Other than the hair and eye color of the victims, it hasn't. Spock thinks that the point of it being teachers is the important part and I'm inclined to agree. As far as devolving goes, you'd have a better idea than I do. I've only worked three murder cases and they were all a fair bit easier than this one. We already think that Garth is disorganized. It's more likely that Finney is losing his control over his brother. Which is just as bad. They left me a note in blood on her wall. 'Now it gets interesting.' Assholes."

"So, this could get worse before it gets better?"

"That's usually the case. Sadly, devolution helps because that's when mistakes are made. Mistakes mean evidence. Right now, there's no hard evidence and no witnesses, so there's nothing to tie anyone to these crimes," Jim chuckled. "With what I have now, the judge would never give me an arrest warrant. What I need to do is figure out their next play. If I can get an idea of who they'd go after next, I can catch them in the act."

"Their pool of teachers has to be getting pretty dry, right?" Leonard asked.

"Yea. The schools have their teachers doubling up with they're in the buildings. Those who live alone are being encouraged to stay with a friend. Though…"

"What?"

"I might have an idea. I'll have to run it by Spock first," she chuckled. "In the meantime, I have a stack of paperwork as big as Joanna."

"All your new responsibilities?"

"Yea. Spock helps but there's a lot of stuff that I actually have to sign off on. I'm gonna end up taking half of it home."

"You want us to come over? Jo and I will make dinner while you do your homework," he offered.

"That's very domestic of you," she said with a laugh.

"Well, I've been told that I'm a domestic god."

"Who told you that?"

"This woman I know. She's smart, gorgeous, badass."

"Sounds like someone special," Jim chuckled.

"She is special. She doesn't even realize how special," Leonard sighed.

"I'm sure she has some idea," she said. Leonard heard someone in the background. "Bones, I gotta go. I'll meet you at the house at…?"

"Six-thirty… six-forty-five at the latest."

"Sounds good, I'll see you then. I love you," Jim said before she hung up.

"She just…" Leonard muttered to himself, staring at the phone.

"What's with you?" Gaila asked, standing at the door to his office with a patient file.

"Jim."

"What did she do?"

"She just said 'I love you'," he told her.

The redhead rolled her eyes and handed him the file, "Like you didn't already know that."

"I did. I just…"

"Didn't expect her to say it," Gaila finished his sentence.

"She's not…"

"The lovey-dovey type and she'll admit it. She also doesn't say that very often," she smiled softly. "Did you say it back?"

"I didn't get a chance. She had to go," Leonard said.

"So, what are you going to do?" Gaila asked.

"I don't know yet," he admitted. "But I'm sure I'll have fun figuring it out."

"I got these," Leonard tried but Jim just ignored him.

"The person who cooks shouldn't clean," Jim shrugged as she helped him with the dishes. Joanna was in Jim's family room playing on the computer.

They worked in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before he looked at her, "You're more quiet than usual. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Maybe I don't have anything to say," she shrugged.

"I don't believe that for one second. Talk to me."

"I'm just tired. Between taking over the department, chasing murderers and visiting the hospital, I don't even have time to do my laundry. Spock did the new schedules, they were created for 'maximum efficiency' and I'm supposed to have tomorrow off but I doubt it'll happen."

"Because of all the paperwork?" he asked.

"And the two killers running around," Jim answered. "I need a vacation."

"You think you can take a few days later in the month?"

"Like Christmas?"

"No. I would never attempt to travel around Christmas. I already hate flying enough as it is. Maybe a few days before everyone starts traveling… or for your birthday. Go down to Georgia and meet my mama."

"Your idea of a vacation is for me to meet the woman who gave you life. Are you trying to get me killed?" she asked with a laugh. "Thanks to your ex, I bet your mother would have me kidnapped during the night and interrogated."

"Not kidnapped but the interrogation will happen," Leonard laughed. "I'm serious. You need to go on a short vacation and I would like you to see where I come from."

"Does your accent get thicker when you're in Georgia?"

"Might," he smirked. Jim's ears turned pink. "Oh, that's right… you like my accent."

"Shut up," Jim giggled.

"Was a that a giggle? Jim Kirk just giggled."

"I'm warning you, Bones."

"What are you gonna do?" he asked. She had that mischievous look in her eyes and Leonard knew he was in trouble. "Don't you dare."

"Too late," she smiled before she dumped a bunch of suds on his head.

"Okay," Leonard chuckled. "My turn." He grabbed the spray gun from next to the sink and turned it on her.

"Bones!" She tried to get away from him but it was no use. He wrapped an arm around her waist so she couldn't go anywhere.

"Look at that, you're all wet."

"Bones, stop," Jim laughed. He let the sprayer go back into its cradle.

"I didn't do anything."

"If I get sick, I'm gonna kick your ass," she chuckled, turning in his arms.

"If you get sick, I'll make you soup and lay in bed with you," he told her.

"Returning the favor."

"No. Taking care of the woman I love."

Jim looked up at him, her wet shirt forgotten, "You love me?"

"I do. I think you know that but you can't be sure. So, I'm eliminating all doubt right now. I love you,"

"I love you too," Jim said, giving him a bright smile.

"I'm sure everyone in Riverside knows that," Leonard chuckled.

"Misses Erving doesn't seem to get the hint," she pointed out.

"That's her problem."

"So, this is where we are," Sulu said as they all sat around Jim's office the next day, "Janet Wallace was discovered on October thirtieth. Then Elizabeth Dehner on November seventeenth. Marla McGivers, and Pike, on November twenty-seventh. Finally, Helen Noel yesterday, on December fourth. They're cooling off period went from seventeen days, to ten, to seven. If they keep going at this rate, we'll most likely find another body on Monday... And it's Friday."

"Which means they could already have their next victim in their sights," Jacobs muttered.

"As a matter of fact, they do," Jim said. She hit some commands on her tablet before she showed it to them. On the screen, Garth was following a woman. Leonard couldn't make out who she was because she was bundled up but she appeared to have no idea that she was being followed. "They started following her after school let out today. If their pattern holds, Spock and I expect that it will, they'll make their move sometime in the next two days."

"You set up some poor woman as bait, Jim?" Leonard looked at her. After checking on George, who got to go home that morning, Leonard decided to check in on his girl. Now, he was wishing that he went home instead. "That's cold. I know they're after your mother but…"

"I did no such thing. I had an idea, which she agreed to," the new sheriff shrugged. "The Nero boys will be lucky if she doesn't kill them before I do."

"Who?" he asked. Leonard couldn't believe that someone would agree to let some killers follow her around.

Sulu smiled, "The future Misses Spock, who else?"

"That's Nyota?" Leonard asked them.

"Yep. They killed her best friend, Bones," Jim sighed. "I didn't even have to ask for her help. I told her what I was thinking and she talked Spock into it."

"They teamed up on him," Sulu said. "Remind me never to get on their bad side. One of them is bad enough."

Leonard laughed, "I'll say."

"You really don't have to spend your Saturday night hanging out on our stakeout," Jim chuckled as they sat in the guest room of Robert Tomlinson, the man who owned the grocery store, and his wife, Angela Martine-Tomlinson.

"Would it surprise you to know that I'm just curious?" Leonard asked. "I wanna know how you guys did this."

"It wasn't hard once we figured out that we could focus them on one person. On Thursday, Spock and Ny had a very public, albeit fake, fight outside the school. She threw her ring at him and everything. Rob's a reserve deputy, so when I asked if we could use this room, he and Angie were game. They offered Spock a place to stay, also publicly. As far as everyone in town knows, the sweet Miss Uhura is now in that nice sized house all alone, mending her broken heart," Jim said.

"And they started following her?" Leonard asked.

"Yes. We've captured them on surveillance an hour after Nyota 'broke up with me'. In addition to this equipment, which Mister Scott set up three days ago, the house has a state of the art security camera system that can be accessed online," Spock said from his spot on the bed. Jim told him to get some rest but Leonard could understand if the man couldn't sleep. If it was Jim in that house, Leonard would be awake too. "We will be able to see and record everything that transpires."

"How far are you gonna let it go?" the southerner asked them.

"I don't know yet. If we go with the attack on me, Garth shows up sometime before Finney does," Jim sighed. "I don't want Ny to get hurt but…"

"If we move in too soon…" Spock continued.

"They'll get away and they'll know they were baited. Best case; they leave," Leonard nodded. "Worst case; they go on a rampage."

"Yep and yep," she sighed. "So now, I get to hang out in a room with Spock, watching his house, so that we can catch a pair of killers before they hurt Ny."

"You don't have deputies to do this?" the doctor asked.

"Of course we do. There aren't that many of us, sweetheart. During the day, we have Sulu, Stiles and Hendorff on a rotation. At night, it's easier if it's just me and Spock. Well, and you. Where's Jo?"

"At your brother's house. She was helping Arlene with the animals today. With George outta commission, there's a lot of work that still has to get done. Pavel's been picking up the slack but he needed some help. I also think she's helping take care of George," Leonard chuckled.

"That's just what Sam needs, a house full of servants," Jim smiled before she sat up in her chair. "I got movement."

"Where?" Spock asked as he joined them, leaning over Jim's shoulder.

"Right there," she said, her hands moving over the laptop's keyboard.

"That is Garth," Spock nodded.

Leonard looked at the man on the screen as he moved across Spock and Nyota's property. "He's gonna go for it."

"He has no reason not to," Spock said.

Jim chuckled, "If he thinks I gave him trouble, he is in for one hell of a surprise."

AN: If you hadn't figured it out yet, the victims are TOS characters. Janet Wallace was a civilian scientist that Kirk dated when he was a young officer. Elizabeth Dehner was a psychiatrist on the Enterprise who was affected by the Great Barrier with Mitchell. Marla McGivers was the Enterprise's historian who committed a fair bit of treason and left the ship with Khan. Apparently, she became his wife. Helen Noel was another psychiatrist on the ship, she helped Kirk stop Dr Adams from using this neural device on people after one of his test subjects stowed away on the Enterprise.

Robert Tomlinson and Angela Martine were a couple that were supposed to get married in Balance of Terror but Tomlinson was killed during the battle with the Romulans. That's the same episode where Stiles came from, he was the navigator.

The Misses Spock thing is a reference to Kirk calling Spock's mother Misses Sarek in Journey to Babel.