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A/n hey all thanks for your kind reviews. Here is the next chapter.

His brain shut down, but only for a couple of minutes. Something nudged him in the stomach and he jumped back from her soft body and her warm lips.

"What was that?"

"What?" She reached for him and pulled him close.

There was another tiny little bump on his stomach. "Oh my God," He said softly.

"The baby moved," Tears were falling, but this time she looked so happy.

"Oh wow… Um, what's it like?" He asked her.

"Like nothing I ever felt before. I… ah I felt little flutters moving around in my stomach, but nothing this strong till now." Something shadowed her eyes and instinctively he knew that something more was happening and that she lied to him.

"Emily…"

"I can't believe it… It's like it's really happening now."

The shadow was gone and he wondered if he had imagined it.

"Are you freaked out?" Emily said, putting her hand on her belly

"No… Why would I be freaked out?" He asked. "May I…" He gestured to her stomach.

She took his hand and put it on one side of her stomach. There was another very small movement under his fingers. Warmth spread from the tips of his fingers that were in contact with her stomach, all the way up his arm and to his head. His heart stuttered and his brain went weird again.

"It's wonderful!" He breathed. "I can't believe I'm feeling our baby move. It's like a dream come true, thank you Emily."

"Why are you thanking me?" She said in astonishment.

"For giving me the opportunity to be a father," He said.

"Reid I -"

"You're making it possible for me to be what my father wasn't. I'm always going to be there for my baby. I promise you that."

"I know you will. I never doubted that for one minute."

They stood looking at each other for several long minutes till the ringing of a phone inside the police station reminded him of what they were supposed to be doing.

"Oh God… Here we are talking and -"

"Yeah," She looked like she had come out of a dream.

"I'm so sorry Reid!"

"Why?"

"I just kissed you and we're supposed to be working and -"

"It's okay."

"No… I mean I - I have to just tell you. I love you Reid."

His face got hot and he looked around to see if anyone had come out of the precinct. They were alone there in the darkness with the stars and the full moon above them spilling its white light over them. It should have been romantic but there was only pain in his heart. She didn't mean it and he knew it.

"You don't mean that Emily. It's your hormones. A woman's hormones during pregnancy fluctuate very wildly and -"

Her face crumpled under his tone. She began to cry again. "Emily…"

"No. We need to get back to work." She whispered.

Then she left him standing there kicking himself for always saying what came to his head without censoring it. When was he going to learn to think before he spoke? He kicked at the door as he went back into the building.

---

Emily rotated the muscles of her neck again. Her back was beginning to throb and her head felt like it was going to split open.

Hotch and the others had finally returned from their interviews. Now she stood in the little police station watching Hotch give the profile they'd managed to piece together.

"We're looking for a white male in his late twenties to early thirties. He's a preferential offender that has no trouble blending into small towns. The fact that he hunts in small towns and not in larger cities could mean that he grew up in a small town. It may also mean that feels comfortable in smaller area."

"The lack of forensic evidence at the scene suggests that he's familiar with forensics or he watches television. Either way, it's a very effective counter measure against capture." Morgan added.

"The positioning of the bodies face down is very telling." Reid went on with his hands stabbing the air in counter point to his voice. "He cleans them and leaves them face down. Besides the benefit of counter measures, it could be a sign of remorse. Also, it could be an insult to the body, turning the child face down shows certain contempt for his family. There is much confusion in the positioning of the body. He doesn't want to be caught, but he's making his own signature this way. And the stocking around the throat is a signature as well. It also allows him to control the rate of suffocation, prolonging the moment."

"He hasn't contacted the media because he has contact with the bodies or at least the area where the boys were found. This tells us that he's local to this area. He has a job that allows him time away to stalk his victims in other areas. Still, he has limited time for his activities which might account for the six month spread between victims."

"You should be looking at anyone in town that leaves on a regular schedule every six months and spends much of that time out of touch. Any traveling salesman or migratory workers are good candidates." Rossi said.

The five deputies and the state police went back to work with the new information. Constable Blevins stopped Hotch as he was heading back to their corner desk.

"All of my men are working this case. No one is sleeping until we get this guy."

Hotch gave him a slight, but grim smile. "We'll do the same."

"We're running out of time…" The Constable posed as a fact and not a question.

"We know from the time the boys disappeared and the time they were found was two days. The coroner's report says that the TOD is twenty-four hours after they go missing."

"What does he do with them for the other twenty-four hours?"

"We don't know."

---

Deputy Stanton stepped out of the hallway to the rest room. He blocked Reid on his way back to trying to do something with the geographical profile.

"So… having trouble with Emily Prentiss," He said with a smirk that was as cold as the artic wind.

"Excuse me!"

"I thought you should know that I heard your conversation with the lovely Agent Prentiss. You two should be more careful."

Reid's heart began to thump, but he kept his face as calm as he could. "I don't know what you think you heard -"

"I understand my man." Reid was stunned when the taller man slung an arm around his shoulder as though they were suddenly best friends. "Agent Prentiss is hot!"

Reid didn't speak. It was his experience that bullies often turned to more interesting prey if you ignored them. Not getting a reaction often made them mad or bored.

"Dr. Reid, I'm a bit disappointed in you. I thought you'd be one that would brag about getting into her pants."

"Is that a fact?"

"Yeah, I mean you're not exactly Agent Morgan. I'm sure he can get any woman he wants into his bed. You're just the token FBI nerd."

Reid let a laugh leave his mouth. Deputy Stanton's eyebrows went up and his green eyes quit twinkling.

"What's so funny Dr. Reid?"

"I've known bullies like you my whole life. I know exactly how to deal with you."

"Oh really, and what is that?"

"I'll just walk away."

"Then you're more stupid than I thought."

The icy tone of the deputy had Reid turning back to look at him. "Really… How?" He squeaked and immediately cursed himself for the implied weakness.

"You should be worried about your lovely lady and your baby. You never know when a word in the wrong ear…" His eyes went over Reid's shoulder.

Reid turned around and saw that the deputy was looking at Hotch, who was talking to Morgan and Rossi. Reid schooled his face into appropriately fearful lines and turned back to the deputy.

"You're right… We should be more careful."

"I knew you'd see it my way. I'm sure that you wouldn't mind sharing in your good fortune."

Reid's stomach turned over. "I'm surprised that you -"

"Reid! What are you doing man?" Morgan's voice wove through the room to them. He'd never been so relieved to hear his friend's voice in his life.

"Sorry, I was just -"

"We were just discussing the profile. Your Dr Reid has some wonderful insight into this man. I'm sure we'll find the little boy very soon."

Deputy Stanton went back to his desk leaving Reid to stare after him. "Hey… we have a little boy to find." Morgan said clapping him on the back with one hand.

"I know… I'll be right back."

He ignored Morgan calling after him. He left the station and climbed into a vacant SUV that had been left unlocked. He pulled out his phone and dialed a familiar number.

"You've reached the pinnacle of all things cyber. Speak and be recognized."

"Garcia…"

"Hey there sweet cheeks. What can I do for you?"

"Um… I need you to look into someone and get back to me personally."