Edited version of chapter 2. Again, I am no longer updating the original story- everything will be complete here and the old one will be taken down. Please review and thanks for reading :) And yes, the case is being changed up a bit. Please bear with me!

JJ yawned as she stepped out of the SUV, sleep still clouding her brain. Their flight had touched down an hour from town and from there they had drove. She had slept the entire time and now she was having a hard time waking up. Spencer moaned as he cracked his spine and Emily winced, shaking her head and shouldering her bag. Morgan looked up as a light mist began to fall from the grey sky.

"That is disgusting."

"We walk into bloody rooms and a cracking spine bugs you?" Morgan raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, it does," She glared at him.

"I think someone needs some more beauty sleep," Morgan muttered, shouldering his own bag as Rossi and Hotch approached them from across the parking lot.

"Everyone ready?" Hotch asked as he reached the circle of agents.

"Yep," Morgan stifled a yawn.

"Sure," Emily shrugged.

"Yeah," Spencer sighed.

"No," JJ mumbled, rubbing her eyes and shaking her head.

"Try not to be too enthusiastic," Rossi teased her as they headed towards the Sheriffs Office. They barely made it up the steps before a balding man stepped out of the office, placing a dusty brown hat on his head. He had a badge on his vest, a gun holstered to his side.

"Howdy. Y'all must be the FBI. Aaron Hotchner," The man shook Hotch's hand. His accent was from the south. He had wrinkles around his blue eyes and a friendly smile.

"That's correct."

"Names Rex Humphrey."

"This is my team; Emily Prentiss, David Rossi, Derek Morgan, Spencer Reid and-"

"Jennifer Jareau," He smiled, stepping forward to shake her hand.

"Rex," She offered him a smile.

"You two know each other?" Hotch asked.

"Yes. I used to play soccer with his sister in college."

"Small world, huh? I was on the university's football team," Rex explained.

"Captain," JJ laughed. "It's good to see you," She gave him a hug.

Spencer stiffened, making Morgan chuckle. "Jealous?" He said under his breath.

"No," Spencer lied, crossing his arms and pursing his lips.

"Right." Morgan rolled his eyes. Would the kid ever admit his feelings? No, because his big brain was always getting in the way. 'I'll have to talk some sense into him,' Morgan decided.

"Everything is set up," Rex said as he led them through the Sheriffs Office. "Victim boards on the right, evidence board on the left. Middle one contains a map of the area. Let me know if you need anything," he left them in a large room.

"Thanks," JJ smiled at him. After he left she picked her phone up, dialing Garcia's number.

"Speak, oh blond goddess."

"Right," She chuckled. "Can you run a search on similar cases in Washington area?"

"Yes ma'am. Give me thirty minutes."

"Alright." She hung up, turning to the board. "Have they found the rest of the body?" JJ leaned over Spencer's shoulder as he read a file.

"No. They haven't recovered the rest of him yet," he ignored her, his eyes still scanning the print on the page. Part of him knew he was playing dirty, but he didn't care. JJ frowned and shrugged as Emily raised her eye brows.

"We need to figure out why he is taking the body's apart." Rossi mused.

"The two obvious would be sexual release and a message. Leaving a head on the steps of a high school is pretty bold," Emily thumbed through the pictures.

"He targeted two major public places. He was trying to leave a statement- he isn't afraid of the police or being seen. Then there is the girlfriend. Why leave body parts in her mailbox?" JJ sighed.

"Maybe to scare her? Or revenge? Maybe she knows the unsub," Morgan offered.

"Well, the girlfriend is obviously terrified now," JJ commented. "She has agreed to speak to us."

"You and Reid can talk to her. Emily, you'll be with Morgan. Go to the sight of the accident, see what you can find. Rossi, you are with me. We need to go to the high school, talk to the kids who found the head."

"Alright. Rex gave us these," JJ groaned as she handed out the rain ponchos.

"I hate the rain," Morgan grumbled, pulling one on over his clothes.

"Let's roll, plastic people."
. . . . . . .

"Everything ok?" JJ asked a silent Spencer. He had been fairly quiet since they left the station, only speaking when she had made a wrong turn. Other than that he had starred out the window, his arms crossed as his eyes followed the passing scenery.

"Yeah, fine," He mumbled.

"What's bugging you Spence?"

"Nothing, JJ. I don't want to talk about it right now."

"Alright," She frowned. He was being confusing. "I'm here for you though. You know that, right?" She kept her eyes on the road but squeezed his shoulder.

"I know." He turned to smile at her. "Thanks."

"Any time," She returned his smile. "I think this is the place," She double checked the address before pulling into the drive way. "I'm just going to run, I don't want to put that thing back on," she wrinkled her nose, glancing back at the wet poncho.

"Same here." He chuckled before opening his door, making a dash for the porch. JJ did the same thing, yelping as a stream of cold water ran down her back, making her shiver.

"Dang that's cold," she wiggled as the drop snaked its way across her skin. Spencer laughed before knocking on the door, leaning against the rail and waiting.

"Hello?" A young woman finally opened the door, peering at them through a crack in the door.

"Anna Sanders?"

"Yes…"

"I am Jennifer Jareau and this is my partner, Spencer Reid. We were told you were willing to speak to us?"

"Oh, yes. Come in." She opened the door wider and they walked off the porch and into a warm house.

"Can we ask you a few questions?"

"I guess. I've already told them everything I know," she said dryly as she led them into a small den. The inside walls were wooden, a stone fireplace near a leather couch. A deer head hung on the far wall, a bear rug thrown across the floor. The room was quite cozy and JJ felt like she was in some kind of resort.

"I love your house," JJ offered as an attempt to relax the woman and make her feel at ease.

"Thank you," she smiled then sighed. "My grandfather left it for me."

"It's very nice," Spencer smiled.

"So what do you need to know?" She sat down in a love chair across from them, curling her feet up underneath her.

"You said you were going to meet Paul the evening he went missing.?"

"Yes, at the old café in town. He had proposed that morning...we were going to meet up and discuss plans," She bit her lip, blinking back tears. "He never showed up though. He is always on time, always. I…I reported it to the police, but they said they had to wait twenty four hours before they filed a missing persons report. Then, the next morning…I went to check the mail…and…" She let the sentence hang, a few tears spilling over.

"I am very sorry," JJ frowned. "Did Paul have any enemies?"

"No. He had just moved here a few months ago, to be with me. He hadn't really gotten to know anyone yet."

"What about at work? What did he do?"

"He was working from at home from his computer; he ran his own travel agency. He would find the best prices for flights and hotels and help hook customers up... I can't think of anyone who would want to hurt him," She teared up again.

"I'm sorry," Spencer sighed. "Did he meet anyone new over the last few weeks? Or mention someone was following him, watching him?"

"No, he really hadn't met the locals yet. This is a busy time of year for him. Other than going back and forth moving furniture he hadn't gone anywhere without me."

"I see," JJ frowned. "Well, thank you for your time."

"You're welcome…Are you going to find him? The man who did this?" Anna bit her lip.

"We are going to do everything we can to find this man, I promise." JJ laid a hand on her shoulder before leaving the house, Spencer on her heels. "That never gets any easier."

"I know what you mean." He said as they raced back towards the SUV.

Once inside, JJ flipped on the heat, then the radio, just to have some kind of noise. "It really makes you think about life." She said quietly.

"Yeah," he agreed, wondering where life would take him, and if she would ever play a part in his future.

. . . . . . .

"I feel like a wet dog," Emily grumbled as they walked towards the truck that still sat on the side of the road, now sunk in the mud. Emily's bangs clung to her forehead, water dripping from her pony tail.

"Smell like one too," Morgan grinned impishly.

"Jerk," She laughed, nudging him into the ditch. He tripped, but recovered.

"Hey," he laughed. "So from the tire marks, we know the guy skidded right about…here." He stopped on the road, staring at the black marks.

"And his tire started to shred here," she stepped back a couple of steps, to the first piece of shredded tire. "Look at this," She crouched next to two metal plates that were sitting on the road. "What are those?"

"No idea," Morgan shrugged, pulling out his phone and taking a picture before placing them in a bag. "I'll send them to Garcia and see if she can come up with anything...They look familiar for some reason."

"Maybe I should talk to her?" Emily offered, thinking back to the incident on the plane.

"She has to forgive me sometime," Morgan chuckled. "Hey there baby girl."

"What?" She sounded annoyed and he heard her typing away in the background.

"I just sent you some pictures of some metal plates we found. Think you can figure out what they are?"

"Of course I can. Do you even have to ask?"

"No…Look, I'm sorry about taking your spot."

"I know that. I'm just giving you a hard time," She smiled. "Stay safe out there."

"Will do, baby girl." He chuckled, hanging up. "Told you."

"Right," Emily laughed. "Let's check out the truck."

Morgan followed her through the rain towards the truck, running his hand along the dropped tailgate. "We know he was changing his tire- the toolbox was open and the shredded tire was off."

"Why would his tire shred like that? It was just the bottom part, like it had been puncutured."

"Maybe Garcia will find something about the plates. Anyways, he was changing his tire and getting ready to put the new one on. Why stop?"

"The storm was moving in pretty quick. From his cell phone records it hit about the time his tire blew out."

"It was a nasty storm. What would make you stop in the rain?"

"Someone else," Emily frowned. "Maybe someone pulled over to help him."

"Then that someone is the last person to see Paul McDonnel alive."

"Look over here," She crouched once more a few feet behind the truck. "There are ruts here, like someone was trying to get out of the mud."

"It would be impossible to pull a tire track up. The rain has washed everything away."

"I have a bad feeling about this."

"I do to. We have no idea what we are up against."

"Let's hope Hotch and Rossi are having better luck."

. . . . .

"Aaron Hotchner? I'm Jack Russels," A heavy set man shook his hand. "I'm the principle. Rex told me y'all were heading this way."

"I see. This is David Rossi, my partner."

"Nice to meet you. How can I help you folks?"

"We need to speak to the students who found the head," Rossi injected.

"Alright. I can do that." He walked over to a speaker on his desk. "Kurt Russels, John Pulks, and Ryan Watters. Please report to my office immediately. They should be here any moment. I'll leave you to it."

"Is Kurt your son?" Rossi asked the man's back.

"Yes, he is." He shrugged before strolling off.

A few minutes later a tall, blond headed boy entered the office. He had brown eyes and a cocky smile. "What's your name son?" Rossi asked.

"John Pulks. You are?"

"David Rossi. This is Aaron Hotchner. We are with the FBI."

"Ah, FBI. Very cool. Hey Ryan," he commented as a black haired boy walked in. He had blue eyes a similar build. "These guys are from the FBI."

"Wicked bro. Name's Ryan," he shook their hands. "You here about the head?"

"Yes."

"Figured so. That's Kurt."

The last boy entered the office, hands in pocket. His head was down, his brown hair falling over his eyes, which were green. He was tall and lanky, wearing a hoodie and jeans. "Sup," he nodded to them.

"I'm-"

"David Rossi, I know. I've read your books." Kurt said sheepishly.

"I see. This is Aaron Hotchner."

"I've heard about you. The foyet guy, right?"

"Yes. Could you all answer some questions for us?"

"Sure dude."

"Whatever floats you boat man."

"First off, are you all friends?"

"Yeah, we grew up together right here in this town."

"I see. Rossi, why don't you talk with Kurt. I'll talk with Ryan. John, wait outside."

"Alright," he shrugged, leaving, while Hotch led Ryan into the other room.

"So Ryan, Tell me what happened." He asked as the boy sat down across from him.

"We were all hanging around the school yard, waiting for Kurt's dad to get here, to let us in. We get to go in before everyone else,since his dad is principle and all."

"What do you do when you get here early?"

"Hang around, do homework we didn't do the night before. Mess in the computer lab. That morning we were going to shoot some hoops and lift weights- it is off season."

"Go on," Hotch made a mental note to have Garcia run the school's internet history.

"Well, Kurt's dad was running a little late, so we decided to go see if another teacher was in the building…we walked up the steps, we had already seen the head. We figured it was some senior prank or something, you know how it goes. But then I noticed the blood and stuff. Kurt was seriously tripping. He nearly threw up. John, just stood there like he lost his voice. I called the police."

Hotch nodded, jotting down notes as he continued to question the teenager.

.

.

"So Kurt, why don't you tell me what happened?"

"Well, we decided to meet up early, play some hoop in the gym. My dad will let us in early, when no one's around. But he was running late for some reason."

"Do you know why?"

"Naw, I don't really talk to him a lot. We aren't very close. Anyway, we decided to go see if or was here, they work in the office. We started up the steps, trash talking the lame head prank the seniors were trying to pull. But man, we got up there and it was a freaking head. A real one. I thought I was going to be sick, I started freaking out. John was like paralyzed. Ryan called the police, he was the only one who kept a cool head. I mean, his dad was a cop. I guess he is used to weird stuff."

"Was a cop?"

"He was killed when his car crashed a few years ago."

"I see. Did you notice anything else unusual?"

"No. We didn't see anyone hanging around if that is what you mean."

"I see. Thank you for your time."

"Hold up!" Kurt grabbed his bag, digging around for a moment before pulling out a book. "Can you sign this? I am like a huge fan of yours. I saw you speak in DC last year."

Rossi chuckled before signing the book and handing it back to the boy.

"Thanks Bro," He shook Rossi's hand before leaving the older man to sit and ponder.
_

"Their stories check out." Rossi informed the rest of the team as they entered the office. "Everyone had the same story and John even supplied some extra details; the only other person on the property was the Janitor and he has an alibi; he is on the schools security camera from the time he arrived to the end of the day. No cars were around and they didn't see anyone hanging around.

"Maybe they planned the stories?" Emily asked. "We have to look at this from all angles.

"No, I don't think so. They were just a couple of teenage boys fooling around before school. If they planned what they were going to say, they would have sounded more monologued. Each one was relaxed and willing to talk. I got called a bro," Rossi frowned. Morgan snickered and Rossi gave him a dirty look.

"Emily and I found some metal plates in the middle of the road around the area where his tire blew out. Garcia is looking into that now."

"And the school history," Hotch commented.

"And the financial records of McDonnel," Spencer added.

"Poor woman," JJ shook her head.

"Only other think we found was some ruts on the side of the road, like someone had pulled over and got stuck in the mud."

"The rain had washed any tire tread away so it was useless."

Hotch sighed,running a hand over his nape before yawning. "It is getting late. Let's find a place to stay and sleep on this. Maybe Garcia will have something for us in the morning."

"This isn't looking very good," JJ frowned as they stood up, heading for the SUV's.

"No, it isn't," Spencer agreed. Something wasn't right and he had a feeling it was right under their noses. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep until his figured it out- he just hoped he would catch it before something bad happened.

"If we don't find something soon, a killer is going to be roaming free. A killer who is very dangerous."

"This is bad," Was Hotch's only comment.