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They sat across from each other in a tiny booth tucked away in the back of the diner. The soft glow of the overhead lights cast a warm ambience over them as the scent of pastries permeated the space.
The casefile lay open on the table surrounded by pens and sticky notes.
“We have six victims,” Derek Morgan mulled, “all found with their throats slashed. All college students from high socioeconomic backgrounds. It just…” he sighed. “What the hell are we missing here?”
“I know,” Emily Prentiss remarked quietly. “We’re assuming there’s a personal aspect to this, but PG hasn’t found a single connection between them. They all have similar physical characteristics, but that’s where the similarities end.”
Morgan couldn’t help but steal glances at Emily as her dark eyes focused intently on the contents of the file. He’d missed this. He’d missed solving cases with his partner. His whole world had turned upside down when he’d thought she died, and now she was back. He couldn’t help but feel grateful at the opportunity to work with his partner again.
—
Special agents Spencer Reid, Jennifer Jareau, and David Rossi had been sent to the morgue to talk with the ME while everyone else stayed behind at the station. The conference room was buzzing with activity. A few officers milled around as Morgan, Hotch, and Emily huddled around the laptop perched on the cluttered table waiting for Penelope Gacia to connect.
The screen flickered to life.
“Garcia, what have you got for us?”
“Ooh, an audience!” She clapped and leaned closer to the screen. “I found a connection. They were all involved in sororities. Not the same ones: Julissa was in Delta Delta Delta, Lucy was in Gamma Phi Beta, Arli was in Kappa Kappa Gamma, and–”
“Wait, wait.” Morgan interjected with a smirk, “Mama I love you, but I have no idea what any of those words mean.”
“Oh please,” Penelope Garcia’s playful banter lightened the mood. “You mean to tell me that you, Mr. tall, dark, and handsome–”
“Garcia,” Hotch warned, his tone firm with a hint of amusement.
“Right,” Garcia cleared her throat. “They were all involved in separate sororities. But get this, before each of them was taken, some of the other girls reported seeing weird things around their sorority houses.”
“Weird, how?” Hotch asked.
“Well… none of them reported anything to the police, but you know how college students are with social media. There were several reports of items being out of place and multiple mentions of a red toyota around each building.”
“Great job. Can you find any footage of the car around the buildings?”
“Of course, sir.” She responded eagerly. They could hear the familiar sound of her fingers dancing across the keyboard. “Hmm… this might take longer than I expected. I’ll call you back as soon as I have something. Garcia out.”
Derek Morgan paced with his arms crossed over his chest as everyone dispersed. He couldn’t shake the feeling of unease that had settled over him as soon as they’d arrived. Each victim bore an uncanny resemblance to Emily, and that sent shivers down his spine. Morgan shook his head, trying to get rid of the unwanted thoughts.
“Morgan?” Emily’s voice cut through the tension.
“Yeah, Prentiss?” He looked up as she approached him, her gaze unwavering.
“I know it’s hard, but we’ll figure this out.” She said, her voice steady and reassuring.
And for some reason, he believed her.
—
“Hotch!” Garcia exclaimed. “They were right, it was the same vehicle at each house. Someone was watching them for months before the victims were abducted and killed.”
“Great work, Garcia.” Hotch nodded, impressed at her speed. His brows furrowed in concentration as he processed her words. “If this car was seen months before the abduction, the killer must have meticulously planned each murder.”
The sound of the keys clacking indicated that Garcia was hard at work. “And before you ask, I got a plate from the footage. I’m running it now.”
As the seconds trickled by, the tension in the room mounted as the team awaited Garcia’s findings. The ceiling fan spun lazily above them, filling the silence.
“I got a match,” she announced, her words tinged with urgency. “It looks like the vehicle is registered to a Tate Jacobs and, oh!”
The sudden pause in her words caught the attention of everyone in the room.
“His sister, Lila, took her life last year.” Her rapid typing echoing . “And there’s more. She was in a sorority…” she trailed off, “there were reports of bullying. The others ganged up against her, but it looks like the ringleader was a Katie Riley who looks a lot like the victims.” She continued, her voice faltering slightly.
The room fell silent.
“If Jacobs thought Katie Riley was the reason his sister took her own life, he must have wanted revenge. But instead of targeting Katie directly, he chose to take his anger out on other young women who looked like her.” Morgan mused, his brow furrowed in thought.
Emily nodded with a grim expression on her face. “He might have seen them as symbols of everything that went wrong in Lila’s life. By targeting them, he’s seeking justice for what he believes is Katie’s role in his sister’s death.”
“We need to find him before he strikes again. He might have his sights set on Katie now.” Hotch declared.
He turned to the officers in the room, “put an APB out on the car. I’ll have Penelope send you the details. I’m sending teams to his workplace, his family’s home, and his dorm. And Garcia,” he turned back towards the phone, “send us Katie’s info too. If he believes we’re on his trail, he might try to find her.”
“On it, sir.”
With every moment, the pressure mounted. They couldn’t afford to mess up.
–
“Wait!” A young officer burst into the room. She struggled to catch her breath as she delivered the news: “Katie Riley was just reported missing.” She gasped, her face flushed. “She didn’t show up to Sunday dinner and she hasn’t clocked into work.”
Hotch wasted no time. “Get a team out to Katie’s last known location,” he ordered. “See if anyone knows anything.”
Before they could move, Sheriff Alder entered the room. “Agent Hotchner, the red toyota was found at Belsade and Turner. There was blood in the trunk.”
Hotch’s eyebrow rose in concern as the realization dawned on him. “He has Katie. Where would he take her? What’s the closest location to where the car was found?”
“The parents' house.” Sheriff Alder responded.
–
Derek Morgan’s flashlight bounced off of the worn walls, casting erratic shadows across the floor. A sense of urgency filled him with purpose as he peeked into the pantry for any signs of life. Reid and Rossi had found Katie in a shed on the property. She’d been relatively unhurt, but terrified. Now it was time to find their unsub.
“Clear!” He yelled.
He made his way into the adjoining dining area which was also empty, save for a layer of dust on everything. The space looked untouched as if nobody had lived here in months. But that couldn’t be right, the neighbors had reported seeing Tate enter and exit this place every morning and evening like clockwork. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and continued forwards, gun and flashlight clenched in his hands.
Suddenly, a deafening thud echoed and then a scream, causing Morgan’s heart to lurch through his chest. Without hesitation, he sprinted through the living room and up the steps. Damn it , he knew they shouldn’t have split up. As he reached the top, fear coiled in his stomach at the sight that greeted him– the window wide open, and Emily’s still form sprawled on the floor.
Panic seized his insides as he rushed to her and kneeled by her side, his mind a chaotic whirlwind. Memories of Doyle surged to the forefront of his mind. His vision blurred, his senses overwhelmed by the memories of blood on the floor and Emily’s pale face contorted in agony. But a groan pierced the haze, bringing him back to reality.
“Emily!” His voice cracked with emotion as he reached out, his trembling hands finding hers. Relief flooded him as she stirred, her eyelashes fluttering.
Emily winced, her free hand flying to her chest where her vest had absorbed most of the impact. “I’m okay,” she murmured. “Just a bruise. Now go get Jacobs. I’m fine.”
He hesitated for a moment, torn between his duty to apprehend Jacobs and his desire to stay with Emily. He waved her off. “JJ and Hotch are in the back, they’ll take care of him.”
“At least help me up.”
“You’re warm this time.” Morgan marveled as he stroked her hand before helping her up. “Last time…” he trailed off.
“I’m sorry.” She whispered, averting her eyes.
Morgan squeezed her arm and offered a smile, “It’s okay. We don’t need to talk about that right now.”
Before they could dwell on the moment any longer, Morgan’s earpiece crackled to life and he winced as JJ’s voice rang clear in his ears. “Suspect apprehended, we’re taking him to the station.”
“Looks like we got him,” he turned to Emily and smiled. “Now let’s get out of here.”
–
After debriefing, they’d decided to stay in town for the night. Hotch had forced Emily to get checked out at the hospital. Morgan had sat in the waiting room, his hands clenched tightly as the panic threatened to overtake him. He knew she’d be okay, but his mind kept replaying how everything had gone down the previous year.
Then they’d arrived at the hotel and went their separate ways, even though Morgan’s heart longed for her to stay.
Morgan had just slipped his t-shirt on when a sudden knock at the door startled him. He glanced at the clock in confusion and peeked through the peephole.
He was surprised to see Emily standing on the other side. He quickly unlocked the door and swung it open, ushering her inside.
She wrapped her arms around herself snd sat on the edge of the bed. She hadn’t showered, judging from the stray strands of her ponytail that clung to her forehead and her still disheveled clothing.
“What’s wrong?” He moved to sit beside her, and the bed dipped under their combined weight.
She looked away from him, “I know you said we didn’t have to talk about it but…” she picked at her thumb, “I guess I just need you to know that I…” her voice shook, her unspoken words hanging heavy in the air.
“When I went after Doyle, I thought I was going to die.” She confessed. “And then you found me. You saved me. And I never even got to thank you for it because I was whisked away to Paris.”
He listened in silence and reached out to take her hand. “You don’t need to do that.” Morgan said softly, “that’s what partners are for.”
Emily met his gaze, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “It wasn’t until Paris that I realized I couldn’t live without you. And today just cemented that, I guess.”
“What I’m trying to say is that I care about you a lot. And it’s okay if you don’t feel the same way about me.”
“Emily, I…” Morgan’s heart swelled with emotion at her confession. He reached out gently brushed a stray tear from her cheek. His voice caught in his throat, but he forced the words out “I love you too. When you… left, my whole world fell apart. You can ask anyone,” he added with a soft chuckle, attempting to lighten the mood.
“You meant– you mean so much to me. When I saw you today, I realized that I couldn’t live without you. I don’t want to live without you.”
He wrapped an arm around her trembling frame and pulled her close until she was nestled against him. She scooted even closer until his senses were filled with her scent.
“Well this will be fun to explain to Hotch, huh?” Morgan quipped, attempting to lighten the mood.
“We can talk about that later,” she responded, snuggling closer to him.