Warnings for language only. Please see disclaimer in the Prologue. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed. Please if you read take the time to review. I have no bribes to give except virtual hugs:)

Michaela Simms sneaked out of the house early the next morning. She didn't want to face her mother, and really her mother wouldn't notice she was gone. Her mother had called her latest gentleman friend after the fight with Michaela's father and invited him over. Michaela knew what they did and it disgusted her that her mother used men this way. She wasn't going to follow in her mother's foot steps. She always said no to the boys that tried to paw at her on her rare dates. It's why she loved him; he didn't try to paw at her. He said they would wait till she was older.

She wished he'd agreed to meet her at the park as he'd done before, but he said that he would see her in a few nights. He said he had something special planned for her. He always did special things for her like give her roses. She kept them pressed in a book she'd hidden under her bed. She tugged at the necklace he gave her. She'd found it wrapped in brown paper in her secret hiding place, a knot hole in the tree behind her house. He'd left it for her the morning before. The necklace was a golden locket shaped like a heart. The chain was long and she pulled the heart up to her lips to kiss it and then hastily pushed it back under her shirt when she saw her friends walking towards her.

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Gideon sat in the conference room with Elle, JJ and Stephanie. He was working on an idea to get the local kids to come forward with any information they might have on this guy.

"Gideon, this guy has to be someone who lives here? He seems to blend in so well" Elle asked and looked up at him when he didn't answer.

"Gideon, you awake over there?"

"Hm, oh sorry what did you say? Gideon said. He glanced briefly at Stephanie wondering what she was thinking behind those lovely chocolate brown eyes. "Don't start big guy, concentrate on the case."

She repeated the question as JJ looked curiously at Gideon. He always listened even when people thought he was tuning them out completely. Something was going on and if her suspicions were correct Spencer wouldn't be happy about it.

"Yes, you're right, that's what worries me, his ability to blend in. He seems to know a lot about forensics as well. We need to get ahead of this guy or he's going to snatch another girl and we won't be able to stop it."

Stephanie hearing the note of concern and sadness in his voice wondered. "He looks so sad. I wonder if every person he helps affects him this way. I wish- no focus, this is no time for thoughts of that nature."

JJ was watching Stephanie as well and began to realize that what ever was between those two, they didn't know the other one was interested. "Hm this should be interesting to watch."

"JJ can you contact the Principal at the high school and have him set up an assembly or something with all of the students. These kids need to know what is going on in detail. Maybe someone noticed something or maybe the next target will realize she is in danger."

"Sure thing boss I'll get to work on it right now." JJ left the room with some relief, the tension between those two reminded her of her early infatuation with Spencer and she wouldn't wish that on anyone.

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When they arrived at the Slater Farm, a sullen looking man in a dirty pair of jeans and shirt with a cowboy hat perched on his balding head, stopped them at the gate. He was very tall and looked like he'd wrestled more the one steer to the ground in his lifetime.

"What's your business at Slater Farms" He asked in a tone that expected a good answer or he'd be throwing them off the property.

"FBI sir, Hotch said and showed his badge. We're here to speak with Damon Slater."

"Mr. Slater? You're kidding me right?" The man said his sullen face took on a look that froze the blood in Reid's veins.

Hotch gave the man a look that clearly said they were not kidding. "Sir we need to speak to Mr. Slater it's extremely important." Hotch's no nonsense tone seemed to penetrate the man's exterior coldness.

"Look no offense but obviously you're new in town, you don't know anything about him and it's my job to keep the curious and those that would hurt him off of the property. Now I don't know what you think he's done, but whatever it is you're wrong about him. Damon is incapable of hurting a fly."

"Be that as it may, we have a valid concern with Mr. Slater, and yes we have done our homework and we know that Mr. Slater is autistic. If you'll please let us pass we will talk to him without causing him distress. That's better than coming in here with a warrant, which I assure you we can get in no time at all. Take your pick sir." Hotch won the staring contest with the man and he opened the gate after asking them to drive up to the house and wait for him there.

"Follow me, and mind your manners or I'll have the law on you FBI or no FBI." The man in the cowboy hat ordered, turning and walking toward on of the large greenhouses on the property.

"Pleasant fellow," Morgan said to Reid in a low voice.

They entered the first greenhouse and even Morgan stared in surprise. It was like walking into a kaleidoscope. There was row after row of flowers in a rainbow range of color bursting in full bloom. There were flowers of all kinds but they could see that roses were favored by the grower.

"Harvey, who are these people," a tall dark haired man asked as he approached? He did not look happy to see them.

"I'm sorry Mr. Slater these here are the FBI they want to talk to Damon." the cowboy said.

"I don't want my brother upset; you have any questions you'll ask me." He did not extend a hand instead his arm were crossed over his chest and he looked capable of thrashing Morgan.

Mr. Slater, as we told your employee when can get a warrant and be back in less than an hour." Hotch said meeting the other man's eyes with his usual sullen eyes.

"I'll say it again I don't want my brother upset, ask me whatever you want to know."

"Mr. Slater if you could just-" Hotch began only to be cut off by the advent of an older man who was obviously Slater's brother.

"Billy new people, who are the new people, do they want my flowers, I can show them what I have, ok, they'll like Damon's flowers, everyone likes my flowers He went on and on without a breath

"Sure Damon, we'll look at flowers but I have to talk to them for a minute."

Reid said "Damon my name is Spencer and these are my friends Hotch and Morgan, we're from the FBI"

"FBI," he said frowning for a minute then he smiled brightly. "Oh, like cops on TV with guns? He frowned again and began to look frightened. He started to pace in circles saying "I didn't hurt anyone, tell them Billy, don't let them take me away again." He became more agitated kneeling down next to one of the tables rocking and mumbling. Reid knelt beside him

"What's he saying Reid." Morgan asked.

"Acacia, rosea, Acanthus, Campanula, Borage, there Latin name for flowers um there's Acaia Rose, Bellflower, bluebottle-"

"It's his way of comforting him self and I told you I didn't want him upset I want you to leave now." Billy Slater said. They left but not before Hotch asked.

"Why is he afraid of the police, he said to not let them take him away again, has he been arrested or institutionalized before?"

"If you must know my parents were killed in a house fire 10 years ago. Damon is my older brother but in a lot of ways he's still like a young boy. He'd made a lot of progress in coping with autism spectrum disorder and then the fire happened. He was the only one here with them and the only one to escape and the fire marshal couldn't figure out how the folks were trapped. He was taken in for questioning but nothing was found against him and the DA wisely decided it would be bad press to try him for anything. But the damage was done, he regressed a lot and it took years to get him back to where he is now."

"Where were you that night Mr. Slater?" Hotch asked his eyes cold and hard again.

"I was in high school at the time, some friends and I went to a pep rally, the fire happened just before it ended. I was too late to do anything. If that's all, I really want you to leave so I can attend to Damon." He walked with them to the SUV and watched as they left.

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"Hotch I don't think Damon Slater is capable of planning and carrying out these crimes." Morgan said

"I agree, so we have someone who's using the man's identity to buy untraceable cell phones."

Reid closed his cell and said. "I just talked to Stephanie, she remembers the fire. She was in college at the time but remembers her adoptive parents talking about it. It seemed a lot of people thought that Damon was responsible. Not on purpose but as an accident. They seemed to think his parents should've had him in an institution.

"He seems harmless, just a man with different challenges." Hotch said looking significantly at Reid in the rear view mirror.

"There but for the grace of God go I." Reid said unexpectedly.

"Yes, that's what I was thinking only not in those words." Hotch said with a little smile.

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"Hey Mike, wait up!" Kathy yelled, running to catch up with her best friend.

"So, what do you think going on with this assembly we have to go to after lunch, they always schedule them ahead of time."

Michaela Simms didn't care about the assembly, she ran her finger around the chain of the necklace.

"Hey what's that" Andrea said walking up and tugging the chain out from Micheala's shirt.

"Hey, leave that alone." she cried tugging it back and pushing it back under her shirt. You almost broke it!"

"Where did you get it. It looks expensive and your mom wouldn't buy something like that for you."

"It's a secret."

"Come on Mike, you can tell us we're your our best friends after all, we'll keep it a secret for you." Kathy pleaded.

"I can't I promised."

"Well it looks a boy gave it to you, was it Johnny in English class he's cute and he said to me once he likes you." Kathy said

"No it isn't him and anyway he's an immature little boy."

"Ah, so you admit it's a guy." Andrea said with a look of triumph.

Micheala knew she was caught so she told them about him. "One day he'll take me away from this stupid little town and I'll never have to see my mom again, I hate her."

"Mike, are you sure he's okay, I mean look what happened to the other girls-"

"He's not like that," Michaela said, and if you can't stop talking that way I'm going back to my locker." She turned and ran back into the building leaving her friends bewildered at her behavior.

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When they arrived back at the station house, Gideon told them JJ had set it up for them to talk to the students at the school.

"Our main focus is to try to get them to think of anything they may had heard or seen that could help us. He already has his next victim in mind."

Morgan slapped Reid on the back. "I guess we're going back to high school, buddy."