"Whoa, Montana, if you're tryin' to break some kinda record you might wanna make sure there's someone else in the room as a witness."

"Danny shut up," she huffed, walking across the room and retrieving the pen she had just chucked at the wall with all the force she could muster.

"I'm just sayin' it doesn't count unless you got a witness."

"I'm about to be the only witness to your murder," she snapped, sitting back down in her chair and glaring at him.

"What'sa matter?"

"I hate this case."

"We all do."

"No, I mean I really, really, really hate this stupid, dead end, horrible, one step behind, makes no sense case."

"Tell me how you really feel."

"Can we honestly still have nothing but starch? Are we seriously so without anything to go on that we're bringing in an FBI profiler even though Mac hates that? This is like… I can't even think of an analogy!"

"So you're just gonna sit there clenchin' your fists and givin' me crazy eyes?"

"Would you rather I pulled my hair out?"

"Nah, this is fine. Here, have chocolate."

He tossed her a small wrapped candy and she grinned.

"You've been holding out on me, partner?"

"Nah, this is Austin's stash she doesn't I know I know she keeps in my desk so Flack won't steal it. So don't tell her I stole some for you, okay?"

"Now we're in cahoots?"

"Weren't we always?"

"Guess so," she said after a moment of thought. "You know I'm telling her next time I see her, right?"

"Yeah, I know. So what right now at the moment is stressing you out about this case?"

"Twelve victims in one month. No leads, no suspect, no pattern."

"And you're wondering who's going to be next and wondering how high the count is going to get before we catch him."

"Yeah. All the victims were alone. That's it. They were alone. What does that mean? Is it even important? Aren't most victims alone at the time of death? Should it make any difference? Should we swing the case a certain way? And if we should, which way is that?"

"You know it's not your job to make those decisions."

"I know but…"

"You can't help it."

"I can't."

"That's why you're good at this job, Montana."

"Stop it, I can't handle it when you're not makin' fun of me. It's like you're speaking a different language."

"It's weird for me too. You said Mac's bringing in a profiler?"

"Yeah. I might have been eavesdropping almost completely on purpose and I heard him talking to Jo about it."

"I think we're all feelin' pretty guilty around here."

"At least it's slowing down. Every three days instead of every other. But still."

"Yeah."

He sighed and grabbed his baseball off the desk, tossing it in the air and catching it while she opened up a game of Spider Solitaire. It wasn't not working, they both just thought better when they weren't looking straight at the case.

"1903, Boston Americans. 1904, no game. 1905, New York Giants. 1906, Chicago White Sox. 1907, Chicago Cubs. 1908, Chicago Cubs. 1909, Pittsburgh Pirates."

"Reciting World Series winners again?"

"Yep. 1910, Chicago Cubs."

"False. Philadelphia Athletics."

"Not."

"I've heard you recite this 100 times. 1910, Philadelphia Athletics beat the Chicago Cubs."

"Oh you're right," he sighed. "I gotta start over. 1903, Boston Americans."

She rolled her eyes as he continued down the list, getting to 1951 before Austin came in the room with a manila folder.

"Hey guys-"

"Danny gave me a piece of your chocolate."

Austin sighed and looked at him.

"I could divorce you for this."

"Could not."

Wrinkling her nose, she opened his desk drawer and pulled out the bag of chocolate, plopping it in Lindsay's lap.

"I think it'll be safer with you."

Lindsay nodded seriously, then stuck her tongue out at Danny and dropped the chocolate into her desk.

"As I was saying, I just got the background and financials back on our latest vic. One speeding ticket two years ago, otherwise clean."

She dropped the file strategically on both their desks but Danny snatched it up first.

"Folder cut," Lindsay grimaced, her finger immediately going to her mouth.

"You're like sharks at feeding time."

"You never taught him ladies first."

"I know ladies first, but you're not a lady, you're a country girl."

"Country girls carry buck knives and are generally proficient at butchering things and walking silently. Chew on that for a minute."

"You two are worse than the kids."

"Oh come on!" they chorused.

"What?"

"Worse than the… Austin you are totally the ringleader," Lindsay said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Sorry baby, but she's got a point. You are always the one to start poke fights."

"More importantly than my occasional immature behavior is the fact that despite the fact that we don't seem to have a pattern here, I think we have a pattern in the fact that we don't have a pattern."

"Huh?"

"Maybe that's the point. These people have nothing in common. They we all alone. They were perceived by the killer as being no one, nothing. They only thing they all share is the manner in which they died."

"So you're sayin' that he's picking off people who are alone? Like it's not just opportunity that they're alone, he's purposefully picking people who are by themselves as a part of his statement?"

"I think so. Linds, you're silent."

"I was just thinking. He's slowing down. Most serials increase their blood lust with every kill. But this guy seems to be winding down. That would indicate a change in his life, or something that interrupts his schedule. That starch we found was on the eighth victim. That's when we started finding a body every three days. That's when he started slowing down."

"You're thinking the starch and the change of pace are connected?"

"I don't know. Maybe he realized he'd left evidence. I mean if this guy is so focused on the last detail, maybe he would know something like that. Did it freak him out? Is he afraid of getting caught so he's giving us less opportunity to find him?"

"Maybe somethin' did change in his life. A new job or something that takes up more of his time."

Lindsay sighed and dropped her head to her hands, wondering if they would ever get a solid break. It was all blue sky conjecture and county fair hogwash and there was nothing concrete about either of those things.

"I think we need to look at those laundry services again. Maybe a frequent customer, or an employee. I know there's a long list but… maybe we get lucky."

"But what do we even look for?"

"I have no idea."

"Maybe that fancy criminal profiler will tell us," Danny said, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his nose where his glasses rested.

"So we sit around and do nothing until he gets here?"

"I dunno, I'm not the boss."

"Thank God," Lindsay and Austin said, snickering.

"You know that talkin' in unison thing? It's annoying."

"He's gonna tell us to cut it out, Aust."

"Or he's never gonna let me see you again."

"Horrible, mean man."

"I hate you both," he grumped, standing up from his chair. "I'm getting coffee and neither one of you are gettin' any."

They watched him go, mocking him until he was out of sight before Austin flopped into the chair by the door.

"You alright Linds?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Tired, frustrated."

"I meant not case wise."

"I'm okay. Do I seem not okay?"

"You seem a little in your head."

"Maybe a little, but I'm alright."

"Just checking. I'd better go. Flack's worse than a mother at midnight. See you later?"

"Yeah. And Aust?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for checking."

"Always."

"Oh, mama's beat little man," Lindsay said, sinking down into the chair and rubbing her eyes.

"How come?"

"Because it was a long day. And being a grown up is hard work."

"Daddy says hard work is good."

"It is good, but it's not always that fun."

"Oh. Daddy gonna put me to bed or you?"

"Want me to do it?"

He shook his head.

"No, daddy can. You tired."

"Are you sure? You don't want me to tuck you in?"

"You don't have to mama," he said, patting her hand. "It okay."

"Hey, you just wait a ripe old minute there dude," she chuckled, grabbing him as he started to walk away. "I'm never, ever too tired to tuck you in if you want me to."

His face brightened and he nodded.

"Okay, you tuck me in."

She smiled and picked him up, galloping into his bedroom while he giggled. She gently tossed him onto his bed and he scrambled under the covers before she could tickle his feet.

"I need my Mo," he said, pointing at the sock monkey in the middle of the floor. She retrieved it for him and he hugged it happily.

"We're going to have to let Mo go for a swim in the washing machine pretty soon."

"No thanks."

"Yeah, he needs to get clean."

"He cannot swim, mama. He cannot go in there."

"I'll put a lifejacket on him first."

"Okay."

"Ready for sleep?"

"I'm gonna dream 'bout playin' in the ocean tonight, okay?"

"Okay."

"You go with me?"

"I would love to," she said, her eyes shining at the unintentional throwback to so many years before.

"Goodnight my mama."

"Goodnight my big boy."

She kissed him gently and left the room, closing the door almost all the way. Adam had finished washing the dinner dishes and was sitting on the couch channel surfing, so she joined him, curling up against him, her head tucked under his chin.

"Glad you're home. Missed you today."

"I missed you too," she said, playing with his ring. "Anything good on?"

"Just sit-coms."

"So no."

"Nope."

"You're a man of few words tonight."

"I'm not feeling so great. Headache."

"Want to go to bed early?"

"Yeah, sounds good."

"You don't look like you want to get up."

"I'm comfortable for a bit."

She smiled and ran her hand over his stomach.

"You been working out?"

"No."

"Yes you have."

"Okay, so sometimes I do it on my lunch break. It's only half an hour."

"It's a nice half hour."

"Okay, stop it now," he chuckled, removing her hand.

"What, are you all embarrassed?"

"No."

She chuckled and leaned up, kissing the underside of his chin.

"You know you don't need the gym, right?"

"It's kinda fun. I actually don't feel like a bumbling idiot there."

"You're not a bumbling idiot, Adam."

"You don't see it because you love me. You don't hear the stuttering because it goes away around you."

"So why does it matter?"

"What?"

"Adam, no one else ever notices it either. Besides, it's just your brain moving way too fast for your mouth. Because you're a genius."

"Linds."

"What? Doesn't matter what you look like to anyone else, just what you look like to me."

"Where did you hear that cockamamie thing?"

"You."

"Oh."

She grinned and traced a finger over his lips.

"I think that I am the luckiest woman in the entire world, and I am sure that there are lots of women that would take one look at you and agree with me."

"You think so?"

"Baby just looking at you makes me drool."

Their eyes met for a second before they burst into laughter.

"You should write Valentines cards."

"Right because someone else on this planet has the same weird sense of humor that we do."

"You never know. You could be a hot commodity."

"I thought I already was."

"Your eyebrows say more than your mouth ever does, waggler."

"How's that headache?"

"You are such a dork my dear."

"Totally okay with that," she said, leaning up to kiss him.

"Am I going senile or did you hear that noise too?"

She turned slowly and looked behind them, grinning at what she saw.

"A little boy snuck out of bed and he's standing in his doorway watchin' us."

"Should I go put him back to bed?"

"Nah, let him stand there. He'll remember it when he's older and he'll think about how much his parents loved each other even when no one was looking."

"You talk pretty."

"I do my best."

"Hey, know what I found today?"

"What?"

"The long lost remote."

"Really? Where was it?"

"Under the couch."

"Why were you looking under the couch?"

"Escaped bottle."

"Alls well that ends well. Now we can actually do more than change the channel."

"I love the power of volume. I chucked the universal remote in the trash."

"Freeing, isn't it?"

"Yes it is. Simple pleasures."

"I like that."

"I'm gone for two days and you solve the case without me?" Lindsay grumped, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yes," Mac answered plainly, amused at her attitude.

"Well what happened?"

"You were right when you said something had made him change his pattern. He'd recently been hired at a laundry service."

"Interesting."

"He did have ODC like we thought, though he couldn't explain why he killed the way he did. We think he may have a compulsion to keep things in pairs. He sees someone walking alone, and he is forced to eliminate them because they are not a part of a pair."

"Score one for the Lonely Hearts Club."

Mac nodded and poured half a packet of sugar into his coffee.

"He's being held pending psychiatric evaluation, but he's not getting out any time soon."

"I would hope not. So what's on the agenda for today?"

He just looked at her until she groaned.

"Paperwork? Why do I always get stuck with paperwork?"

"You have the best handwriting."

"Lindsay has to clean the machines because she knows how. Lindsay has to do the paperwork because she has the best handwriting. Lindsay has to test the urine because she has kids and urine shouldn't gross her out. Well lemme tell ya, urine does gross me out when it's green."

"Don't forget to dot your i's and cross your t's."

"Mac, I say this with the utmost respect. You suck."

He chuckled and she shook her head, grabbing up the mess of files from the last few cases before leaving his office.

"You're mean to her," Jo said with a grin. "What'd she ever do to you?"

"Nothing. It's just fun."

"Fun?"

He shrugged and she laughed.

"You're gonna have to make it up to her someday."

"We'll see."

"Mac," Austin said, exasperated as she came into the room. "You got a spare spot in your desk?"

"What for?"

"My chocolate. Everyone keeps eatin' it! I thought I could trust Lindsay you know? Of all people, she would never eat my chocolate. And I come back and half the bag is gone."

"So basically you're saying you want me to hide it from everyone who might steal it."

"Yes please."

He sighed and took the candy from her, shoving it in the bottom drawer of his desk.

"You didn't see this," Austin whispered to Jo before leaving the room.

"This place is never boring."

"And now you know why I never leave."