"Melissa adored Seth they had an amazing marriage he will never lay a finger on her and if that's what you think you are mistaken." Melissa's mother said sternly, looking around as if one of her workers could hear and start spread that rumor.
The visit to the family house was cut short by her, she could not stand the idea of her daughter suffering from the hands of her husband, and she wouldn't let Aaron or Emily to ask anything regarding their marriage, they knew she was charged with emotions and she wouldn't cooperate.
"Seth was murdered and instead of finding whoever did that to him and Melissa you waste your time coming here to try and ruin his name? he was family! and if Melissa was here she would've said the exact same thing!" She yelled, standing up from her seat forcing them to do the same.
Her husband still seated, his eyes glued to the picture in his hands. He was gripping its golden frame unable to let go of his daughter.
"I would like you to leave my house now." She said, Aaron and Emily knew there was nothing else they could do. They wouldn't be able to get answers, and deep down, they knew this family didn't possess them. Now there wouldn't be secrets revealed by a sister or a neighbor. All they had was a mother blinded by pain and a grieving husband who sat still, not engaging in the conversation as if he wasn't even there.
"Thank you for your time ma'am" Aaron said, she scoffed and left the living room and in instant her husband seemed to come back from his trance the kind of trance he went into whenever his wife was speaking, he escorted them to the door not saying a word and closing the door after they left.
____
This case was getting worse, and it affected them all, they were tired and more lost with each minute passing, reuniting again at the station trying not to look as exhausted as they felt they went over what they found
Apart from Seth being blonde and not brunette like the two other husbands Seth was also stabbed Morgan said that according to the coroner they were done post mortem since there was very little blood moreover the murder weapon was left at the scene.
Their unsub lost his self control he was triggered by something, most likely Seth's appearance maybe the unsub's husband was blonde too.
They had two dead couples and wives who suffered from physical abuse, they knew both of them talked to someone but not with their close ones or the police.
"so if Seth didn't abused Melissa why kill them?" Detective Carlson asked crossing his arms "The workers never heard or seen anything that indicates on problems" Morgan revealed, their last couple came from a very popular and wealthy families and backgrounds, none of the workers who worked in their house testified on anything close to that.
"The family said the same, he would never lay a hand on her" Aaron said, sharing the similar answer
"if she killed them he had to" Emily said decisively "so you think they're lying?" Reid asked "more like I think they just didn't know" She replied, she knew all about those types of men, Seth must've had his way of charming people making them love him until they are completely victimized by blind admiration.
She continued "Rich, popular and powerful... those types of families would never let anyone know they have problems, pretending everything is perfect is a part of their life" she finished explaining, she didn't think Melissa would ever say something she wouldn't go for a divorce either.
"What do you think?" Aaron asked
"You met the mother" she shrugged her shoulders "even if her daughter told her about it she would probably tell her that that's just marriage struggles" in that sense she was like Emily's mother. The way people perceived them was what mattered, for them the stain of a publicly known estrangement between you and your husband or worse divorce is unacceptable.
"Maybe they went on a couple therapy?" Morgan said "I don't think her husband would agree" She shook her head in response "I think she was suffering she must've talked to someone. she wouldn't trust someone she met on a coffee shop or go to a support group but she had the money..." she raised her head looking between her team members.
"maybe a therapist? A private one" Dave proposed "I'll get Garcia to check it out" JJ said and left the room quickly
____
Like always Garcia came, bearing the answers. She was always the one to tie everything they found together with one single piece of information.
She found that Melissa used to see every week someone named Ashley Lewis for two years, she was 35 and was a therapist, after looking more into her history she found that she was an only child to an alcoholic father and an absent mother, she managed to escape this kind of future finished her studies and got married to Tom Lewis.
According to her medical records she used to visit the emergency room a lot- like they thought she experienced domestic violence, Garcia also added that her six year old child wasn't living with them for the last than six months and that her husband died three months ago from a heart attack.
It could be the stressor, it was done about the same time Sarah started attending her meetings and her first kill.
Garcia sent them the addresses of her home and office along with more documents and photos, her husband- Tom was blonde like their last victim. Assuming she never really got to see Seth, him being blonde like her husband might've triggered her, that's why she lost control he was a surrogate.
They split up again to save time, Aaron went with Dave and Detective Carlson to her office and Emily Morgan and Reid went to her house.
_____
The visit to her house left them empty handed while Aaron Dave and the detective found a notebook with information, names, addresses and phone numbers. Unsurprisingly their victims were there too, thin line is drawn over their names.
They immediately updated the others and went to the possible new victims. Waiting for backup and the rest of the team still on their way they arrived at the house just in time to see their unsub disappearing between the curtains. Quickly but carefully they entered the house seeing the familiar signs they saw in the previous houses the wine glasses and the plates on the table, following the lead of light whimpering coming from the bedroom upstairs the three men went up "We are here!" They heard her calling
"Put down your weapon" Aaron demanded standing at the door, She sighed annoyed "you ruined it for me" she pressed the gun to the husband's temple "like you always do"
"please..." he begged, crying quietly. He was on his knees with his head pressed to the side of the bed his wife was laying, with his face facing the three men, it couldn't be comfortable.
Ashley laughed "come on! Fred enough with the crocodile tears did you stop when Anna cried? When she begged you to stop? when she promised she would do better?" She yelled pressing the gun even deeper into his skin making him cry even harder
"Ashley we need you to put that down so we could talk" Aaron said, stepping closer to her, Dave and the detective doing the same she released the pressure on his head, and placed her free hand on her hip straightening in her place
"now why would I do that? because you are a man?" she replied contemptuously, not trying to hide the luck of fondness for him already
"You don't want to kill him" Aaron said, his gun still pointed at her
"I can assure you I do" she smiled and nodded excitedly and as if to prove that, she again pressed the gun to Fred's head causing him to resume his sobbing "I'm so tired of listening and talking to you, stop acting like you care it's annoying"
"we do care" Aaron said quietly, his voice clear and steady unlike hers.
"oh you do? Then why would you stop me? I was doing what you should've done!" She screamed "Look at you big strong FBI agents with that gun and badge it's just a matter of time before it'll get into your head and you snap. You all are the same" she spat
"What you did was not helping them" Aaron replied calmly "oh really? Pull down her shirt collar, see for yourself what the man you try to protect did" she encouraged, she wasn't surprised he didn't participate "I'm doing something good here." She whispered, uselessly trying to convince them
"No you are not. This is not the answer nor the solution to their problems" Emily Morgan and Reid waited, listening carefully to the conversation they didn't want to interrupt, it could cause her to lose control
"oh because you know it so well" she laughed, Aaron tightened his grip on the gun, he couldn't think of a good response, it seemed like she didn't need one.
"you..." she began, her voice tender, confused like a new discovery was brought to her attention. Quietly the rest of the team climbed up the stairs Emily Morgan and Reid has entered the room, Ashley wasn't fazed she didn't seem to care, her eyes were glued to Aaron's like she was trying to figure just how much he really knew what she was talking about.
"Ashley listen to me" Emily was the one to break their eye contact by speaking, she turned to look at her, her face still show confusion, like she was just woken up from a dream.
Ashley's dislike for men was visible from the first sentence she exchanged with Aaron, Emily hoped talking to her will have a different effect, different meanings for her.
And she was right her expression changed she didn't seem to look so frozen "I understand that you are mad but what you are doing will not make things better not for Anna, not for yourself not for Jackson" she shock her head in disbelief surprised she knew her son's name "they took him away and I did nothing I could've helped him but I didn't. and it was too late. so now I will not stop I can't" she said and looked at Emily in an almost hopeful way, like thinking that if not the other men maybe she will understand her, see that what she is doing is good.
Emily shook her head sympathetically "Ashley, Fred will get his punishment for what he did I promise you." She looked at the sleeping form of the woman lying on the bed noticing she was still breathing she brought her eyes back to the upset redhead in front of her "and Anna will get a chance to live her life safe without him, but for that to happen you need to put down your gun"
"it won't be enough don't you get it?! It's late for her too! he will keep hunting her he won't ever go away so just get over with this and shoot me that's the only way he will walk out of here alive" She believed what she said, Emily could understand what she was experiencing she never got rid of Ian either, even though he was locked up and away, he was hunting her in her dreams and in uninvited memories, it was terrifying but as unbearable as it was she could not find rational explanation or justification, what she did was not an answer.
Emily was standing exactly next to Aaron she looked at him for a moment asking for permission to step even closer, which he granted with a quick nod
"no one is shooting anyone." She said lowering her gun "You just need to put it down and Anna will get her chance to live freely without him that was the chance you took from the other women. Sarah was planning on getting a divorce" Her face seemed to be torn between different expressions, as if engaged in a battle over which expression to display.
"you are lying" she said her eyes shining like glass from the tears in her eyes
"I'm not. her sister told us that" Emily said
"it doesn't change anything. she needed me" Ashley insisted, it started to show she was starting to doubt herself "needed you to kill her?" Emily asked
"to give her the chance to rest" she rolled her watery eyes "I'm sorry about what Tom did to you but those women are not you. You can't force your choice on them they didn't ask for this" Emily said, her asking them to shoot her showed that she couldn't bring herself to do it to herself. she wasn't able to end her life and couldn't find herself a piece of mind so she convinced herself that by killing them she will help them rest.
And that rest will be for her too.
"it wasn't your choice. You didn't help them and you will not help Anna, what you feel right now will not go away even after you kill them you know it" Emily said her gun is no longer pointed at her
"this isn't fair" Ashley said quietly "how could he die and leave me? And why does he keep torturing me even after he died?" She asked desperately, it must've been frustrating being a therapist, helping people fix their problems without being able to do the same with your own.
It created an ironic situation the knowledge she possessed wasn't enough and she still struggled to help herself, it was the same problem they had as profilers.
it was tragic, she ended up in that path.
"Ashley..." Emily said softly, her hand is extended towards her they all were silent only Fred's sniffs could be heard
She shifted her focus back to the tall man she first talked to "Did you ever forgive her? For doing nothing pretending everything is okay?" She asked ashamed, Aaron felt like his vest was tightening around his body like a giant Chinese trap, every breath he took felt harder to take.
He didn't answer, he couldn't
"just put that down" the detective said, pulling them out of their moment
"of course" she said wiping her tears and handing Emily's her gun "whatever" in an instant Morgan was handcuffing her "I should've put a bullet in his head the moment I heard you pulling over"
The detective was helping Fred get up and Reid and Dave went to check on Anna, Aaron lowered his gun entirely watching Morgan handcuff her "did you notice how he never apologized?" She said when Morgan was walking her out of the room
"Not even once" she said before disappearing with him
Emily sighed and looked at him sadly, Aaron didn't think he can look at her back so he followed Morgan leaving her there.
The paramedics arrived later, Anna was going to be alright and they managed to find and stop their unsub, it just was one of those cases where it wasn't enough to make them feel better.
____
The flight back was quiet everyone is focused on their distraction, Derek listening to his music with his eyes closed, trying to think about anything else. Reid with his book, JJ asleep and Dave looking out of the window, Emily took that opportunity to sit next to him.
He smiled seeing her approaching him, she sat next to him resting her head on his shoulder and giving his hand a soft squeeze, they didn't need to talk. Dave smiled noticing them, he knew this case had an unusual effect on Aaron, he was glad Emily was there for him.
The dimmed lights were enough to make them fall asleep until they were back in Quantico.
____
"are you okay" she asked standing in front of him next to his car "yeah this case just..." he answered
"I know" she cuts him off, cupping his cheeks "I get it" he smiled and kissed her cheek
"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" She asked hesitantly, before they left the plane he asked her for some time alone which she was happy to accept, she knew he might needs some time to himself, she knew he wouldn't avoid her if he felt like he needed her.
"No it's okay I just need some time" he replied, Emily nodded "of course"
"do you want me to pick you up tomorrow?" He offered, Emily declined smiling "No I want you to rest" she stepped closer to him and kissed him "I'll be fine" she said, Aaron sighed watching her walk to her car
"text me when you're home?" He called after her
"Will do!" she answered with her back to him searching for her keys in her bag
"good night I love you" he said opening his car door Emily spun around smiling
"I love you"
____
The first thing he wanted to do when entering his dark apartment was to get himself a drink, from the moment the first drop hit the bottom of his glass he knew something was off.
Truth be told, he was starting to question when he will show up again. He knew he was there, waiting for him, keen to see his reaction when he finally sees him again. Feeling his phone vibrating in his pocket likely from her text message Aaron couldn't be more grateful for not having her with him tonight, he took a small sip from his drink and turned to face the person who will make this night a source of everlasting pain and turmoil.
"You should have made a deal."
It will be impossible to forget and Foyet will leave him with something that will make sure of it.
____
Sorry for the luck of Reid, JJ and quite frankly the entire team apart from Emily and Hotch, I didn't want it to too long I have a tendency to dive deep into specific moments and was struggling to find a place for them, one where I won't be diving too much into, I'll probably revisit those three last chapters I feel like I have some misspellings.
but we are done! I promise I'll try to update every week or two, I'm sorry for being so inconsistent about updating this story.