I do not own…

The week had passed fast and Kagome was thankful that the Ripper hadn't left her anymore gifts. So far it was quiet for her but for Will and Jack it was another story. In the last few days the Ripper has left a few bodies for them. With one of the bodies Will didn't believe it was Ripper as the killer felt different and the body wasn't missing any organs. The next night was Hannibal's special dinner party. Kagome had hoped she could go with Will to this but sadly he declined as he didn't feel comfortable in these types of parties. She was a bit sad but she understood as she felt the same. The only reason she came was because she had promised and agreed out of politeness, so she couldn't back out.

At the party Kagome stayed around with Rogar and Carl. They were fun to be around and they gave her tips and gossip about everyone that was at the party. Like the fact half the women there were admires and love interest of Hannibal. A woman that was maybe two and three years older than her, named Alana Bloom, is one of them. She's in the same field as Hannibal, works for the FBI, and was once one of his students at Hopkins.

"Oh lord, looks like little Miss. Paris is here, trying to win him back." Carl whispered

"Who?" Kagome asked

"Short hair blonde in the most revealing and obvious dress." Roger informed her before taking a sip of his champagne.

Kagome saw the woman talking to a few people but always glanced over to kitchen doors, where Hannibal is.

"Eleanor Bellrose, French Violinist prodigy. She and Hannibal dated back like...what was it, Carl, three years ago?" Roger said

"Five. Only lasted for six month and she's still pining after him." Carl said "Would feel sorry for her if she wasn't such a horrid person. Makes you wonder what he ever saw in her?"

"And I would stay clear of her if I were you, Kagome." Roger said

"Me? Why?" Kagome asked

"Come on Kagome, have you not noticed the way the good doctor looks at you." Carl said "He has his eyes on you now. And if she gets wind of that, she'll be after you."

Kagome couldn't help but roll her eyes before taking a sip of her glass of champagne.

"I've dealt with worse. And I don't see Hannibal in that way." She said

The doorbell rang and Alana, who played the hostess, went to check who it was. Will had dropped by to give Hannibal a bottle of wine for his party as a thank you gift. When he was about to leave he spotted Kagome talking to Carl and Roger. She was such a beautiful sight that he forgot that he was leaving. When Hannibal cleared his throat Will remembered where he was and left without being seen. Kagome almost saw him leave but Hannibal rang a little bell to announce that dinner was ready. When everyone gathered in the dining room they were all at awe at the sight of the food.

"Told you, the man knows how to host a party." Carl whispered to Kagome.

At the beautiful sight of the dinner table everyone applauded until Hannibal raised his hands to silence them.

"Before we begin, you must all be warned, nothing here is vegetarian." He said "Bon appetit."

After that everyone sat down and started serving themselves. Hannibal looked at everyone with a smile before taking his wine glass and inhaled it. His eyes landed on Kagome and was glad to see her enjoying herself with Rogar and Carl. Though he did wish that she was sitting next to him, but he knew in time, she will be. Eleanor, who was sitting on his right, noticed his glance toward Kagome. She tried to get his attention as she slid her foot against his leg. He noticed this but didn't give her the reaction she wanted from him. The man simply looked at her that told her to stop before continuing eating. Eleanor knew he meant it and stopped. She wanted to pout but wouldn't infront of others. So she took a sip of her wine as she sent a glare at Kagome.

"Looks like, little Miss Paris, knows about you now." Rodger whispered "She's glaring at you."

Kagome didn't need him to tell her that as she could feel the woman's glare. She was just glad that the woman didn't try anything but she guessed it was only because Hannibal was keeping an eye on her. After dinner the three were ready to head out. They thanked and congratulated their host for a wonderful evening before leaving. When Kagome got to her apartment she was greeted by Bear and she was happy to get out of the dress and into her comfy pajamas. Before she could go to bed she noticed a message on her answer machine. She smiled when she heard that it was from Will. He told her that he was sorry that he didn't say hello or say anything to her and wanted to invite her to dinner at his house. When the call ended her smile turned soft with a blush. Now this dinner invite she didn't mind going. Agreeing that she will call him tomorrow she turned off the lights and went to bed.

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A few weeks later…

The moment Kagome entered her office floor she was barbarding with a new patient case. From the look of the files it was a 10 year old girl named Sindy Cooper who is Autistic and can't talk or keep eye contact. Her teacher had called her in as she had a stroke in class and they found strange bruise marking on her body. The boss placed her in Kagome's care as she knew how to deal with autistic children better than the rest. Only Sindys' father, George Cooper, had come to the hospital and was surprised that she was able to calm her down so easily. For communication it wasn't hard Sindy used her tablet as her voice.

Kagome had her usual test to check how the girl was. She mental frowned when she sensed Sindys' aura and her soul was very low. Whatever is harming or draining her, would have killed her the next day. The strange bruises, in medical terms, could be a blood clotting or a blood disease or …someone has been hurting her.

After doing a few diagnoses and tests it was her lunch hour. Kagome was gonna go to her office to eat but Mr. Cooper had an important business call he had to deal with and asked if she or a nurse could stay with Sindy. Kagome had volunteered to stay as Sindy was more comfortable with her. The nurses were kind enough to take Bear out on a walk and let him go to the bathroom. The two had a nice lunch together. They ate their meals in peace and after she ate Sindy had asked Kagome to read to her while she drew. Sindy wanted her to read "The Witches" by Ronld Dahl. Kagome raised a brow at this as she remembered that it was a bit dark for a children's story. The little girl didn't mind the story as her aunty used to read it to her when she used to visit. Seeing that this book was her favorite she decided to read it. She had just finished chapter three when Will came by with Bear.

"Hello Will." Kagome smiled

"Sorry for coming in like this but the nurse you would be in here and…I thought I could bring Bear up for you." He said

"Thank you. This is Sindy." Kagome said "Sindy, this is a good friend of mine, Will Graham. Can you say hello?"

Sindy tapped on her tablet and a robotic voice said "Hello. Will."

Will smiled at this.

"Are you busy?" He asked Kagome.

"Well we just finished learning how to spot a witch." Kagome said and looked at Sindy. "I think that'll be enough for now. You should get some rest. I'll have Bear lay down with you."

Sindy nodded before closing her eyes and lay down.

"Bear, keep her safe." Kagome said

The Newfoundlander dog lay down next to the young girls' bed while she and Will left the room.

"So what do I owe this surprise visit?" She asked as they entered her office.

"Sorry but it's work related." Will said as he sat down in one of the chairs. "I believe you have heard of the Black Creek Killings."

"I try not to but yes I have since the news talked about it." Kagome said

Three kids were found by hikers at Black Creek banks. Edward, Anna, and Gindon, the children of Ellie and Andrew Marlin. The whole family and the babysitter were killed a week ago and no one knew who the killer was. The babysitter Mary was hacked to pieces, Andrew Marlin's neck was twisted and Ellie looked like she was deboned. No one knew where the children were until two days ago. From what the reporters could get the children were eaten. This was the second family that ended up like this.

"I don't know how much I can help you guys this time, Will. I'm pretty swamped with work right now." She said

"I won't keep you long. It's just that I remember Richard telling me that you are great with the…uh unnatural world and at recognizing Occults." He said

"I think you mean the supernatural." She said

"Yes. We found this symbol on one of the doors of the house, and on two trees. One near the house and near the Creek." He said

He showed photos of the symbol. It looked like a triangle with horns. Kagome nearly froze at the sight of it as she knew what this symbol was and what it belonged to.

"You've seen something like this?" Will said

"Yes…but…I don't think you'll like my answer." She said as she sat down at her desk. "If this has something to do with the occult then it's a woman doing this. To tell you this I need you to have an open mind. This is a witch's mark. The Mark of the Slip-skin Hag. Legends say she's a thousand year old witch that wears the skin of the mother of the family and eats the children's targets. She'll charm the father and the two will kill off anyone that gets between her and her food source."

"Sounds like a Hansel and Gretal story." He muttered

"Not all witches are evil, Will. Just the ones that dabble in the dark arts." She said "Sadly, children are their main food source to gain youth. The younger they are, the longer they stay alive. How young were the other kids that were taken?"

"The Gomez family 9, 7, and 3. And the Marlins family 12, 6 and 3." He said

"If this person is following the Slip-skin hag legend she wouldn't go for a child over 13." She asked

"The three year olds would have been easier targets to take but why go after the other kids?" Will muttered

"If the siblings' bonds are strong they would do anything for one another, even follow the person holding the weaker one hostage." She said "I would for my brother."

"So they'll be looking for a family with a strong bond." Will said

"It is hard to find a family that has that kind bond." She said "How long apart were the families' killed?"

"Two weeks." He said

"Enough time for her to look around and target a new family." She said "And a week has already passed. So she already has a target. Question is who could it be."

After work Kagome headed home and started looking at her little library that had some lore for her research. She believed that this could be her missing clue for Emilys' death. From what Richard could find on her Emily was last seen with her mother. Three days later Emilys' mother's body but from what the forensic found she was already dead before Emily went missing. Emily had two older siblings but they were at the age of 13 and 15, too old for the Hag.

"This was also 30 years ago so maybe…she had changed her routine." She muttered "But why… Monsters don't change their rituals unless something makes them. What made her change targets? Could it be that they were easier targets."

Kagome looked through Emilys' case, the lore of the slip-skin witch and the website of where the houses were. In one of the books she found out that the Hag hideout was on an old ancient tree, where she would hide her victims underground. She looked up on her laptop to search for any old trees chopped down in the last month near Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia. The latest tree that she could find was a Wye Oak tree that was burned down last month, nearly burning down the whole woods. From what she could find the person that was arrested for it was a 17 year old boy. He was placed in a mental institution when he said he was trying to kill the Witch that killed his little brother. She didn't have much leverage to gather other cases with the same timeline with missing children. Believing that Richard might, she decided to ask him tomorrow. She would have asked Will but she wasn't sure how much of an open mind he would have on the supernatural.

The next day she had called Richard and he was able to find the boy, his name is Jacob Buller. He was also able to find the institution the boy was placed in. When she was free from her work she headed out to the Institute with Richard. He was one of the few that have seen the supernatural world and knew she could trust him. Kagome decided that if Jacobs story matches with the case she will tell Will and the F.B.I. When they got there the orderlies took them to a room where they could talk to Jacob.

"So…who are you people?" Jacob said

"This is Detective Richard Jackson and I'm Kagome Higurashi." Kagome said "We want to talk about what happened that day your brother died?"

"You think that I'm lying too. Believe that it was all in my head." Jacob scoffed

"No, Jacob. There have been a few missing children in the last month. Their bodies were found but…they were eaten." She said "The fathers of the family were killed and the mothers…looked like they were debone. Like their skin was placed on something else."

Jacob tensed.

"I know that nobody believes in you, Jacob, but I do." She said

"Why would you?" Jacob asked

"I've seen my share of the supernatural. The good and bad of it." She said

"I doubt it." He scoffed

"I come from a long line of Priests and Priestesses. I don't like to brag about it but I've seen my share. I saw my first supernatural creature when I was your age. It…actually took a bite of me." She said

She stood up and showed him her scar bite the demon centipede gave her.

"I was able to kill it before it harmed my family." She said "I did everything I could to protect them, like how I knew you were trying to protect your brother. I want you to tell me what happened that night."

Seeing that she would believe him, Jacob told them what happened. When his mother came back from her trip he noticed that there was something different about her. She would have this coldness in her eyes as she smiled at him and little brother Sam. That she paid more attention to Sam, always smelling him, keeping him close and has been trying to over feed him. The plants around and inside their house have died the moment she passed them. Sam even told him that he saw her crack and twitch her body in unusual ways. Then one day Sam told him that he saw their mother walk in the woods but lost her. Before he turned back he noticed the old Wye Oak tree with strange markings on them. Then Jacob explained how he told him how he heard their mothers voice calling to him. Telling him to go inside the trees, that his mother told him to and each word her voice got darker. Sam ended up running away from the woods. They tried to tell their dad but he didn't believe them or would even listen to them. Then that night happened. They were planning on running away until they spotted their dad on the couch and their mom whispering in his ear. Jacob said that he looked like he was in some kind of a trance. When they both looked at them they ran back upstairs with their dad behind them. Jacob tried to protect Sam the best he could but his dad ended up knocking him out. He woke up and found his dad dead with his head chopped off and his mothers skin next to him. Sam's cries for him were enough to wake him up and hurried towards the woods. He found the tree and his brother being dragged inside by the witch. Jacob ran and grabbed ahold of his brother's hand as he tried to pull him out. The Hag ended up hitting him and her hand left marks on his chest as he was tossed away. When he got up the hole from the tree started to seal itself. It closed completely, blocking him from inside. He yelled and screamed for his brother and for the Hag to give him back.

"I couldn't do anything but dig through the dirt. But I couldn't." Jacob said as tears flowed down from his cheeks.

"Why did you set the tree on fire?" Kagome asked

"I don't know…I remember Hansel and Gretal…it just popped in my head." He said "I wanted to set her on fire. I wanted to kill her. I got the gasoline from my dads' garage and poured it on the tree and set it on fire. I sat there all morning and watched it burn. I heard her scream. I thought I got her. I guess I didn't. She's still out there. Killing more innocent children." He sighed. "Why didn't she take me? Why only Sam?"

"The Hag only goes after younger children because of their lifesource. The younger they are, the longer she can stay alive." Kagome explain

"Do you think you can find her?" Jacob asked "Can you kill her?"

"I promise you, Jacob…I will stop her." She said "When this is over we will get you out of here."

"Can you promise me one more thing?" Jacob asked "Can you find my brother's remains? I want to give him a proper burial."

Seeing the hurt and sadness in his eyes she placed a hand on his and promised him that she would.

When they were done Kagome and Richard headed to Jacob's home to find the tree. They looked at the house first and Richard was able to find the same mark on the garage door that the FBI found on the other houses. Then they went to the woods and found the tree that Jacob burned. It was completely dead and only the bottom trunk of the tree was left. Kagome closed her eyes and tried to hold back her tears as she could feel all their souls down there. Trapped inside, filled with pain, sadness and agony. She walked around, trying to find a way to open it when she stepped on a dead spot and ended up falling down into a cavern.

"KAGOME! KAGOME!" Richard Called "ARE YOU OKAY? CAN YOU HEAR ME? ARE YOU OKAY?!"

Kagome coughed as the dust filled her lungs a bit.

"I'm fine, Richard. I'm good." She said before letting out another cough.

She looked up and saw that she had fallen pretty far.

"I'm gonna get some rope. Hang on." Richard said

Kagome looked around and saw skeletons of small children embedded in the cavern walls.

"And call the FBI." She said "I just found more bodies for them."