Chapter Text
The sound of thunder and the quick, blinding flash of lightning, drew his attention. The shouts in the background meant nothing to him. "Freeze, FBI!" shouted the tall, muscular man, after the thunder stopped rolling. The hooded man risked a quick glimpse of the woman on the ground at his feet and the long, dark hair that covered what was obviously left of a bullet proof vest. "Drop your weapons and back away from the woman." the agent ordered. Thunder rolled again, almost drowning out the words. "I will be seeing you again." the hooded man said to the woman, as the sky let loose a torrential downpour, instantly soaking all those caught out in it. So heavy was the rain that it gave the man the seconds he needed to disappear.
3 days ago...
Quantico, Virginia
"You've been with us for a year and a half now, and I have never seen you take someone down like that." Derek Morgan said with a slight chuckle. "Yeah, well, there is a lot you don't know." she responded, with her usual saucy wink that had Morgan laughing even harder. Sitting down at her desk, she let her mind wander as Derek continued to talk. A shadow fell across her, drawing her attention back to the conversation. "But yet, he called a significant amount of derogatory names before you tackled him, in Derek's usual style." said Spencer, who was currently standing over me, "You could have really gotten hurt." He drew her attention, even when she didn't want him to. She tried to treat him like the rest of the team, but she felt that she failed at doing so, that there was a huge glaring neon sign over her head that shouted her attraction to him. Focusing back to the conversation, she schooled her features. "Well, I draw the line at being called a civilian under naval training." she drawled with a sniff and a quick toss of her long dark hair. She didn't notice the way Morgan and Prentiss were watching her and Reid, or the way a look passed between them. She was too busy watching the thoughts race across Reid's face as he replayed the events in his head, making the look on his face priceless as he tried to figure out when the UnSub had actually called her that. Laughing, she turned to Morgan, "Please explain. I feel bad that I have stumped the brilliant Dr. Reid. And get your butt off my desk, I have paperwork to do." she finished, giving Morgan a friendly shove towards Spencer. Smiling, Morgan clamped a hand on Reid's shoulder, walking them both away from Special Agent Ashlyn Moore's desk, quietly explaining what she had meant. She heard Spencer's quick intake of breath from two desks away just before she heard him tell Morgan, "Oh...she is certainly nothing of the sort." in a tone that had Morgan and Prentiss sharing another look at both Moore and Reid. She caught this one, but decided that if she was going to make it out of the BAU before midnight, she would just ignore it. Her fingers flew over the keys of her computer, filling out the reports. Glancing over it, before putting the final touches, she never noticed that Morgan and Prentiss had moved away in the pretense of getting everyone some waters. "Did you hear the way she just said that?" Prentiss murmured to Morgan, "I have never heard her speak with a southern accent. Then she reverted to speaking the way she normally talks around us." Morgan rubbed his chin as he contemplated the agent in question, "She seems to be hiding a lot. Even being with us this long, she still remains a mystery. She never really reveals much about herself, and nothing about her past."
"Still taking bets on how long before those two hook up?" Rossi said, making both Morgan and Prentiss jump as he crept up on them. The three senior agents watched as Reid stepped up next to Moore and how her body stiffened when he leaned close to speak. "Those two are so oblivious to how each feels about the other, it's crazy." he finished, shaking his head at the younger agents antics. "Rossi, how much do you know about Moore?" Morgan asked. "Not a lot. Top in her class, deadly with her aim, takes rape cases pretty hard as if she could of stopped the action from happening. But other than that, I don't know much about her." Rossi responded. "Same here. She keeps everything very close, with very little slipping out." Prentiss agreed. The fast clack of heels drew the teams attention. "Hey mama, where's the fire?" Morgan asked as Penelope Garcia hurried through the bullpen towards SSA Hotchner's office with JJ in tow. "Wonder what's going on?" Prentiss said to the team, as they joined Reid at Moore's desk since she had the best view of Hotch's office. "Don't know. But if we hurry we can make it out the door and they will just have to tell us in the morning." Moore responded, accepting the bottled water Morgan offered as he propped a hip on her desk. "We wouldn't make it to our cars before they would text us to come back." Rossi pointed out. "True..." Moore said, sighing. "BAU team, conference room in 10" Hotch said as he leaned out the door, before shutting it back and turning to JJ. Morgan jokingly groaned as he and Reid asked if anyone wanted some coffee. Moore watched as Garcia hurried to the conference room to begin laying out files. She wanted nothing more than to head home for a hot shower and cold glass of wine, as she dropped her go-bag next to her desk. But instead she dropped into her chair and took a deep calming breath, trying to center herself. This time of year was always hard for her, she thought. She continued to deep breath until she felt a presence at her elbow. Opening her eyes, she found Reid standing next to her holding two cups of coffee. "Really think you are going to need both?" she quipped, with a small smile crossing her face. Spencer returned the small smile with one of his own as he handed her one of the cups, "No, I made this one for you. Light and sweet." he said, the back of his neck reddening slightly. She couldn't help the amazement that crossed her face, "You remembered how I take my coffee...What am I saying, of course, you do." He reddened even more with embarrassment as he nodded yes. "Well, thank you, Spence." she said as she walked towards the conference room with the coffee. She turned before she could notice that Reid's head snapped up when she called him that. "Everything okay, Kid?" Morgan asked Reid, while successfully hiding his smile and the fact that himself, Prentiss and Rossi had just witnessed what had happened. "Other than JJ, she is the only other one that calls me Spence." he murmured to Morgan, not even realizing what he was saying. Morgan felt it appropriate to play dumb, thinking maybe he could win the bet. "Who? Ash?" Morgan asked, using an abbreviated form of Moore's first name that he knew would get under Reid's skin. He watched Reid watch Moore as she walked up the ramp towards Garcia. "Yes. And her name is Ashlyn, Morgan." he muttered to Morgan, making the man smile. "Well she is a looker..." Morgan started, knowing that the statement would make Reid stop. "And?" Spencer asked, slowly turning around to face Derek, not really wanting to know what Morgan thought on the subject. Reid thought of Derek as an older brother, but he also knew that Morgan never stayed long with a woman.
"And what? Come on, Reid. She's smart, beautiful, deadly with a gun and single. That's all I meant." Morgan said, holding his hands up in a sign of surrender. Morgan knew that look on Reid's face, it was a good sign. "Stop profiling me." Reid said quietly to Morgan as they turned to head up the ramp, both men noticing that Moore seemed to be watching them. Reid stopped short, making Morgan almost run over the younger man, "Something's wrong." he said to Morgan as he took in the look and paleness on Moore's face. "What's up?" Morgan asked, as he and Reid took seats next to her. "Ashlyn, you okay?" Reid also asked. She look at the men without really seeing them, then stood up and walked away. Morgan looked to Garcia, noticing that she looked at Moore with concern of her own. "Garcia, what's going on." Penelope shook her head, "I don't know. She began looking over the files and then went quiet and pale. She really has me worried, Derek." The team watched as Ashlyn knocked on Hotch's door and heard her murmur in a shaky voice, "Hotch? Can I talk with you?" Then 10 minutes came and went and then after 25, Hotch, JJ and Moore finally left the office for the conference room. While JJ, Hotch and Moore filled Garcia in quietly in the hallway, Reid rose to refill his coffee and Moore's. The four members of the team waited until Reid had passed before resuming their conversation. Reid could see the utter look of sadness on Ashlyn's face, it made him want to comfort her. Morgan, Rossi and Prentiss sat back watching the events unfold. "I think Pretty Boy has it bad." Morgan stated, as he watched Reid constantly sideways glance at the group on the walkway. "You think?" both Prentiss and Rossi asked sarcastically at the same time. But before the three could continue the conversation more, Garcia broke away from the group and came into the room. Sitting down the flamboyant tech analyst began hacking what seemed to be someone's personal computer. "What's going on, sweetness?" Morgan asked knowing that Garcia would tell him. Shaking her head, she told him that he would have to wait for the others. Reid passed by handing off the second cup of coffee to Moore, who smiled sadly at him. The rest of the team filed in behind Reid, everyone taking seats but Moore and Hotch.
"Sorry for keeping you all here, but this just came across our desks." Hotch said, turning the floor over to Garcia. "OK my crime fighting lovelies, these women before you, have all been found beaten, raped and then dumped." she said, not even looking at the photos that popped up on the big screen behind her. "So many. Why are we just hearing about this now? And where are they being dumped?" Prentiss asked, skimming the file before her. "Well, the women went missing from two different counties in North Carolina and then were dumped in the opposite county from where they lived. But that isn't even the strangest thing at this point, they go missing on or around June 3rd and then are found dead close to the end of the month." Garcia answered without really answering the questions, "The reason we are only hearing about this now, is that counter measure. This seems to have been going on since the mid 90's. And the local Leo's in both counties really didn't put two and two together until recently. " Morgan noticed that Hotch nodded to Moore. "Well to be exact, Garcia, it has been going on since 1996." Moore said, correcting Penelope. "And you know this how?" Rossi asked, wanting to hear this explanation, his interest peaked that the 'new girl' seemed to have so much insight. Moore refused to meet the team's gazes, making the team shift the looks at each other. "Hotch?" Moore said, asking an unspoken question. "Garcia, did you do what Moore asked?" he asked the tech analyst. "Yes, sir. It's ready when she is." she responded, moving aside for the woman. "Guys, seriously. What's going on?" Morgan asked, the nervousness in his voice coming through. Moore cleared her throat and took a sip of her coffee, wincing as she found it as cold as she felt. "Just give her a minute, Derek." Hotch murmured to him. The team watched as she seemed to be shifting through some files on Garcia's laptop. "I know when it started, where and why. But in order for you all to understand, I have to give ya'll some of the backstory." Moore said, suddenly standing up to pace. The team noticed that she sounded very Southern when she stated this to them and that she still wouldn't meet any of their eyes.
"I grew up in South Mills, North Carolina. I was not really your normal kid. The schools in Camden County wanted to push me along in grades, telling my adopted parents that I was too stifled staying in the grades I was in through the years. My grandparents had been the ones to adopt me, which on top of being smarter than most of the kids in my county, gave them more to bully me over. So of course they told the schools no, every time. But it wasn't until after my grandfather passed away in 1988, that the real trouble began. About a year or two later, this man did some things that changed my life forever." she said, while clicking up a photo on the big screen. "This is Wayne Sayer, he is Camden County's prime suspect. And he is the man who molested me and almost raped me." The team inhaled in what seemed like a single breath. Having already read the entire file, Reid spoke up at that point, "The file says that he was accused of breaking into women's homes, stealing electronics and the women's underwear but it doesn't have anything on an arrest being made." he finished, silently wishing to himself that, for once, his brain didn't work so quickly. He was pretty sure where this conversation was heading and it made him hurt. She held up her hands, trying to halt the inevitable questions that were about to come. "I was about 9 or 10, when all of this started, when Sayer pulled a girl into a home of one of his family members and he tried to molest her. He would of raped her on numerous occasions if it wasn't for the fact that she was very fast for her age and for the fact that she always screamed and ran. He would try to catch her in the woods next to her house, or lure her into one of his numerous family's homes, three of them living right next to her in a row." Rossi shook his head, hurting for the young woman, "So there is the when, the where and the why. He is obviously using these women as surrogates for the one who got away, but I see the similarities between them. They all have brown hair and light brown eyes, I mean he obviously has a type." Finally looking at the team and smiling sadly, she responded, "Well, you wouldn't now." she said as she clicked another picture, sending it to the big screen, making the team wonder what she meant. The girl had to have been no older than 13, with the same long brown hair and big brown eyes as all the other women on the screen. "Who is that?" Prentiss asked, even though she knew she really didn't want the answer. "That's Dawne Johnston. 13 years old." she responded, and with that you could have heard a pin drop the room got so silent.
Reid stood suddenly, drawing all attention to him, "You said that you were around the age of 9 or 10 when this all started, so he is obviously now allowing for the one who got away to grow up and match his preference. He started as a pedophile, and is now a rapist and a murderer." He continued to read and pace, while Derek asked another question, "So what's so important about June 3rd?" Moore looked sadly at the picture of Dawn Johnston, making the team sure that Ashlyn had been close to the kid, "June 3, 1980 was her birthday.", nodding her head towards the picture of the young girl. "So other than looks, is there anything else these women have in common?" Morgan asked. JJ answered this one, "All the women's initials were either D.L.J. or D.L.C." Prentiss jumped on that statement, "Why the difference between a J and a C?" she asked. Moore pulled up another picture of the girl, this time the girl looked to be at least 16. "Dawne Johnston, got married at 17, became Dawne Cason, and in 2000, she completely fell off the map." Garcia said, passing a sad look at Moore, "No work history, no bank accounts, nothing." The team looked perplexed as to what all this had to do with anything. "So, are we thinking that Sayer is doing this because Dawne Cason got away?" Prentiss asked. Moore nodded sadly, "Sayer is doing just that, but there is more to it than this. And I'm the reason why he is doing this." Morgan looked long at hard at Moore, "You can't blame yourself for this, Ash. Besides how can this be your fault? You're initials are AM, not D.L.J or D.L.C." Laughing a bitter laugh, she responded, "This is where it gets sticky and where all of you will either hate me or want to hurt me, if not both. Derek, it kinda is my fault. My initials are AM now." She could see Reid putting two and two together, "You changed your name." he said in a flat tone. "Yes, in 1980 to May of 1997, my initials were D.L.J. From May of 97 to 2000, they were D.L.C. I had my name legally changed to what it is now after my divorce." she supplied, her voice breaking slightly at the end, "These women are being raped and murdered because he is looking for the one who got away and using them as surrogates, He's looking for...Me." Hotch laid a hand on her shoulder as a single tear ran down her face. "We leave at 6 am for Elizabeth City, North Carolina. We will be coordinating with both Elizabeth City PD, Pasquotank County Sheriff's Department and Camden County Sheriff's to catch this suspect or the UnSub, either one, so go home and get some sleep. Reid, Moore, stay a moment please." Hotch finished just before his phone went off.
The rest of the team filed out, passing sad smiled to Moore and curious looks to Reid. "Wonder what that look on Reid's face meant?" Morgan asked Rossi and Prentiss. "Oh to be a fly on that wall right now..." Garcia said, linking arms with Morgan and Prentiss. Hotch excused himself to take the call, leaving Moore and Reid alone in the conference room. Reid noticed that Ashlyn was still pale and wring her hands, which she did whenever she seemed to be having an inner crisis. "So...think the entire team hates and distrusts me?" she asked Reid, wondering if he would even answer her. "You must have had your reasons..." Spencer murmured, not really knowing what to tell her. That moment Hotch stepped back into the room, the worry written plainly across his face, "That was Kevin. Moore, your personal email and work email were just both hacked by an outside source. I want Reid to stay with you tonight, just to be safe. And you live closer than he does anyways. I'm going to call the rest of the team and have them stay with the member who lives the closest. This was left in your personal email." he said, passing the paper to Moore. Reid stepped up next to Ashlyn as she read the paper. I will be seeing you again. Reid and Hotch watched her reaction as the paper fluttered from her hands to the floor. "Oh, God. He knows. He knows who I am...after I tried so hard to hide it." she said, sitting hard in the seat that was thankfully behind her. Her breath coming in hard, sharp gasps, she allowed herself three minutes to panic. "Hotch, she's hyperventilating." Reid said, slight panic in his voice as he watched her turned frightfully pale. "Breath, Moore. Just calm down and breath." Hotch commanded as he shoved her head between her knees to hopefully slow down her breathing. Her breath became slower as she calmed, her phone ringing interrupted the moment. Sitting up and taking a steadying breath, she saw that it was her home security company. Hotch, standing by her shoulder, told her to put it on speaker. Answering and doing so, she said "Hello?", her voice still shaky.