Mis stood at the graveside as she attended Haley funeral. She looked as Hotch stood up front. He looked an almost broken man as he grieved over the mother of his son. Grace stood next to Mia as Mia held her hand and smiled. Mia knew that things were tense with them
"W.S. Gilbert wrote, "It's love that makes the world go 'round." And if that's true, then the world spun a little faster with Haley in it. Haley was my best friend since we were in high school. We certainly had our struggles, But if there's one thing we agreed on unconditionally, It was our love and commitment to our son jack. Haley's love for jack was joyous And fierce. That fierceness is why she isn't here today. A mother's love is an unrivaled force of nature. And we can all learn much from the way haley lived her life. Haley's death causes each of us to stop And take stock of our lives. To measure who we are And what we've become. I don't have all those answers for myself, But I know who haley was. She was the woman who died Protecting the child we brought into this world together. And I will make sure that jack grows up Knowing who his mother was and how she loved and protected him And how much I loved her. If haley were with us today, She would ask us not to mourn her death But to celebrate her life. She would tell us... She would tell us to love our families unconditionally... And to hold them close, Because in the end, they are all that matter. I met haley at the tryouts Of our high school's production of "the pirates of penzance." I found our copy of the play And was looking through it the other night, And I came upon a passage that seemed... Appropriate for this moment. "oh, dry the glistening tear "that dews that martial cheek. "thy loving children hear, "in them thy comfort seek. "with sympathetic care "their arms around thee creep, "for, oh, they cannot bear To see their father weep." Hotch said as he delievered the eulogy
Mia looked to Morgan as he held her hand. Mis knew that she was crying. She was crying for Jack the young boy that had lost his mom in such a traumatising way. Mia placed a white rose on the coffin as she walked over to Morgan leaving Grace and hotch to stare each other as he lifted Jack up so he drop the rose on the coffin
"Ok, you can go ahead. Blow mommy a kiss." Hotch said as Grace walked over to where Mia and Morgan were
"Are you okay?" Mia asked Grace as she shock her head
"No it's a lot. I don't know what to do" Grace said as mia pulled her into a hug and smiled
"I know they tour scared but I'm here for you and so is Derek your not alone in this I promise" Mia said as grace smiled
•••
The team sat at the wake. They looked as Rossi went outside with hotch with a glass of whiskey each. Mia was worried over grace. She knew grace was pregnant and she hadn't told hotch and she knew how she felt. She was the same when she felt pregnant but she knew this was a whole different situation
"What do we do? " Emily asked
"There's nothing we can do. We just gotta wait him out" Morgan said as Mia looked to him and smiled
" You think he'll ever come back? " Reid asked
"Would you? " jj asked
"He'll come back. I just don't know what he's gonna look like when he does. " Morgan said
"We just need to be there for him when he's ready." Jj said as Morgan's phone rang as mia groaned
"They can't be calling us in, not tonight. " Morgan said
"I'm on it. " jj said checking her phone
" We can't go. " Emily said
"We have to. I'll get rossi. " Morgan said
"Talk to strauss, tell her to send another team. " Reid said
"There's no other team available. Nashville's calling us in. Second body in 2 weeks, both killed on consecutive friday nights. They realize they're up against the clock And they're hoping we might find something they didn't. " jj said
"Guys. I'm sorry, but we just got called in. We have to go" Morgan said as he walked outside
"Call me if you need anything. " Hotch said
"Take care of your son. " Morgan said
"Thanks. "
"You gonna be ok? " Rossi asked
"I'll see you when you get back."
•••
Mia sat on the place to Nashville as she looked to see grace who looked green
"Here. These help. The ginger biscuits. You don't feel as nauseous" Mia said as grace smiled as they sat sharing them
"Two women dead in two weeks, Both killed in their own homes, And no sign of forced entry. Floors were covered in rose petals. " jj said
"Quite the romantic. " Rossi said
"Yeah built with murder" Mia said
"Evidence of sеxual assault? " Rossi asked
"None. Both women were last seen Leaving their offices on a friday And never showed up to work on a monday. " jj said
"It's thursday. why are we only being called in now" Morgan asked
"The second body was only found yesterday. " jj said
"There may be a socio-economic pattern emerging. The first victim, bethany heminger, Lived in belle meade, melissa johnson in brentwood. Both are affluent neighborhoods" Reid said
"Yet there was nothing missing from either home. " Mia said
"What did these women do for a living? " Morgan asked
"Bethany was a defense attorney, melissa a corporate executive. " jj said
"Two brunettes with similar features In high-powered professions? That's not a coincidence. " Emily said
"These women most likely represent someone he knows" Rossi said
"All right, so we need to figure out where this unsub Is meeting his victims and how he's gaining access to their homes. And if he's staying on pattern, Most likely this guy has picked out his next target. " morgen sisd
"We should check gardeners, Housekeeping staff, pool attendants, Floral shops, See if anyone worked both homes." Grace said
"Start working up a paper trail, garcia. Find out where these women were In the days leading up to each murder. " Morgan said
"Like a genie in a bottle--poof!" Garcia said
" All right. Mia, you and I Are gonna go check out the johnson crime scene. Rossi, you and reid talk to the coroner, Start working up victimology. Jj, grace talk to the families and staff And find a connection we can use. I understand that all of our thoughts are with hotch. But right now, I need us all to focus on this case. We have less than a day before this unsub will strike again. Let's finish this thing fast." Morgan said as mia looked to him and smiled
•••
Mia got to the Johnson house with Morgan
"Well, the house has a security system, But her friends say that she only used it When she traveled out of town" Morgan said
" He killed the dog, Hid it in a storage container in the garage. She probably thought he was protection enough. Poor puppy" Mia said
"That was her first mistake. She had all the precautions to avoid home invasion, She just didn't use them properly." Morgan said
"These are the prints That match the other crime scene. It looks like he didn't hesitate to get them everywhere. "
"Which typically would indicate that he's disorganized. This crime scene screams of organization. The roses, The dog. He was a stranger to these women. He didn't talk his way in, he was laying in wait."
"And he knew his prints wouldn't show up in the system." Mia said
"He had no priors, which means he was smart And most likely educated. This guy knew exactly what he was doing And he made sure he had enough time to do it. "
"So, he knew when she'd leave the house And when she'd return. He's stalking them." Mia said
"It's only the victim's prints on the exterior doorknobs. Nothing on the windows, the garage wasn't forced. So how did he get in? " Mia said
"So he cooked, and he cleaned up after himself. Why did he leave the petal trail? " mia asked as she and Morgan walked through the house
"It's gotta mean something our guy. He's not just reliving a fantasy, He's repeating it. It's the same routine, the same meal. "
"It's not just routine, It's proper etiquette. "
"What? "
"Take a look at this. There's a handprint In the center back of this chair right here. He pulled this chair out for himself. Over here, there are handprints On either side of the chair. He pulled this chair out for her, Poured her wine... " Mia said
"And even cleaned up after the meal was done. " Mia said
"but up he something changed. "
"Then he drew her a bath. "
"And this is where messa johnson was murdered. "
"This is where the fantasy ended. " Mia said
"Because she broke it? " Morgan asked
"I would. " Mia said
"What do you mean? "
"Well, after the initial assault downstairs, Fine, I'm scared, But I'm still looking for another chance to escape. Dinner, wine, dishes. I'm not in any immediate danger, So I can take my time, wait for the right moment. I do what he says because I don't want him to hurt me again. But once he gets me in here, I am at my most vulnerable. "
"So fear takes over and she fights back. Because if she doesn't... Home is where you're suppose to feel safe. Nobody deserves to have that taken away." Mia said as Morgan looked to her as she hand a hand rested on her small bump
Morgan knew that she meant her past and her childhood and all that had happened to her
•••
Mia and Morgan walked into the room as garcia was on the laptop talking to the rest of the team
"They enjoyed a high-class, highfalutin lifestyle, An expensive one. " Garcia said
"A lifestyle he'd fit right into. This guy is educated, intelligent, Proper. He's a downright gentleman. " Mia said as she sat down
"The rose petals sent a pretty specific message. He's romancinghem whether they want it or not. He's got the social skills to back it up. " Morgan said
"Hey, garcia, take a look at dating services And social networking sites. Look for working professionals And privileged elite. " Reid said
"Check, check, and checkers. Back in a smidge. "
"We need more. " Morgan said as he sat next to mia
"Have we figured out how he's getting into these homes?" Rossi asked
"No sign of forced entry anywhere. Yet he's still gaining access to their homes Long before the victims ever get home from work. I mean, this guy needs time to cook And set up his scene. He's either got a key or he can move through walls. " Morgan said
"We need fresh eyes." Rossi said
"All right, listen up. I want everybody to go back to the hotel And try to get some rest. We're gonna have to pick this up again in the morning. " Morgan said
"We're giving up? " Grace asked
"No. we're gonna take a break. We have to give the profile at morning roll And none of us has slept since the funeral. Once garcia can get us a paper trail, Then we can expand our canvass. Till then there's really not a lot we can do." Morgan said
"You need to sleep to angel. Your pregnant" he said as mia rolled her eyes
"I'm pregnant not disabled Morgan. I can do this job" Mia said as the two of them looked to each other
•••
Mia stood with grace as the rest of the team gave the profile "have you spoken to hotch yet does he know that you're pregnant?" Mia asked as grace shock her head
"No I am going to tell him it's just a lot to get my head around" Grace said as mia nodded
"I kept it from Morgan. It's a lot. He just buried the mother of his child after all and he's grieving so I get why your not jumping for joy to tell him but you know he does need to know" Mia said as grace looked to her and nodded. Grace knew that she was right but she was scared to tell hotch over the baby
She had no idea of his reaction and was scared he wouldn't want her or their baby
•••
Mia got to a new crime scene with the team
"House belongs to an erika silverman, Project director in an international design firm. We're assuming the male victim Is her boyfriend grant franklin. "
" male victim? " reid asked
"Mm-hmm. they're both pretty beat up. We'll need dental records for a positive i.d. "
"Who called it in? " Emily asked
"Ups guy. needed her to sign for a package, The door was wide open. We got him out back. "
"Jj, talk to him. " Morgan said
"Where's erika silverman's body? " Rossi asked as they were lead to the body
"He changed his m.o. Multiple stab wounds to the face and neck. "
"Classic overkill. " Rossi said
"And evidence that she had sеx before she died. "
"Forced or consensual? " Mia asked
"No evidence of sеxual assault. "
"She played along. She had sеx th the unsub Because she thought it would keep her alive. " Mia said
"So why didn't it? This kill is personal, angry. She didn't give him everything that he wanted. " Rossi said
"What else does he want? " Mia asked
"The dinner dishes are washed, but the breakfast plates aren't. " Morgan said
"He didn't clean up this time. " Reid said
"The boyfriend must have surprised him and disrupted his routine" Morgan said
". I don't know, I'd say he came pretty close to finishing it. It looks like they watched a movie, had an early breakfast. She was with him all night." Grace said
•••
"There has to be something in the victimology. " Morgan said as he sat looking at girls
"If grant franklin hadn't come home when he did, Erika would probably still be alive. So how did the unsub miss him? " grace said
"It says he was out of town last week Visiting family in indianapolis. " jj said
"Still, the violence of those kills Indicates he knew both victims. " Mia said
"cause the longer victims are with the killer, The more desperate the attack. The unsub stabbed erika silverman 17 times in the face, Grant franklin 34 times to the face and genitals. " Rossi said
"It makes sense. The more he perfects his routine, The more invested he becomes. " Reid said
"Detective kaminski, have your men had any luck Canvassing the victims' last known whereabouts? " Morgan asked
"None. I'm thinking of pulling them off for the night. "
"That's a mistake. "
"Why is that? The vic's dead. If he sticks to the pattern, We've got another week before he strikes again. "
"Because he's never gotten this far before. He's desperate to ay out his fantasy. A man like this isn't gonna stick to any timetable. He's gonna try to finish this tonight. " Rossi said
"Jj, we need you on the news. Narrow victimology. Let people know that he's out there right now. " Morgan said
"I'm on it. "
"We still don't know where he's finding his victims. " Mia said
"But we do know that erika silverman Lived in green hills. That's 3 points and we finally have Our geographical comfort zone. It's a good bet the unsub lis somewhere In this area, And erika is our key to figuring out Where they met." Reid said
•••
"Garcia's got something." Jj said as they all turned to face the screen
"I'm a real genius 'cause this is what I di I took the travel logs from the gps sysms, Overlaid their routes againsthe geographical profile To reveal what the paper trail could not. " Garcia said
"Which was? " jj ssked
"While erika silverman is the only victim Who didn't visit a private club, A concert, or go to a fancy restaurant In the days leading upo her death, She did spend a couple of hours At cheekwood botanical gardens on tuesday. " garcia said
"Garcia, did either of the other victims go to the park? " Reid asked
"No. "
"I don't know if it's relevant, then. "
"It is when her navigation system reads in a straight line. To work, back home, to work, back home. I don't think she ever left her house. She even had her groceries delivered. "
"What was she doing on tuesday? " Reid asked
"Let's find out. " jj said
•••
Mia stood in the room with Morgan as he poured himself a coffee
"You had to knock me up I could use one right now" Mia said as Rossi walked in
" Where is everybody? " he asked
"Well, jj and reid are checking on a lead, And prentiss is recanvassing with detective kaminski. With grace" Megan said
"Good. then we can talk. " Rossi said
"Rossi... It's his team. I'm not gonna stand in the way of that."
"It might not come to that. "
"What do you mean? "
"Strauss offered him retirement. "
"He'll never accept it. " Morgan said
"Don't be so sure. This job cost him his wife. "
"It cost him that a long time ago. Before he met Grace" Morgan said as he exchanged a look with mia
"Which is why he won't let it cost him his son. "
"What do you think he'll do? "
"It doesn't matter what I think. What matters is whether you'll be willing to step down If he comes back. Or step up if he doesn't"
"I'm gonna do whatever hotch needs me to do. He's lost enough." Morgan said as mia smiled to him
"Hey Rossi You mind coming here for a second? I want to throw something at you. We profiled that our unsub recently experienced a loss as well. A loved one. Probably a brunette who ran in the same circles as his victims" Morgan said
"Right. " Rossi said as Mia looked to him with interest to see where he was going
"What if love wasn't the only loss? I mean, we assumed that because our unsub Could so easily navigate our victims' upscale world That he most likely shared the same financial resources as his victims. " Morgan said
"Because of his upbringing, his sophisticated behavior. " Mia said
"But that behavior is ingrained in him. It's habit. It something he would have learned as a child, Not as an adult." Morgan said
"If he didn't have financial independence But were still trying to keep up his social status, He'd be hemorrhaginfunds. " Rossi said
"We've been looking at this the wrong way, rossi. We vetted the maids, the gardeners, the pool cleaners, Anyone who had access to the houses, But who else might go unnoticed in a privileged society?" Morgan said as mia dialled Garcia
"Garcia here. "
"Garcia, check employee records At each of the venues the victims visited In the week prior to their death. Look f men spending beyond their means" Mia said
."A guy who's racked up a lot of debt, garcia. Look at cars, wardrobes, Something that does not fit their current income level. A scholarship-funded private school education maybe." Morgan said
•••
"Culpepper valet company handled the fund-raiser on tuesday, and... The same company had contracts With the hotel lounge thany heminger frequented And the country club melissa johnson was a member at. " Garcia said as she updated the team
"That's our connection. " Grace said
"Jj, get rossi and prentiss to pick up the owner. " Morgan said
"Right away. "
"All right, baby girl, talk to me. I need employee records and a list of venues That culpepper contracted out to this weekend" Morgan sad
. Oh, sug, check your email. It hit your inbox 60 seconds ago." Garcia said
"Thanks, penelope. "
"All right, culpeer contracted out to 3 venues This weekend, 2 today. " Reid said
"We might be able to catch this guy in action. " Morgan said
"Unless he's already with another victim." Reid said as Mia gave him a look
•••
Mia stood up as she went dizzy as Morgan caught her waist "oh no you don't. Your pregnant and you know things have to be different your pregnant and I am not going to let my girl go into danger. Grace you can sit your ass down too. Your both pregnant and you need to do things different now" Morgan said as grace looked to him
"Are you Benching us?" Mia asked
"Yes. Yes I am as I care saving you and you are carrying my child and I won't let anything happen not this time" he said as he placed a hand on her stomach as he leant in and kissed her
"I hate you" Mia said
"I love you too angel" Morgan said as he walked off as grace looked to her and smiled
"You know he's going to make an amazing dad" Grace said as mia smiled
"Yeah he really is" Mia said
•••
Hotch sat next to Haley Grave as grace walked over and sat next to him "hi" she said as he smiled
"I failed her, the last thing I ever want it so to fail you" he said
"You want. Have you told her yet?" Grace asked
"That your coming back to the team and that fighting the bad guys is who you are" Grace asked
"I don't have to tell her. Jose already knows like you do" he said as she sat next to him
"There's something else you should know I'm pregnant" Grace said as the two of them looked to each other
•••
Mia got back to the apartment with Morgan and sighed as she looked to him
"I know that you worry over me especially now I am pregnant and I love you for it but you need to know I'd never purposely put myself in danger of this baby especially last night which is why I need you not to treat me like glass, I need you to trust me" she said as he nodded
"I do. Angel I do" he said as she leant in and kissed him. Mia knew how none of it was easy but she was determined to be the best mum possible that she could be to their baby