A week and a half had passed since their first date and Emily was taking the lead for their second, she wanted it to be just as special as their first, but she'd never really been that great at planning dates. Emily would be perfectly happy just ordering takeout and cuddling up on the couch to watch a movie, but she wasn't sure that would be good enough. She wanted JJ to have a good time, while also doing something a bit more exciting. When she couldn't think of anything on her own, she turned to the one person she knew would have plenty of dating experience and hopefully, some creative ideas.
"Derek, I need your help," Emily admitted.
"Princess? Asking me for dating advice?" Derek grinned in mock surprised.
"Shut up, I'm being serious!" Emily said, her shoulders slumping slightly in embarrassment. Derek's expression turned genuine, as he put his hand up to use his fingers to coax her into continuing. Emily sighed, "Me and JJ's first date was perfect, it was romantic and fun and now I have to figure out what we should do this weekend, but I am totally stumped. Please help me."
Derek pursed his lips, tapping them thoughtfully with his finger as he thought. It was rare for Emily to ask his advice on anything, and as easy as it would be for him to poke fun at her, he could tell she was stressing out. She had been his wingman for years, the least he could do was help her try to woo JJ.
"Oh! What about the national botanic garden? They have a Christmas light show every night right now, I saw something about it on a billboard," Derek offered.
Emily's eyes lit up, "Yes! Oh my god, Derek, you're a genius! That's absolutely perfect, I think it's supposed to be pretty nice weather this weekend too. A stroll through the gardens is perfectly festive and romantic."
She gave him a side hug in appreciation before settling into her desk so she could pull up the website to check out all of the details about the event. She was so engrossed in her planning, she didn't even notice JJ walk up behind her.
"What are you looking at?" JJ asked. Her question made Emily jump, as she slammed her laptop shut before turning to smile at JJ.
"Nothing, just e-mails," Emily lied. JJ narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but didn't pry any further. Emily cleared her throat slightly, "Uhh, I was actually wondering though. Are you free this Saturday?"
JJ sighed in relief, after ten days since they went out, she was starting to worry Emily might not want to go on a second date. Part of her was wondering if she'd offended Emily somehow because of her lack of understanding about Emily's sexuality, but in the time since Emily came out to her, JJ had secretly been doing a bit of reading online, so she could be supportive.
"I am free," JJ replied, a dopey grin pulling at the corners of her mouth. "Are you asking me out, Agent Prentiss?"
"Oh, just get a room, you two!" Garcia laughed as she entered the bullpen to see JJ and Emily grinning at each other, which is pretty much all they'd been doing since their last date.
Emily and JJ both blushed at the suggestion, turning away in opposite directions to avoid each other's eye. It was obvious the sexual tension between them had been building ever since their undercover operation in Alabama, and it was genuinely flustering for Emily in particular. It wasn't like she'd never had sex with people she dated, but it had been a few years since she last felt any type of interest in sex. Her injuries and recovery after Doyle left her feeling a bit uncomfortable in her own body, so much so that she didn't even feel the urge to masturbate much anymore. But this thing with JJ, the spark that started that night at the bar, was growing in the pit of her stomach and it was startling to feel that way again. She still wasn't quite sure if that was something she'd want to explore with JJ or not, but she was glad to know JJ wasn't sitting around waiting for something that might not happen. JJ's reaction to Emily's coming out had been refreshing, at least Emily knew that wherever their relationship went from here, she wouldn't feel pressured to do something she wasn't comfortable with.
Garcia glanced between JJ and Emily, chuckling at how ridiculous the two women were as they exchanged soft smiles like two timid teenagers. "Sorry to break up the Love Boat, but we've got a case."
"Another?" Derek groaned as he took a file from Garcia.
"Sorry, Chocolate Thunder. Serial killers don't sleep and neither will the brave warriors of the BAU!" Garcia exclaimed over her shoulder, while they all made their way to the round table room.
"As long as we're back by Saturday, right Emily?" JJ whispered, gently nudging Emily's shoulder while winking at her. Emily nodded eagerly.
As soon as everyone got in the round table room, Hotch pulled up the case files on the projector. "Alright, let's get started."
The team was being requested on a case in Boulder, Colorado, where two women had been discovered in shallow graves in the Rockies. The most recent victim's time of death estimated to be a few weeks before, meaning their killer was currently active, and the team would need to work quickly to prevent another murder int eh small college town. They went through the preliminary evidence, bouncing a few ideas back and forth to get an idea of what they would be looking for.
"Wheels up in 40," Hotch concluded, once the team was properly briefed. They all dispersed to grab their belongings and go-bags before making their way to the jet. Within an hour, they were already in the air on their way to Colorado.
Garcia had just gotten the identification of the victims and sent it through while the team was in the air. Reid looked at the photos, "Both victims were blonde, females 5'6" and petite."
The team all took a minute to rest their eyes on JJ who seemed to be unphased by the victimology, while she read through the case file. "The fact that he strangled the victims and buried them in shallow graves would usually indicate the unsub has little regard for his victims. However, look at the appearance of the most recent victim. Her hair is done, she has a manicure and lipstick on. This indicates he is dressing them up in some sort of ritual maybe before killing them."
Emily tried to ignore the knot in her stomach about the victims' similar physical appearance to JJ. It wasn't the first case where the victims resembled some aspect of one of the team members, JJ especially since serial killers really seemed to love blondes, but there was something about this case that was already raising her hackles. She figured it was probably just because now that she and JJ were romantically involved, she felt a bit more protective of her.
Emily went back to reading the police report in her lap, "Heather Lowry and Jessica Tunnel, both students at CU Boulder. Both reported missing. Heather, a junior, was last seen on campus, three months ago. Jessica, a senior, went missing after a soccer game only one month ago. This unsub probably has ties to the university and we can't rule anyone out as a suspect."
"Look at the way the victims are positioned, he took the time to make sure they looked presentable, and wrapped them in a blanket before burying them. It's like he's idolising them, maybe these women were surrogates for someone he looks up to? If this guy has already taken two women within a handful of months, we're working against the clock," Derek added.
Hotch nodded affirmatively, "We're going to have to get ahead on this one. JJ, Emily, you two go to the dump site. Reid, you and Morgan, go to interview the victims' families. Rossi and I will talk to local PD. Two women murdered from such a small campus is sure to have this town on edge, we need to really hit the ground running as soon as we land."
By the time JJ and Emily arrived at the crime scene with local PD another two bodies had been discovered near to the original dump site. The coroner's first estimate placed time of death at 6 months and a year, respectively. Each body matched the victomology, blonde with blue eyes. Both presented with the hints of well manicured appearances despite decomposition.
"Do we have IDs on these two yet?" Emily asked while a local officer led her and JJ on the short hike into the forest where the dump site was located.
"We're thinking they're Emma Hogan and Juliet Rogers," the officer read from his notepad. "It's a small town, it didn't take long for word to spread and sure enough, these two match another two missing persons reports. Families are waiting to positively identify these two once the coroner gets them back down the mountain."
"Were they students here?" JJ inquired.
"Yes ma'am. Emma was a 20 year old sophomore, she's been missing for six months. And Juliet was a 19 year old freshman, missing over a year."
"The earlier victims were younger, maybe he was working his way up to his most recent kill," Emily noted.
They followed the police into the woods and found the dump site about a mile in. Hikers had come across one of the bodies after a recent rain storm had cleared away enough dirt to reveal a hand protruding from the earth. Local crime scene investigators had made good time in digging out the body and police dogs were responsible for locating the other graves. The graves were scattered over a quarter mile radius all with the same distinctive burial ritual. Each victim was wrapped in a blanket before being buried, and from what they could tell, each of the victims was dressed up.
"We haven't seen homicides like this in Boulder," the officer explained as he covered his nose from the smell, trying hard not to get too close to the graves. "Last thing we need is another scandal on our hands. The last one nearly ruined our small town way of life."
"1996, right? Jonbenet Ramsey?" Emily asked.
"That's right ma'am. It's a damn shame what happened to that little girl. This year marks the sixteen year anniversary. Boulder never really fully recovered from that, we always have people coming up here to poke around, trying to solve that case."
JJ and Emily were led around the crime scene, noting the terrain and the distance covered, while tossing theories back and forth. Despite their flirtatious behaviours with each other while at the BAU, once they were in the field they were nothing but professional around each other. Although at one point, JJ did have to pull her eyes away from the way Emily's butt looked in her cargo pants, but that was her little secret.
"Thanks Officer, I think we've seen what we need. I'd like to be out of these woods before dark," JJ replied. She had always had a thing about the woods and she didn't fancy being stuck in the middle of the wilderness once the sun went down with a killer on the loose.
The officer drove Emily and JJ back to the precinct where they met up with Hotch and Rossi. The four poured over case files including information about the two most recent victims, while awaiting Reid and Morgan's return. Once the team was back in one place, they began to build a profile of what they knew so far.
"Wait, didn't you say Jessica Tunnel went missing after a soccer game?" JJ asked Reid. Reid nodded to confirm. "Look, I don't know about the rest of these women, but when I played soccer there was no way in hell I would have manicured nails like hers. They would chip too easily, it just wasn't worth the time or money to get them done."
"We also found out that the third victim, Emma Hogan, was not a natural blonde. As a matter of fact, her mother was under the impression she had never dyed her hair at all, but she was clearly blonde at time of burial," Morgan added.
"That's similar to what the Medical Examiner's report said about Heather Lowry. She was blonde, but she had brown eyes. She was wearing blue contacts when she was killed," Reid noted as he skimmed through the report.
"So what do we think? This guy is dying their hair and primping them up? For what?" Emily asked.
"The victims age range is what has me confused. Victims ascending in age as time passes? It's as if he is trying to create the perfect woman as they age," Rossi mentioned as he combed through a case file.
"JJ, what did that Officer say about Jonbenet?" Emily realized suddenly.
"He said this year is the sixteen year anniversary," JJ looked at Emily without understanding the significance at first. When suddenly it clicked, "Oh god. Jonbenet would have been about 22 this year."
"He's trying to make a modern day beauty queen," Hotch replied. The team sat back and processed this new bit of information. "I think we're ready to give the profile."
The team gathered with the LEO's to go over what they had found. "We're looking for a white male, in his early 40s, he would have extensive knowledge about the Ramsey case in '96. He could be linked in some way, we won't rule out media personnel at the time or those that were close to the family. Something triggered him to start killing a year ago, we think the fifteenth anniversary and the annual media attention was probably what sparked him to take his first victim." Hotch explained.
"We're looking for someone with ties to both the Ramsey case and the University of Boulder, most likely he works on campus, since he seemingly knows the victims' ages," Emily stated. "This unsub probably has minor prior arrests, such as stalking or breaking and entering. Nothing too violent or he wouldn't have passed a background check to work around students."
"This unsub is unique seeing as, other than age, he doesn't have a preference in women. His blonde hair, blue eyed victimology happens after he abducts them. Emma Hogan's hair was dyed blonde so he will go to any lengths to alter his victims' appearance to suit his needs," Reid chimed in. "This could indicate the victims are chosen because they're easy targets or just convenient to him, versus choosing them based on what they look like."
"Two weeks from now, Christmas will mark the 16th anniversary of the Jonbenet case and we think he'll escalate quickly," JJ added. "Women who are staying around the campus for the holiday should be warned about this potential danger and shouldn't be alone after dark."
Hotch concluded the meeting and went to speak with the officer in charge of the case. The rest of the team went their separate ways to work on how they would catch the unsub, but Emily hung back with Reid int he conference room. It had been a couple of weeks since their argument in Alabama, and Reid was still giving Emily the cold shoulder.
"Reid, we have to talk about this. We can't keep avoiding each other. I've told you I'm sorry, I don't know what else to say. I've done my best to prove to you that my loyalties lie with this team. You guys are my family, I need us to be able to work together again," Emily begged. "I miss you."
Reid sighed and sat down heavily in a nearby chair. "Yeah, I miss you too, but I'm still hurt. I thought you were dead, Emily. I went to JJ's house for ten weeks, crying on her sofa because I thought I'd never get the chance to tell you..." Reid trailed off as he realized Emily truly had no idea how he felt about her, no one did as far as he knew and he wasn't going to admit that now, especially since she and JJ were apparently dating all of a sudden.
"Tell me what?" Emily asked as she sat down next to him. "Reid, you can tell me anything. You're like my little brother, I know I've damaged your trust in me, but please let me try and earn it back."
"That's just the thing," Reid said as he let out a sigh, "You think of me as a kid. You always have."
"Reid, I didn't mean it like that," Emily stated as she tried to recover. "I just mean I've always felt close to you, and I don't want us to have secrets anymore. You're the sibling I've never had, I miss being friends with you. You can tell me anything, you know that."
"It's nothing," Reid lied. "If I say I forgive you can we just forget about this and focus on the case?"
"Do you? Forgive me?"
"Yes, Emily. I forgive you," Reid said flatly as he got up and left the room in frustration.
Emily still sat at the table, looking at the door he'd just stormed out of. She knew he was upset about the cover-up, but there was clearly something he was hiding from her, and she didn't have the faintest idea as to what it could be. Derek passed Reid on his way back tot he conference room and swore Reid was crying, but when he tried to stop Reid to ask if he was alright, the younger agent just pushed past him.
Derek came into the room and saw the dumbfounded look on Emily's face. He looked back over his shoulder to where Reid had disappeared to and nodded knowingly.
"He finally told you?" Derek asked.
"Told me what?" Emily replied, still confused as to what the hell was going on.
"You really are oblivious, aren't you?" Derek questioned. He took a chair and spun it around backwards to sit down next to her. "Emily, the reason Reid's been so pissed off since you came back is because he's into you. The boy is practically in love with you, and he thought you died. So cut him some slack, as hard as it was on everyone, I think it was hardest on him."
Emily chuckled, rolling her eyes as she looked at Morgan. "Ha, ha, ha. That's ridiculous. If no one wants to tell me what's really going on here, how am I supposed to try and make it right?"
Derek stared at her, not an ounce of sarcasm in his expression. "Princess, I know it sounds like a joke, but I'm serious. After your...," Derek paused, still not used to talking about the funeral they all attended. "After you...left, he believed he missed his chance to be real with you. Then all of a sudden you're back, and don't get me wrong, I'm obviously grateful my best friend isn't dead, but the kid's still struggling."
Emily sat with her mouth gaping open in disbelief, Reid was certainly not her type in any way, shape or form, not that he knew that. She had to resist the urge to shudder at the awkward thought of Reid being romantically attracted to her.
"What am I supposed to do with this information?" Emily asked honestly.
"Give it time," Derek said. "He'll recover. Just let him do it in his own way. And don't you dare tell him I said anything!"
Emily crossed her heart with her finger and smiled in agreement. She wasn't planning to say anything at all about this to Reid, lest she accidentally lead him on. Her mind was reeling as each question felt like it led to even more questions.
How could she be such an astute profiler and have absolutely no idea that Reid felt like that about her? How long had he felt that way? This had obviously been going on since before she had gone to Paris, what else had she missed?
She felt overwhelmed by the sudden realization that perhaps she had damaged her relationships with the team further than she had imagined. And as much as she wanted to try and unpack that thought, Emily knew she had to put her personal drama aside for the time being, there was a serial killer on the loose and she needed to be at the top of her game to help the team bring him in.
She opened a case file and went to work, pushing any thoughts of Reid out of her mind. They had two weeks before the anniversary of Jonbenet Ramsey's death, and the bad feeling Emily felt on the jet was slowly getting worse. She wanted to close this case as quickly as possible