Ahh people have read my story! Thank you for reviewing! Again I do not own CM. I wish I didn't have to constantly remind myself of that… Anyways I made this chapter super extra-long and I plan on writing the rest of them this way!

Chapter 3

Prentiss and JJ entered the Gardener house quickly. It was a big house, three floors if you counted the finished basement. The female agents slowly walked through the hall, studying every inch while looking for clues.

"JJ I have a missing picture over here," Prentiss called, staring at the empty hook. Other pictures of the family hung around it, their memories blatantly spread on the wall.

"Look it's like a timeline," JJ muttered studying the pictures from left to right. The first was a baby picture of the young Mia. She slowly aged throughout the scenes, going from toddler to young child to young adolescent. "It looks like the picture the unsub took would be more recent."

The pair then entered the living room where the crime actually took place. Two dense pools of blood stained the elegant white carpet, twelve pints spilled on the floor. There was also splatter stains, Flying droplets of blood reaching all the way to the far wall. A chair was positioned in front of the stains and cut duct tape was strewn around the chair.

"So the unsub entered here," Prentiss said, pointing towards the broken glass door in the room. "Mia was in this room so he dragged the chair over and taped her there, arms up on the armrests, mouth duct taped shut and legs bound together. She must have screamed, causing the mother and brother to run into the room. He stabbed the mother first because the blood spray suggests he stabbed her from the front. There are no immediate blood stains from the brother so he must have made him lay down. Both victims were stabbed repeatedly in the chest, face, neck and stomachs. After he finished with the family he walked over to Mia. He was comforting her and professing his love. Then he cut a heart into her wrist, shallow enough that she wouldn't bleed out. Then he used that phone to call the police then he fled through the glass doors again" Prentiss went through the ugly scene in front of her, imagining it happening right before her eyes.

"The man must be sadistic, choosing a close range weapon so he can feel his victims dying. He is also narcissistic, enjoying the power he has over his victims. He is clearly stalking Mia, killing everyone he deems a threat to their relationship. He won't stop until he gets them," JJ informed, gathering together bits of a profile.

"Let's head back to the station now," Prentiss suggested. JJ nodded and the agents walked back to the SUV, leaving the gory scene behind them.

*Back at the PD*

"I think that's all we have, JJ can you read the profile back?" Hotch asked.

"Of course sir," JJ nodded and picked up the piece of paper in front of her. "Our unsub is a white male between the ages of early thirties to early forties. He works around teenagers. He is stalking Mia Gardener, a sophomore at Bayton High School. He is a loner, but tends to be social with teens. He likes to stab his victims meaning he's sadistic. Anything else?"

"I think that's about it. JJ go ahead and do a press release," Hotch advised. JJ nodded and left the room. "I think that'd it for today people" Hotch sighed.

"Hey Reid" Morgan called the young genius.

"Yeah Morgan?" Reid answered while packing up his satchel.

"When Mia coming to your apartment? I want to see this train wreck" Morgan smiled devilishly.

"Why do you think it's going to be a train wreck?" Reid asked nervously.

Morgan laughed. "You believe that you can live with a female in your apartment? You have the social gracing's of a nerd. She's a high schooler."

"A high schooler who watched her family get murdered in front of her" Reid shot back. "She may be only fifteen on the outside, but inside I bet she's more mature then half this team. Being young tends to shield you from the dark side of humanity. Something of this magnitude will break down the weak walls protecting herself from this darkness. At least adults have time to build up that wall." Morgan stared at the brooding genius. He never knew Reid felt that way. Reid strode out of the room using his long legs to propel himself as far away from his team as possible. He walked to one of the SUV's in the parking lot and pulled out. Hotch had given him command of one SUV so he could keep Mia safe. He pulled into the school parking lot to find the girl waiting for him on the sidewalk.

*Mia's POV*

The hotel was nothing special, just one big room with two twin beds, a small desk and a kitchen. She placed her bag down on the furthest bed and flopped onto the comforter.

"Thanks for taking me in" Mia told Reid.

"Oh, um, it's n-nothing," Reid stuttered nervously. Mia shot up and stared him right in the eyes.

"Nothing? You think taking me in when not even my family will is nothing? Saving me from foster care? That, it's no big deal to risk your life to protect mine? I call that bravery. And kindness." Mia's eyes watered as she gushed to her savior. Reid looked taken aback, then he smiled a gentle full smile.

"I've been in your place before Mia. I know what it feels like to lose your family. I know what it's like to be tied up, your life in the hands of an unbalanced killer. It's the least I could do." Reid replied. Both of them lapsed into silence, overwhelmed with scarring memories and also relief, knowing that they have someone else who understands. Mia blew her shaggy bangs out of her eyes then entered the meager kitchen.

"We need to buy food," Mia informed, bent over in the empty refrigerator.

"I thought we could order out?" Reid suggested.

Mia shook her head. "We need a good home cooked meal" She insisted.

"Alright I think we can call down to the front desk and have them bring up groceries" Reid said. Mia grabbed the hotel phone, a piece of paper and a pen. As she was talking to the manager she was writing down ingredients and listing them off. Reid unpacked his clothes onto the bed as she spoke. He laid out mismatched pairs of socks rolled together. His ties were neatly folded in a row. His work pants he also folded and his work shirts he hung in the closet. He left his boxers in his bag.

"Thank you" He heard Mia hang up behind him. "Are groceries should be up in an hour" She informed Reid. He nodded then cracked open a crossword book. A five letter word for bedtime for some… one am. A five letter word for laughs… ha has. This was too easy. "Four letter word for finale of a sort…"

"Coda" Mia answered startling Reid.

"Yeah how'd you know?" Reid asked. That was one of the harder questions.

Mia shrugged. "English has been one of my strongest classes ever since I was little. Writing, reading, analyzing, vocabulary, it all comes easily to me."

"You're good at analyzing? How so?" Reid sat on the edge of his bed, listening intently.

"I know you're right-handed. Your forehead and in between your eyebrows are creased meaning you've been having intense headaches recently. You talk passively, meaning you never really had a father in your life. You are very young considering your FBI so you're smart. Being the youngest of your team you're probably treated like a baby. You try your hardest to prove to them that you're just as good as they are." Mia concluded, seemingly off the top of her head. Reid was sincerely impressed. That profile was spot on, the same quality and deduction of a real FBI agent.

"Wow Mia that's incredible. You are good at analyzing" Reid complimented. Mia smiled, her cheeks turning pink and she ducked her head in embarrassment. Reid went back to his crossword puzzle while Mia broke out her homework, writing furiously at the small desk. After a while a knock came from the door. Mia jumped up to get answer but Reid signaled her not to. He unconsciously rested his hand over the gun latched to his hip as he peered through the peephole. It was only a bellhop, struggling under the weight of the groceries. Reid let the man in and helped him carry in the paper bags. As he set down the bags Mia rifled through them, grabbing random items as she started to cook. By the time Reid had paid the bellhop Mia had a chicken cooking, rice boiling, sauce heating and lemonade being squeezed and sweetened.

"Is there anything you can't do?" Reid asked jokingly. Mia smiled and threw a wooden spoon at him jokingly.

"Je suis une fille intéressante devine" Mia stated. Reid cocked his head like a confused puppy. "It means 'I'm an interesting girl I guess' in French" Mia rolled her eyes mockingly. "And I thought you were a genius."

"Oh yeah?" Reid taunted. "I'm more of a physics and math kind of guy. Observe." Reid rummaged through the cabinets and started taking out random boxes. He grabbed a clear cup and poured different mixtures with water into it. Mia leaned against the counter and smirked and the lanky genius bent over his science project. He let out an 'aha' then grabbed a flashlight while switching off the lights. He aimed the beam of light at the glass and Mia gasped in amazement. It looked like the sky was poured into the cup. Reid slowly moved the flashlight up the cup, simulating the sun. The blue grew lighter and brighter, then on the opposite side it faded to pinks, then dazzling oranges, reds, yellows and pink. He switched on the light and poured his mini sky down the sink.

"OK you win by a long shot" Mia said raising her hands in defeat. Mia grabbed plates and silverware and set the table. She dished out food for both plates and poured the lemonade. Then she sat down and started eating. Reid sat down across from her, still glowing from his victory. He took a bite from the chicken then moaned. It's been so long since he's had a home cooked meal and this one easily topped the charts. Mia smiled at Reid's reaction to her cooking. They ate their meal and Reid offered to clean up. Mia went into the bathroom and got ready for bed. She came out in a long nightgown jersey. She crawled under the covers and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Reid glanced over and smiled. She looked so peaceful, like all the stress had left her. Reid shut the lights all off except for the desk light. He started filling out paperwork for work, focused for a while.

Reid was just finishing up his work when she started screaming. He bounced up and grabbed his gun, pointing towards Mia's bed. The girl was thrashing and screaming, her eyes slammed shut and tears streaming down her face. "NO don't touch them! No more please no more!" She moaned. Reid slammed his gun back in his holster and walked over to the terrified girl.

"Mia, its Spencer. You're having a nightmare Mia you need to wake up," Reid coaxed, shaking her shoulders gently. Mia sat up panicked, clutching her chest and gasping.

"You ok?" Reid asked as gently as he could. Mia released a strangled sob and shook her head not. Reid wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Mia responded by cuddling into his side and hugging him tight, like she was hiding from her memories. "Shh, it's ok Mia. It's just a nightmare"

"When do they stop Reid?" Mia begged, sending a watery doe eyed glance up to Reid. He sat quietly for a few moments, trying to think of the right way to say this.

"I don't think they ever really stop. These kind of memories can haunt you forever, if you let them. I found that talking really helps" He answered. Mia's shoulders slumped and she sniffled pathetically.

"Thank you Reid," She whispered.

"You can call me Spencer, if you like," the agent said cautiously. Only two people have ever called him Spence or Spencer: JJ and his mother. Mia nodded into his chest then laid back down curled in a ball.

"Goodnight Rei- I mean Spencer" Mia said hoarsely and drowsily.

"Goodnight Mia," Reid responded. He got into his own bed and his eyes fluttered shut, plunging him into his own nightmare.