"Guys," Morgan walked into the room, a little shaken.
"What?"
"We're crazy!" Morgan threw his hands up in the air!
Hotch looked over at Garcia, who shot her the spinning finger twirling around her ear. Crazy!
"I'm serious!" Morgan thrust the picture at Hotch, "Do you see Maleficiis anywhere in this picture?"
Hotch studied the black and white photo for a second, "No."
"Well the whole police force does! The new detective were working with does to!" Morgan cried, he threw the picture on the table.
He didn't see Garcia pick it up.
"How can we not see her? She's in such an obvious place and she's so... exotic, its hard to miss her!" Morgan cried.
"Where was she baby?" Garcia asked, studying the picture.
"In between the fire eater and the animal tamer." Morgan said tiredly, sitting down and sipping at his warm coffee. He'd have to fix that at some point.
"Umm... My Chocolate Adonis, she is there." Garcia said.
Hours had passed and the whole team, minus a still snoring Prentiss, had been arguing over the photo. Everyone minus the team could see Maleficiis standing in the picture, smiling. But somehow Garcia could see her too.
"This doesn't make sense!" Hotch finally stated unhelpfully.
"I know." Rossi agreed, "Why not go away from it for a moment? We need to focus; how do we secure Orbus?"
Orbus had been sighted near a shopping mall by passers by and street surveilance video. It was obvious the team was going to need to ask him questions. But ever since he'd disapeared at the Hall of Mirrors it was like he'd disapeared off the face of the earth.
Garcia pulled up a map of the mall they had sighted him at. A few beat cops in street clothes were standing around nearby him, watching. They reported in if he so much as scratched his nose!
"He's been seen near the west entrance, and he's just stood there. Like he's waiting for someone. But everytime someone gets near him he hightails it to another spot near the west entrance." Garcia said as the screen zoomed in on the west entrance and little red dots popped up at where he'd been.
"Cops say their ready, they just need the go ahead." Garcia finished.
"Do it." Hotch said.
"Wait!" Rossi interrupted, "We need something to grab his attention, distract him from the other coppers."
"We need Prentiss." Garcia said suddenly.
"What?"
"She was one of the last ones to tangle with him one on one. And he twisted her ankle. To see her still walking around, albeit limping, would distract him long enough for someone to tackle him I bet."
"Just keep him away from the mirrors." Prentiss smiled, walking in and putting her bag down.
"Emily!" Garcia smiled, throwing her arms out for a hug.
Prentiss gave her a hug then turned to Hotch, "I can go now. I'm ready."
Hotch considered it, then nodded and they all headed out toward the SUV.
A car ride and a short Morgan pep-talk later, Prentiss stood about twenty feet away from the man who'd tried to kill her.
The man that looked just like Reid.
Prentiss silently kicked herself. That wasn't Reid! Reid was awkward and kinda funny at times and really smart. This guy was a killer, a kidnapper, and some sort of ghost!
"Prentiss, now!" Rossi whispered into her ear piece.
Prentiss slowly stalked closer and closer while the other cops remained a few steps behind her.
"David?"
That obviously threw him for a minute, Orbus whipped around to see Prentiss standing there dressed completely in black. You couldn't see the bullet vest under the black coat.
"What do-How do you-"
"I know a lot of things, enough to tie you and your friend Maleficiis to all this."
Orbus looked sheepish, lowering his eyes to the ground in shame.
"Im not 'tied' to this!" he exploded, "I have no freakin' choice!"
Then the cop tackled him from behind.]
"We'll figure all that out," Prentiss said stepping closer and leaning down, "When we have you cuffed to a table in an interogation room." she smiled.
Prentiss tried not to look into the room where all she saw was Reid cuffed to a table. He looked small and, with Orbus' outfit, like a little kid in trouble on halloween.
"Prentiss?" Hotch touched her shoulder to get her attention.
"Yes?"
"You okay?"
"No." Prentiss flatlined, walking over and staring at Reid, who coincidentally didn't know he was staring right back.
"What's the problem?"
Prentiss sighed and was silent for a few moments.
"I look in there, and I know thats its some freak show that looks like Reid, but all I can see is Reid! And I don't want to see a terrified Reid cuffed to a table in a small, dark, intimidating interrigation room!" And with that Prentiss stomped out of there. Hotch sighed, he could understand the feeling.
Morgan walked through the door holding a few files.
"Ready." he said depressingly, heading to the door.
"Morgan."
"Yeah?"
"Remember: Its not Reid."
"I know." Morgan forced a plastic half smile on his face before opening the door and walking inside.
Reid's head snapped up in his direction, Reid's face lit up, and Reid's mouth turned up at the corners into a smile.
But it wasn't Reid, it was Orbus making Reid do that.
"Orbus." Morgan nodded in his direction.
"Derek." Orbus smiled.
Morgan sat down and flipped open the file on the top of his stack.
He gently started placing photos infront of Orbus.
The group photo of everyone, with the real Orbus standing beside Lyssa and her parents, a photo of Orbus, and Reid's drivers license photo.
Orbus stared at the group photo intently, focusing on the spot where Maleficiis was supposedly, Morgan still couldn't see her, and where Lyssa was, sitting in her fathers arms smiling at the camera.
"Your not Spencer Reid." Morgan said after awhile.
Orbus looked up and smiled Reid's famous smile, "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I am." Morgan said, "Reid wouldn't run off from his friends and life here. He wouldn't abduct defenseless children, and he wouldn't have dressed up in... that."
Orbus looked down at his outfit with the black trousers, red suspenders, and the weird bow tie with the cicus themed charms at the end of chains.
"Gotta attract a crowd man, only way to get buisness."
"Uh-huh." Mrogan rolled his eyes and pulled out the crime scene photos from when the Circus had burned down all those years ago, taking pleasure when ORbus whinced at the site of his own corpse, Lyssa's and her parents, and the photo of Maleficiis. Morgan had to take that one himself since no one could find one of her anywhere! He was slightly surprised when Orbus sneered at that one, curling his lip back and shriveling his nose in disgust at the sight of her.
"Please take that one away. It is not neccassary." He said suddenely rather stiff, and Morgan saw a trace of fear in his eyes. Mrogan took the photo and placed it back in the folder.
Orbus shook his head and pointed to the window, mouthing something.
"Put it out there!"
Morgan gave him an odd look but got up and knocked on the door, handing the photo to Hotch.
"And put something heavy on it!" Orbus called. "Really heavy!"
"What was that about?" Morgan asked when Hotch had locked the door.
"She can see you when you have her picture." Orbus said, "That's why she disapeared from your photo, atleast for you and most of your team. Dear Penelope can still see her right?"
"Yes." Morgan said, a little shaken.
Orbus nodded, "Thats not good for her." He said grimly.
"How do you know this?"
"You had to take a picture right?" Orbus pointed to where Maleficiis had been in the group shot, "I can see her here, but you cant. When you understand what some of her spells are its easy to guess. Anyway, she can still see me, so I have to be careful."
"Are you helping us?" Morgan finally asked.
Orbus smiled, leaning forward on his elbows and placing his hands between his fists, "Careful Agent, dont want to lose face infront of the suspect do you? I might take advantage of the situation."
Morgan raised an exasperated eyebrow.
"Fine, yes." Orbus said leaning back in his chair.