Chapter Text
There is no such things as accidents; it is fate misnamed -Napoleon Bonaparte
The BAU crew were all arriving into their usual conference room, settling themselves down as they prepared for the briefing.
Garcia and JJ were huddled next to each other chatting on girl business while Morgan sauntered in holding a jacket over his shoulder. Spencer was situated in his usual seat, a book open as he read it at his usual speed. Prentiss was watching as Morgan entered, giving her usual greeting smile.
“ Hey there baby girl, what are you two ladies talking about?” Morgan asked with a sly smile, pulling out his chair to get himself situated.
Garcia gives Morgan her playful smile, leaning forward in her seat saying, “ well, chocolate thunder, JJ and I were discussing local theatre shows coming up. There’s a local production of Little Mermaid and I thought Henry might enjoy it!”
“ We were discussing the show dates. Nothing set in stone.” JJ chuckled, trying to quell any ideas, “ I don’t even know if Henry and Will like musicals in the first place.”
“ Sounds like a great idea.” Reid interjects, looking up to Garcia and JJ, “ There’s a study that suggests that exposure to the theatre arts improve emotional and cognitive skills in children and teens giving them better social skills for later in life.”
JJ looked a little surprised at Reid’s tid-bit of knowledge, turning to glance at Garcia before returning to the youngest member saying, “ I'll keep that in mind, thanks.”
Reid would give his curt nod before turning his attention to the entrance as Rossi and Hotchner began to enter the room. Once the two entered, everyone knew it was time for business as usual.
“ Shall we get started?” Hotch suggested as he got himself situated in his own seat.
Garcia nodded as she stood, picking up her remote and getting into her presentation mode.
“ Alright, well, with all this talk of musicals I should mention you guys are going to be focusing on the Broadway capital of the states,” Garcia began before taking a breath, the screen now pulling up victim images and the crimes, “ We have 3 victims this time around. Alex Ridley, 48, college professor was killed last Friday. Rodney Williams, 42, bartender killed Sunday, and Eziquel Wallace, 45, hotel receptionist killed yesterday who were all found in New York City around Queens. They were all found shot in the chest but with an extra little something jabbed in them.”
Garcia would look to Hotch, hoping he could get her message to continue the briefing so she wouldn’t have to talk about what she deemed was the ‘yucky’ stuff. Hotch would notice the plea and give a small nod, looking down to his tablet as he continued for Garcia’s sake.
“ The victims were found with several small yet deep stab wounds. Based on what they were able to find out with the first two victims, it looks like they were impaled with a thin and long blade. Similar to a fencing sword according to the M.E. They were also found with bruising around their necks. The latter two victims have ligature marks in the same area.” Hotch explained, glancing his eyes up to check if everyone was following along.
Rossi’s eyebrows furrowed slightly saying, “ Looks like they were done in… 15, 19, 23 times separately. That’s pretty overkill. Not to mention the time frame is rather short between kills.
“What about the marks on the neck? Were they done post or antemortem?” Prentiss added on, gesturing to the marks.
“ These killings seem pretty personal if strangulation is involved. Not to mention that our unsub is moving pretty fast.” Morgan followed up, “ Anything that connects them yet?”
Garcia shook her head, closing the tabs on the screen as she stood up and collected her things saying, “ You see that’s the weird part. M.E says that the first victim had those marks before he was killed. The other two had them after. As for connections, they were all found in different areas of Queens. None of the surface level research I did of them suggests they had anything in common, but don’t you fret your trusty techie is on it!”
With that, Hotch nodded and moved to stand with everyone following suit as he said their iconic go line.
“They want us there fast so wheels up in 30.”
As everyone began to leave, Garcia seemed to remember something as she grabbed everyone’s attention saying, “ Oh! One more thing everyone! There’s currently this other case that’s happening in New York with some of the detective’s named ‘The Man in the Suit’ and if you have time to help consult them on it. He’s been evading them like crazy and they could really use anything.”
“ Man in the Suit? What is this, one of those vigilante dramas?” Morgan scoffed, looking to the others for their opinion.
Reid lit up a bit, seeming to have some knowledge saying, “ From what I've heard it’s apparently just one guy who’s entire M.O is shooting people in the knees. No one's gotten a good look at his face. Surprisingly most of those shot happened to be criminals in some larger case. Even saving some victims in the process.”
“ So It’s an unsub who just happens to be at the right time and place for victims?” JJ spoke up, looking rather confused by the whole thing.
Prentiss gave a conspiratorial look saying, “ They sound more like a boogy man than anything else.”
They decided to drop the subject after that. After all, they needed to get ready and get on their way to the jet. They’d probably just talk more on the plane anyways.
First to arrive at the plane as usual was Hotch. He already had his stuff situated inside and he sat at the usual four person seat corner of the plane. As the ever so diligent leader, he was already going through the case on both paper and tablet. It didn’t seem like it would be too difficult of a case. Definitely wasn’t the worst case they’ve had to cover as of late either. Hotch hoped they would be able to finish this timely and get back in time for some time with Jack.
Hotch’s attention would be pulled however as he heard two pairs of feet enter the jet. He only looked up once he heard it stop next to him. He looked up to see JJ and Reid, giving them a curt nod as they got themselves situated.
“ uh, do you mind if i sit by the window, sir?” Reid requested, gesturing to the window seat next to him.
Hotch would nod, quickly moving to stand and get out of the way saying, “ of course Reid. Go ahead.”
JJ gave the two a cheeky smile as she settled her stuff in front of the window seat across from Reid.
“ Do you guys want anything to drink?” JJ asked curiously, looking between the two men.
“ I’m good.” Hotch reassured JJ.
Reid disagreed, saying, “Can you get me some green tea?”
“ Sure Reid, no problem.” JJ nodded, heading to the beverage station to get them situated.
Reid gave a small thank you, watching JJ before glancing at Hotch as he looked back to the files and book he had on him. As Reid made himself look busy, he would steal glances to Hotch. It was a habit he unfortunately gave himself ever since…
“ Is everything alright Reid?” Hotch asked suddenly, giving Reid a rather concerned expression. Or well, as concerned as Hotch’s rather neutral face often showed.
Reid would take a second to realize that Hotch had noticed his glances, clearing his throat saying, “ oh, uh, yea, everything’s fine. Why?”
Reid would offer a curious expression, hoping to cover up as best as possible.
Hotch would look as though he was trying to read into Reid’s answer. The unfortunate downside of being part of a bunch of profilers.
“ Nothing.” Hotch replied simply, turning back to the files in front of him.
It seems whatever Hotch might have wanted to really say, he decided against it. The tension between the two was practically palpable with some unspoken need between the two that was going to be left unresolved once more. Something more intimate that neither wanted to give off while working. Despite their avoidance of it, you didn’t need to be a profiler to read between the lines when looking at the two men. It was clear what they wanted, but that was up to them in their time. Reid decided to try to broach the tension, finding the silence rather unbearable.
“ so… how's Jack?” Reid asked absentmindedly, trying to seem nonchalant.
Hotch would glance at Reid, seeming to be trying to deduce why the question was asked as he responded saying, “ He's doing great. He's doing pretty good in school and Jessica is doing an amazing job with him. He's been asking about seeing the team as well.”
Reid would nod along, crossing his legs as he watched Hotch speak, humming, “ That sounds like a fun idea. We can offer Jack multiple role models he can rely on. I heard that having many role models in a child’s life provides a positive impact on educational interest, career aspirations, as well as reducing gender stereotypes.”
“ Glad to hear that.” Hotch commented, a small smile pulling the edge of his lips as he decided to look over to Reid and give him his full attention.
As the two men essentially locked eyes there was an unspoken… thing between the two that neither wanted to address as JJ returned with two cups. One for her and another for Reid. As she placed Reid’s tea in front of him, she noticed their lingering gazes gaining a chuckle from her. The man thanked her as JJ decided to join in on their little conversation.
“ Speaking of kids, Henry’s wondering if he can have a playdate with Jack some time.” JJ suggested, giving Hotch a playful smile, “ It would be a great reason to have a team get together. Henry’s been pretty eager to play with Jack, not to mention see his favorite profiler. It would solve both our kid's incessant pleading.”
At the reference to that one halloween costume Henry wore, it made Reid’s smile widen. It pulled a soft huff of a laugh from Hotch as the memory came to all of them. It was quite the adorable show. Henry in his Reid outfit and referencing Albert Einstein. It was a core memory for Reid and seeing Henry again would be a blast. Honestly, Reid loved hanging with both Henry and Jack so having a get together to play with them sounded like an amazing idea to him.
“ It sounds like a fun idea. I could show them more of those magic tricks I've got.” Reid commented playfully, looking between the two.
As they were busy in their conversation Morgan, Rossi, and Prentiss all arrived together. The three got their things situated. Rossi opted to sit next to JJ while Morgan and Prentiss sat in the 2 seater on the other side of the plane.
“ What’s all this about magic and Henry?” Rossi asked curiously as he sat himself down, a teasing smile on his face as he set his files and tablet on the table, “ Hope it’s something more fun than just a kids party.”
“ It’s nothing we can’t talk about later.” JJ reassured as she took a sip of her coffee, looking down to her tablet.
Reid would give a polite nod to Rossi at JJ’s words, mirroring her by sipping his own tea as the seatbelt sound came on. Everyone would buckle up and ready themselves as the plane took off. They decided to take this time to individually look over the case before their second case briefing. All their differentiating views would be important for this after all.
It was usual early morning in New York as John Reese walked the streets. He observed the people around him as he got himself and Finch their usual drinks. It looked like any other day, but he knew better than to get so comfortable so soon. It would only be a matter of time before they got another number after all.
As though the machine was listening, his phone began to buzz signaling Finch’s call to action.
“ Good morning Finch.” Reese hummed, as he began his walk to their little hideout, “ Let me guess, another day another number?”
“ You know the numbers never stop.” Finch commented in turn, sounding a little strained which means he was walking around his little desktop area, “ I need you to come in. This number is… going to be quite the challenge for us.”
There was a twinge of concern in Finch’s voice that rubbed off on the man a little saying, “ What’s wrong with the number this time Finch?”
“ It’s better if we discuss it here. I’ll keep in touch.” Finch answered quickly, hanging up without giving Reese anymore time to try and contest it.
Reese couldn’t help but stare at his phone, wondering what all this was about. Why the heightened concern and slight secrecy. This case was probably going to be high profile which wasn’t usual and meant more discreet yet high risk means to stay close to the number was going to be required.
It didn’t take long for Reese to make it to the library, holding the two drinks in his hand as he approached Finch’s desk. The technological man already had their suspect board situated with photos and connections he could find so far and with how filled in it was, it looked like this would be a doozy.
“ Got your usual.” Reese spoke, breaking the silence as he placed the drink down, “ What’s all this?”
“ This is everything we have on the number the machine gave us and this time it’s going to be a… very delicate situation.” Finch huffed as he finished, standing back to double check his work.
Reese would walk next to him, taking in the faces and names on the board as he sipped his drink letting Finch continue the breakdown.
“ Our current number belongs to a Dr. Spencer Reid, someone who is rather particular with the title associated with his name.” Finch explained, pointing to a portrait photo of the young man, “ Grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is the definition of a young genius seeing as he was an undergraduate of Caltech at age sixteen with multiple doctorates. His most prominent ones being in Mathematics, Chemistry, and Engineering.”
“ And I thought you were the biggest genius,” Reese quipped, showing a teasing smile before realizing he recognized many of the people in these photos, “ wait a minute. I’ve seen all these guys before.”
“ You should recognize them. They’ve made quite the name for themselves together as the BAU. Behavioral Analysis Unit.” Finch clarified, glancing at Reese before walking back to his desk.
This notion made Reese’s light expression tighten as he recognized what the BAU was a part of saying, “ Part of the FBI.”
A moment of silence came over the two. Their record with them wasn’t the best since Reese’ feigned death with the CIA and with one of their members being their person of interest this entire situation was going to be like playing with fire.
“ Any reason we got one of their groupmates' number? They normally travel all over the states solving crimes that aren’t premeditated. So why give us their guy's number when most of our numbers have been local?” Reese asked, confused, turning to look at Finch as he gestured to the picture of Reid.
Finch was already typing up on his desktop, pulling up everything he could on the BAU including secured information on their current activity saying, “ According to their mission lineup, they currently have a case they were invited to here in New York which they have accepted. Courtesy of our own Detective Carter who requested their presence. Tracking their jet it is currently on its way to New York meaning they’ll be here for the next few days.”
“ Which means that whatever case they’re working on is going to end up putting Dr. Reid in the thick of it.” Reese ended, looking back to the full board.
Finch would glance up, watching Reese as he could sense the wheels turning in his head saying, “ How do you plan to proceed?”
“ Looks like we’ll have to call in the calvary for this one.” Reese sighed, pulling out his phone and calling the only two people that could possibly help them with this situation.
Detective Fusco was currently at a crime scene helping process it. It looked like one of those weird ones. Thin but deep stab wounds, bruising around the throat, and a single GSW in the chest. Everything about this scene could be summed up into one word. Messy. Normally things around here were just GSW gang violence but this case had a weird stabbing associated with it. He looked to Carter who was on the scene with him. She was his partner after all and being two peas in the same pod meant they covered cases together. Looking back to the victim at hand, he wondered if this would have anything to do with Wonderboy and the cases they followed. If there was some premeditation to this wack scene. When it rains, it pours as they say and Fusco had a gut feeling it was about to storm.
Fusco would perk up as one of his phones rang, checking his pocket to see who it was.
“ Speak of the devil,” He muttered once seeing the caller ID, “ Hey there Wonderboy, I hope this is about taking me out to dinner. These crime scenes aren’t getting any easier to stomach so a fancy meal might help with it.”
“ Fusco, I have a case I need you to cover. From what Finch tells me you might already be a part of it right now.” Reese explained sternly.
“ Why am I not surprised?” Fusco sighed, glancing at Carter across from him who matched his eye contact in silent acknowledgement, “ Alright, you got a name for us?”
“ He should be arriving soon. His name is Spencer Reid. Finch will send you more details.” Reese explained before hanging up on Fusco, leaving the man slightly confused.
After that second however, Fusco just gave a small sigh. He shouldn’t be surprised. This is how Wonderboy worked after all with how long they’ve been doing it he expected nothing less.
Fusco would move to look at his partner, walking next to where Detective Carter stood saying, “ Hey, you down to get some lunch at the Gyro stand nearby?”
Carter looked up to Fusco,seeming a bit confused until she glanced at her phone to see a message from Finch saying, “ Sure, I don’t mind.”
She would signal to one of the responding officers, letting them know the two of them were going to be back before walking off with Fusco. They would find the stall not far from the location and move to get themselves ready for their business talk. As they waited in line, Fusco could feel Carter’s eyes on him and opted to get this conversation started.
“ Wonderboy called. Apparently they need our help with something.” Fusco explained to her, trying to be as discreet as possible.
Carter would cross her arms as she looked around, seeming rather impatient saying, “ Let me guess, it involves the case we’re already working on? I mean this case seems pretty strange, but it doesn’t look like a premeditated type of crime we usually stop. Who are we looking for?”
“ Apparently some guy named Spencer Reid. Heard of him?” Fusco asked in turn, giving her a curious expression only to be met with a surprised one.
Carter clearly seemed to know who this guy was which only fueled Fusco’s curiosity.
“ Course I do.” Carter clarified, “ He’s part of that fancy task force in the FBI. They’re called the Behavioral Analysis Unit or BAU for short. As their name implies they analyze how people act to figure out what they call a profile to find out who’s behind criminal acts. I’ve sat at a seminar or two that they’ve held here in New York. That guy, Spencer, is apparently one of their smartest members. Some sort of super genius. He’s our number?”
“ Apparently so. From what it sounds like, he’s unlikely to be the guy causing the danger.” Fusco commented as he pulled up a photo Finch sent to his phone of Spencer, “ He actually looks more like Glasses. They’d probably get along swell. Say, if they are some fancy group, why would they be heading here? And how would Wonderboy know that we work with them?”
“It’s because with some cases like ours we can request assistance from their group. Whether they accept and come over is a gamble on its own. They decide what cases they take. I put in a request yesterday because of the first two victims with a similar M.O and to be honest I wasn't expecting them to take up on the offer.” Carter commented before realizing a connection, “ If they are coming, and one of their members is our number, then whatever is going to happen is going to be big.”
“ Which is why he wants us to stay close to the bookworm while he works other angles.” Fusco added, putting his phone away, “ Think they’ll catch onto us? I mean, like you said, their whole thing is reading people.”
Carter shrugged saying, “ If we play it right, maybe they won’t notice? They’re only here for the homicide case so if we focus on that they probably won’t realize anything's wrong.”
The two of them got a notification on their phone informing them that their new case friends had arrived. They then glanced between each other before stepping out of the line heading to their shared vehicle.
“ Looks like we’ll just have to let it play out. It’s time to meet the new friends at the office. I need to talk to their Unit Chief and help them get set up.” Carter sighed, starting the car and driving them off back to the precinct as she picked up a call from one Aaron Hotchner.