A/N: This is a pretty long addition to the story. Let me know if you think it's too long and further chapters will be shorter. Again, thank you for reviewing, please continue to do so!!
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds, CBS does! I do own Cameron Mansfield
With somber expressions the whole team headed out to the stretch of countryside where Clarissa's body had been found. Cameron, Morgan and Hotch sat in one car, and silence hung in the air.
"Aaron, I think I should tell Clarissa's parents." Cameron finally spoke up. Wow, when did I become such a glutton for punishment.
Hotch turned around from the front passenger seat, "It's not your responsibility, besides, we need to see the body before the parents can ID it."
"But I should be the one to tell them." She repeated. "And I want to go with them when they go to the morgue."
Hotch shook his head, "No."
"Aaron, I'm really not trying to give you a hard time, I know you have the final say. But no one else wants to do it, and I'm willing. Okay?"
He sighed, "Fine. But you're still coming to the scene, then you can go to their home. The case isn't solved yet, we still have to track down Martin."
"I'm not trying to ditch the case, sir. I'm still working, I get it." Cameron crossed her arms and looked out the window.
Hotch frowned, after all this time Cameron hadn't changed; still as devoted as ever.
The police cruisers pulled up to where they found Clarissa's body. Cameron hesitated slightly before getting out of the car. They walked over to the body, stepping on a layer of crisp white snow. Cameron felt her stomach drop, she saw the limp figure of a little girl lying in the snow. As she got closer she recognized the child as Clarissa. She took a few big steps towards Hotch, without averting her eyes she said, "That's her."
Hotch looked at the Medical Examiner, "How long has she been dead?"
"Hard to say. Maybe a few hours, her body hasn't been here for long, look at the light layer of snow on her. Maybe four hours worth."
"Can you tell us how she died?" Cameron asked, looking away from Clarissa.
"You can see here, her neck was snapped." The M.E. moved her hair away from her neck. "Based on the break I would say he shook her, hard."
Cameron looked at Hotch, "Well that makes sense."
"How's that?"
"Shaking someone till their neck snaps isn't how one goes about killing. Shaking someone till their neck snaps is how someone gets someone else to be quiet."
"You think he panicked because she was crying and—"
"And out of rage and frustration he shook her until she stopped. He probably didn't mean to kill her, the syphilis in his brain made him so angry that he lost control."
"Look at how he left the body," Emily pointed out. "He laid her on a jacket, he obviously took great care to show he regretted his actions."
Cameron cleared her throat and looked at Emily through the early morning darkness, "Exactly, the part of his brain that recognizes morality may be partly functional."
"The part that controls rage and anxiety obviously aren't." Morgan said shaking his head.
The M.E. spoke up, "I'm taking her to the coroners so her parents can ID her."
Cameron looked up, "I should probably get over there. I'll take them to see their daughter when their ready."
The M.E. looked to Hotch, "I'm sure one of the local officers can do it. FBI should be—"
Hotch cut him off, "She'll break the news to Clarissa's parents." He turned to face Cameron, "Deputy Bennett will take you over in the cruiser. The rest of you back to the station, we have a killer who's still out there."
"Wait a minute." Reid walked over to the where the body had just been bagged. Using a pair of the M.E.'s gloves he picked up the coat. "Think this belongs to him?"
Hotch nodded, "Bag it. And bring it to the station, maybe it will gives us another address. We need to find out where he's been staying."
Cameron stood alone on the Strauss's snowy front porch. She felt dizzy and she was certain that she was about to vomit.
How do I end up in these situations? Oh yeah, that's right, I ask for them. Now I'm the one that has to destroy this family.
Cameron felt her eyes fog up but she blinked several times, forcing the tears away. Now's not the time.
The door opened and Cameron looked up, both parents stood at the door looking terribly hopeful.
"Agent Cameron, please come in." Cameron didn't correct the misconception. "Have you found Clarissa? Do you know where she is?"
It was clichéd but Cameron said what every loved one hates to hear, "Maybe we should sit down for a minute?" She sat on a chair hoping to make them more relaxed.
Clarissa's parents sat on the sofa across from Cameron and looked at her hopefully. Clarissa's mother sniffed, "Do you have any idea where she is? Have you found our baby?"
Cameron looked at Mrs. Strauss and shook her head sympathetically, "I'm so sorry. We found her in the countryside just outside of Quitman. Her kidnapper placed her body on a coat in the snow so she would be found quickly." Cameron paused a moment and took a deep breath, "I am so sorry for you loss."
Cameron watched helplessly as Mr. and Mrs. Strauss clung to each other, sobbing they both dissolved in grief.
Some time had passed and Cameron remained silent while the parents sat on the couch crying. Finally, Mr. Strauss looked at her, "Can you take us to see our daughter?"
Cameron nodded, "Of course, I'll take you there now. Let me grab your coats."
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Morgan was sitting at the table in the police station sorting through the contents of Martin's pockets. "This guy is a pack-rat. Receipts from two months ago, three packs of mints, a roll of film… and look at this: a key card for a motel room in Elmo."
"Elmo? That's 24.5 miles from here. Far enough to avoid detection, close enough to remain in his comfort zone." Reid said looking back and forth between Hotch and Morgan.
"You think he's still there?" Emily asked raising an eyebrow.
"There's only one way to find out, we go to Elmo and see if he's there." Hotch stood up and led Morgan, Emily and Reid out of the police station.
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The M.E. stood next to Cameron in silence while the Strauss looked at the body belonging to their daughter.
"That's her, that's our Clarissa." The father took a deep shuddering breath.
The mother sniffed and stood silently before finally speaking, "What…what did he do to her? Did that man touch our daughter?"
The M.E. shook his head and Cameron explained, "No, not this type of offender."
"How—how did she die?"
"He snapped her neck." The M.E. answered curtly.
Cameron gave him a withering stare, and returned her attention to the parents, "We think he shook your daughter, maybe to make her be quiet."
The mom choked down a sob, "Did she su—suff…"
Cameron reached out to touch her arm, "A broken neck would have taken her instantly. She didn't feel any pain."
Mrs. Strauss started to cry and hyperventilate, and her husband held her tight.
"I'm taking them out of here." Cameron said, leading the couple to a set of chairs outside the room. After a few minutes Mrs. Strauss had calmed down again.
"Do you want me to call someone? Or can I get you guys anything, water or some tea?"
Mr. Strauss shook his head, "No. I think my wife needs to get home."
Cameron stood up, "Let me take you back."
Mrs. Strauss looked up, "You need to find the man who killed our daughter. That's all that matters anymore. You need to be out there looking for him. We'll find another way home."
Cameron was about to insist when the M.E.'s assistant walked over and offered to drive the Strauss's home. They accepted and Cameron briskly left the building and slid into the cruiser beside Deputy Bennett.
"Officer Malcolm came on the radio, told me they were headed out to a motel in Elmo, they think Martin might be there."
"Okay, what are we waiting for?"
"You know that you have to stay in the car until—"
"Yeah, yeah, I know the drill, can we go already?"
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Hotch used the card key to enter the hotel room, and it was a mess. No food, no clothes, the bed linens were everywhere and there was water all over the bathroom floor. But Martin was no where to be seen.
Prentiss lowered her gun, "Great, where'd he go now?" No one bothered to answer, they just paced back and forth and looked around for yet another clue.
No more then ten minutes later Cameron stepped into the room.
"I never told you the room was clear." Hotch said, shaking his head.
"I assumed it was." Cameron responded and moved on, "His van's here."
"No it's not we checked." Morgan refuted.
"He's parked out back."
Reid looked out the window, "If his van is here he couldn't have gone too far."
"The motel has a picnic area right beside the woods. Maybe in his current state he wandered into the woods and got lost."
"It's more likely he took another little girl in there with him." Officer Malcolm said entering the room.
"What are you talking about Charlie?"
"There's a family staying two rooms down. Woke up this morning and their seven year old daughter was missing. Apparently she's an early riser and probably went out to play in snow. My bet is he took her."
Hotch nodded, "No doubt. We have to search the woods. Call any nearby canine units, even if it takes a while for them to get here. Let's move."
Hotch didn't bother trying to stop Cameron from searching the woods. Within half an hour every officer in the area was searching the woods alongside the FBI.
Cameron stomped over the snow beside Morgan, whom she was partnered with. "Do you think we'll find her?" She asked as they continued uphill.
"I don't know."
"I mean how far could they have gotten on foot?"
"It depends, we have a lot of woods to cover." Morgan continued forwards.
"You think we'll be able to get to her in time?"
"I can't promise you that. I hope we do, but sometimes we don't."
"Yeah, I noticed." Cameron frowned weakly.
"It's no one's fault, you understand that right?"
"If I could have figured it out just a little sooner, Clarissa—"
"Cameron, sometimes we miss the mark. You did the best you could."
Cameron opened her mouth to say that it wasn't enough, when she spotted a pair of children's boots in the snow. "She must have kicked these off while he was dragging her. Or maybe she was leaving a trail."
Morgan picked them up, "All this blowing snow destroyed the footprints."
"We just can't buy a break." Cameron frowned, "Well he only could have gone one of two directions, I'll go this way, and you go that way."
"You're not supposed—" Morgan protested.
"We have to find her, it's cold, she's not wearing any shoes and she's with a murderer. I curve right so I'll probably meet up with the others anyways."
Morgan sighed but headed off in the other direction anyways.
Cameron pushed her bangs off her face while the wind blew like crazy, making her eyes water. She was practically blind because she could barely see through the whiteout conditions. She saw a figure about fifty feet away and she heard them calling her name.
It was Reid calling her, "Cameron? Cameron!"
Cameron stumbled through the snow is his direction, "Where are Emily and Hotch?"
"They decided to go the other way. Why are you by yourself?"
"Morgan and I found her boots. We split up; we knew one of us would find them."
"We should stick together. You shouldn't be wandering the woods alone and unarmed. Morgan shouldn't have let you go off on your own."
Cameron continued to walk through the piercing snow, "We didn't have another choice and I'm fine, I can hold my own."
"I know, I didn't mean you coul— I know you're…I'm sorry." Reid babbled helplessly.
Cameron picked up the pace a little, "Spencer don't be sorry. It's fine, I can hardly see though, I would have been pretty screwed had I found them alone."
Reid nodded and they continued in a general direction stopping occasionally to see if they knew they could see anything. They were walking rather slowly when they heard a noise.
Cameron spun quickly, "What was that?"
Reid squinted through the snow, "I don't know, sounded like someone yelling."
"Should we call her name?"
"No, it might scare him away. I think the yelling's coming from that direction." He pointed to the left a little.
Cameron started to run through the snow when Reid grabbed her hand, "Stay behind me okay?" She nodded and he pulled his gun out of it's holster.
The moved hurriedly in the direction of the man's yelling. As they got closer they also heard the sound of the little girl crying. Cameron pulled Reid behind a tree and pointed, "Look over there."
Reid nodded, "Stay here and call Hotch, tell him to head Northwest. I'm going to move in closer so we don't lose him."
Cameron pulled out her cell phone and dialed. "Hotch, I'm with Reid, we found Martin and he still has Karen with him. Head Northwest and you'll find us." She hung up before he had a chance to say anything.
"Reid?" She called out quietly to see if he was near. When he didn't respond she groaned and ran off after him.
It didn't take her long to catch up with him, "Spencer!" She hissed at him.
He spun around, "I told you to stay back there."
"Before that you said to stick together, so that's what I'm doing. It's easier to apprehend a suspect who still has a living victim this way."
Reid shook his head, she was impossible. "Please, just stay behind me, please."
Cameron and Reid stood back and watched as Martin pushed the little girl backwards in the snow. She tried to scurry away but he grabbed her arm again.
Cameron held up her hands and walked quickly towards Martin. Reid reached out to pull her back, but she slipped through his grasp.
"Martin! Let her go." Cameron yelled. Reid darted out from behind the tree. He stood beside Cameron and pointed his gun at Martin.
He started howling, "Get away from me, you… you people!"
Cameron shook her head, "I can't do that Martin. You took another little girl. You have to give her back." Reid knew this was a bad idea but he stood his ground.
Martin tightened his grip making Karen cry harder, "Leave me alone! She's mine; I'm not giving her to you."
"You don't want to do this Martin. We have the upper hand, and this isn't going to end well for you."
Martin pushed Karen up against a tree and held her neck with his forearm. Cameron and Reid moved forwards.
She softened her voice, "I know you didn't mean to hurt Clarissa! You're sick, you have a disease in your brain. You would never have hurt her if you weren't sick." Cameron tried to remain firm, but her hands were shaking. "Let her go. You're not a bad person, you're a sick person and it doesn't have to end this way."
He tossed Karen aside, "I didn't mean to hurt her! She wouldn't be quiet! They were going to find us."
Reid kept his gun pointed and Cameron was now a few feet away from him. Karen had managed to scamper away behind a large boulder. "I know that and the FBI knows. If you just come with me we can fix this."
Cameron lowered her hands and Reid kept the gun aimed at Martin. She stepped forwards and took firm hold of his right arm and grabbed the handcuffs off Reid's belt. She cuffed one hand and before she could get the second Martin grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her like a ragdoll, hard against a tree.
Reid aimed to fire but just before he could Cameron used Martin's weight as leverage to propel him back around the tree. She pushed him full force against the tree, giving his head a good knock.
Reid moved in closer and grabbed her arm, "Are you alright?" He asked urgently.
"I'm fine." She slapped on the other handcuff and forced Martin to a sitting position. "You got him?" Reid nodded and Cameron ran through the snow towards Karen.
The little girl poked her head our from behind a rock. "Hello there sweetheart, are you okay?"
She nodded and Cameron knelt down in the snow, "You're alright now. We're gonna take you back to your parents as soon as my friends show up."
Karen threw her arms around her and Cameron hugged back. She lifted Karen onto her lap so her bare feet wouldn't be in the snow.
As soon as Reid noticed the team quickly approaching he waved them over. Hotch and Officer Malcolm quickly took hold of Martin and Malcolm read him his rights. Morgan and Emily ran over to where Cameron and Karen were sitting. Morgan handed Karen her boots, "Here you go kiddo." Emily took Karen by the hand and they started back towards the motel.
Morgan held out his hand to help Cameron up, and she brushed snow off her pants, they were soaking wet. "Thanks."
"You okay? Reid said you got roughed up a little."
"I'm fine. He pushed me and I pushed him back harder." Cameron said with a smile.
"Tough girl huh? I guess it's a good thing we split up."
Morgan walked away to help Hotch escort Martin back through the woods.
Cameron walked over to Reid who was blankly watching everyone head back to the motel. She touched his arm, "Come on Spencer, lets head back."
Reid glanced at her sideways, "You really shouldn't have done that, you…you could have gotten hurt."
"I'm fine, don't worry about me so much."
"I can't help it." He turned red, "I…I just…sorry." He looked adorably embarrassed.
Cameron smiled and grabbed his arm and turned to face him, "You had my back. I knew I'd be fine."
"I'm a bad shot, ask anyone." Reid looked away but she gently turned his head back, "Hey, everything is fine, I'm fine, Karen's fine. Everything's going to be alright."
He looked away, "You did a really good job, you know that?"
Cameron looked down; she didn't know what to say. Nothing had changed.
"I'm sorry that I'm leaving." She said lamely.
His eyes were unbearably sad, and she wondered if he was ready to talk. She never planned on staying. But how could she walk away knowing what he was going through? Her helping him wasn't dependant on joining the BAU right?
She linked her arm to his and smiled, guiding him back through the woods. "We can just enjoy each other's company for now."
Reid secretly, well maybe not so secretly, hoped she would have a change of heart and stay.
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