IF THERE WAS ONE THING Katharine Morgan hated, it was being called in at the crack of dawn. In her opinion, there was no God in the time where the sun met the moon and that meant that there was absolutely no reason for anyone to be awake.

Regardless, with a coffee in hand and a gun at her hip, she made her way into the offices without a smile on her face.

Her Unit Chief, Henry Davis, looked disappointed, which wasn't any different to how he normally looked. If anything, Katharine would say he looked worse than normal. She guessed he wasn't a morning person either.

"Mary and Connor McHale," Davis handed her a folder, "were murdered two nights ago. They were found yesterday morning by US Marshal Anderson Callahan after missing a mandatory check-in."

Katharine grimaced as she fingered through the pages of the case file she was handed. Various photos from the crime scene littered her vision as she tried to concentrate on the words her superior was spitting at her. It was something along the lines of, the things she'd have access to while she was working the case and a reminder of the things she'd been sworn to secrecy about.

The murder weapon had been an ax that was found thirty yards from the crime scene and the killer was still out there. There were no defensive wounds found on either of the bodies and as far as anyone knew, it looked like a night of debauchery gone horribly wrong.

Now, an outsider might have been wondering as to why SHIELD, a division of the government fixated on counterterrorism, was fixated on the double homicide of a seemingly normal couple. Granted, it was SHIELD who had given this couple their identities and whatnot.

All Katharine knew was that Mary and Connor McHale had been placed under the protection of SHIELD due to their involvement in mutant uprisings overseas. They'd been given a US Marshal instead of an Agent of SHIELD, though Katharine had argued that they would have needed more protection than what a US Marshal could offer.

And she had been right.

"Okay," Katharine said, not getting the point. "But why are you approaching me with this? Shouldn't you be briefing the whole team on this case if we're going to be working on it? Better yet, this looks like a case better suited for Coulson's team."

"Under direct orders from Director Fury, you have been chosen to work this case along with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit," Unit Chief Davis informed her. "Because of your previous involvement with the McHales and due to the unusual aspect of the murders and the victims chosen, we needed someone to cover all our bases."

"Of course," she said, voice tight. "In case the assailant is a mutant or someone powered, you'd want the same ammunition on the other side."

Davis looked at Katharine, pity, or guilt flashing across his features. It didn't take a genius to know that the only reason she had her own office was because of her teammates' hesitance to trust her due to the fact that she had abilities. Nothing bad, of course. Besides being a human lie detector, she was also able to... persuade people into doing what she wanted.

Under any other circumstances, Katharine knew how bad that could sound. In reality, all she could do was tell when people were lying and make them tell the truth. She couldn't force a person to admit something that wasn't true but she could also control their actions by exerting her will upon them. It really was nothing terrible, but just the fact that she even had abilities was enough to get her on the watchlist of possible low-level offenders at the end of the day.

"They're expecting you by nine, we'll have a copter ready to fly you over at eight," Agent Davis explained.

Katharine nodded, standing from her seat. It was currently nearing eight in the morning. The flight between DC and Quantico was a little longer than the drive, which was already nearing an hour in duration. She'd have to be ready to leave within the next ten minutes.

Katharine reached over and shook the man's hand across the desk that separated the two.

"We'll see you when you get back, Agent Morgan," Davis said. "Be safe."

Katharine hesitated, before returning the sentiment. "You too, Davis."

Davis left her office as she flipped through the pages of the case once again. Looking between the case notes that had already been made and the photos, she felt as if she were looking at something familiar.

Katharine pulled at her hair. Something bigger was definitely at play here and the inability to pull her thoughts together was driving her insane.

She couldn't just flat out say that it was the work of HYDRA, but whoever had done it had most likely done so to gain her attention. After all, she was the last agent to have come in contact with the McHales, and after her was their handler.

Any interactions the McHales had were limited, only certain people even had access to their home. This automatically meant that they had a suspect list. Katharine bit her lip, closing the folder shut.

She had work to do.

JUST OVER AN HOUR LATER, Katharine found herself standing in front of a team of people who have yet to introduce themselves to her. Though in fairness, she had yet to introduce herself as well as she'd busied herself with setting up the case presentation.

The only person she'd been introduced to as of yet was their Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner, or Hotch, as he had preferred. Anyhow, Hotch was a dark-haired man in his early-forties that stood at roughly six-foot-two, almost evenly matching Katharine's own five-foot-ten.

She fiddled with the remote in her hand, eyes nervously glancing around as they waited on one last member of their team. Katharine used the time she had to run through her entire presentation again. First, she'd hand out the copies of the case files she'd had made, and then she'd deliver the suspect list which, unfortunately, she realized, included her.

Then, she'd lead them through the presentation that included a full rundown on the McHale family and the situation that they'd been caught up in.

It was a true tragedy, really. From birth, it seemed neither Mary nor Connor had really stood a chance. First, Mary's parents had been killed in a terrible bombing accident and then Connor's father was brutally murdered in front of him when he was two...

Yeah, neither of the McHales lived normal lives, or whatever normal was meant to be for two individuals that carried the X gene.

"I'm sorry I'm late. Traffic was a pain this morning."

Katharine looked up and her breath caught in her throat. Standing in the doorway stood Derek Morgan, the only person to know her better than she knew herself.

It had been years since she'd seen him. She still remembered the day she left home, vividly. It had rained on that day. She had her suitcase packed at her feet and Phil Coulson stood by an SUV along with some suited agents as she said goodbye to her family. Katharine had no idea how long she'd have to stay away but as it turned out, seven years was what it took.

"As I live and breathe, Derek Morgan," Katharine abandoned her laptop to approach the man. She didn't know whether to shake his hand or give him a hug, but it seemed he made up her mind for her.

He pulled her in for a tight hug, Katharine wrapping her arms around his stocky build.

"You got taller," he commented, an easy smile on his face.

Katharine pulled back from the hug, slapping his shoulder lightly. "Seven years and that's the first thing you say to me?"

"Do you two know each other?" asked one of the two blondes. She was wearing an extremely colorful dress with accessories to match. The glasses that rested on her face were square in shape and red in color. Her hair was curled, with the occasional streak of pink painted in it.

Overall, she looked entirely non-threatening from an agent's point of view. Katharine smiled lightly. "I believe introductions are in order."

Katharine returned to her post by her laptop. She smoothed out her skirt, careful not to reveal the gun she kept on a thigh holster and picked up the remote that she had abandoned while she greeted Derek.

"I am Agent Katharine Morgan, Level Eight SHIELD Operative. I was sent here on a mission to aid in the case of Mary and Connor McHale." Katharine picked up the stack of files, passing them out to the seven people sitting at the round table. "I've already met your Unit Chief, Agent Hotchner so if you could give me a quick introduction to each of you, I can get on with presenting the case."

They made quick work of their introductions, from SSA Jennifer Jareau (JJ) the team's communications liaison, to Dr. Spencer Reid, their in house genius, Katharine became acquainted with each of them.

"And to answer your question," Katharine directed at the blonde from earlier, the team's technical analyst, "Derek Morgan is my cousin on my dad's side," Katharine spared Derek a joking look of disgust. "But I find it appalling that I share any DNA with the likes of him."

Derek laughed, a sound she hadn't heard in a long while. "That's harsh for a girl who gained the clumsy gene of the family."

"Tell that to your broken nose from eighth grade," she retorted, a smile tugging at her lips.

"Anyhow," Katharine cleared her throat, "Mary and Connor McHale were murdered in their home on the night of November twenty-eighth. They were found tied up in their bed by US Marshal Anderson Callahan yesterday morning after they had missed a check-in."

She clicked a button and a picture of the Marshal appeared on the screen along with the dead couple. She clicked another button and the murder weapon appeared.

"This ax was found roughly thirty yards from the scene of the murders, covered haphazardly by leaves. It was discovered by a jogger late yesterday afternoon. The blood on the weapon tested positive as a match for both Mary and Connor. However, there were no fingerprints found on the weapon."

"Were Mary and Connor the only victims of this Unsub?" Derek asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"So far, yes," Katharine bit her lip. "We also have reason to believe that Mary and Connor were the only targets for this Unsub."

"Why's that?"

"There was no sign of a break-in or forced entry. When the McHales were found, they were surrounded by various sex toys and objects that could be used for pleasure. We suspect that they had willingly invited this person into their home with the idea of sex on their minds."

"It's uncommon for married couples to invite a third person into their sexual activities," said the doctor. "In fact, only eighteen percent of men would actually go through with partaking in a threesome and only ten percent of women would as well. They would have had to know their attacker extremely well."

"And that brings me to my next point." Katharine clicked the remote and eight photos came up onto the screen, replacing the blood photos on the screen. She took note of how Garcia relaxed the second the gore was off the screen.

"The McHales only had eight approved visitors. Director Fury, Agent Coulson, US Marshal Callahan, Helena McHale, Peter Alston, Jackson Sawyer, Jonah Cray, and myself."

"What are the relationships between the victims and these people?" Hotch asked, his hand moving so that it partially covered his mouth. He looked deep in thought, trying to create the corrections on his own.

"Director Fury, Agent Coulson, and myself were tasked with their original protection detail," Katharine explained. "When they came to America, it was a Level Eight matter. Which means I need to stress the importance of keeping this case under wraps. No one under Level Seven knew of their identities."

Katharine took their silence as an indicator to move on. "US Marshal Callahan was tasked to them shortly after they had settled into their witsec home in Chandler, Arizona. There's not much of a relationship there considering he saw them once every two weeks for check-ins."

"And the rest of them?"

Katharine hesitated. She clicked a button on the remote and four of the eight photos disappeared. The imaging zoomed in on the remaining four.

"Helena McHale, 73," Katharine pointed out. "Connor McHale's mother. She was one of the four visitors approved by Agent Coulson and myself. "Jonah Cray, 43, Connor's business partner turned close friend. After their business went bankrupt, they stayed close. Peter Alston, 30, Mary's best friend. He had transitioned three months after they had been placed into witsec and recently underwent top surgery. Jackson Sawyer, 32, Mary's brother. There's not much about him besides the fact that he never married and now maintains a permanent residence in Kent, Ohio."

"So why did you need the BAU's help with this case?" David Rossi asked, hands crossed in front of him. "It seems you have everything you need to move forward and investigate."

Katharine bit the inside of her cheek, a nervous tick that she couldn't seem to shake. "That I don't know for certain, sir. My Unit Chief, Henry Davis, called me at the crack of dawn this morning and told me I was to be put on this case with you all. You'd have to ask him."

Aaron Hotchner stood from his seat, straightening out his suit jacket. "JJ, get a handle on the media down there while I get on the phone with Agent Davis. Garcia, start digging up anything you can about the McHales that the file doesn't already tell us. Also, keep an eye on the visitors that Agent Morgan listed. The rest of you, be ready to go. Wheels up in thirty."

Katharine visibly relaxed the second everyone started to leave the room, taking her time to pack her things and look through the files again. She bit her lip. If this case did have anything to do with HYDRA as she suspected, she'd be putting six individuals at risk.

That didn't sit right with her.

"What's wrong?"

Katharine looked up in surprise, eyes meeting with the man that had been proclaimed a genius by a very eager Derek Morgan. "What?"

His demeanor changed from semi-confident to nervous as quickly as she'd spoken. He cleared his throat. "I just--You looked stressed."

Katharine allowed a smirk to slip onto her features. Now that she was actually able to observe the man, she could say that he was cute. His chin-length hair was left natural, looking less like a bisexual bob and more like something Agent Romanoff would sport if she were to ever go brunette. His eyes were hazel and he was a mere three inches taller than her.

"I'm fine," she said. Well, as fine as she could be. "But yes, a little stressed."

"Is it because you don't actually know why you're here?"

Katharine blinked. Slowly, she reached for her laptop and files. "I-I guess... More so because I still need to brief your team on dealing with cases involving mutants but I figured that could wait for the plane. After all, there's a lot to cover."

"This is a mutant case?"

Katharine could tell that this question came from pure curiosity, but she still held up her guard. No matter how attractive a person could be, you could never really know their true intentions.

"Yeah," Katharine breathed. "Listen, I'd love to get into mutant and inhuman policy and whatnot with you but my ears are still ringing from that helicopter flight over and I'd really appreciate it if you could let me know where the nearest cup of coffee is."

Spencer Reid flushed slightly before gesturing to the door. "I could show you a really good place around here. We'd be back before we needed to be on the airstrip. That is if you'd like to go with me. Or I can just show you the office's coffee pot, though I'll have to warn you that it tastes more like bean water than anything else."

Katharine weighed her options. On one hand, she wanted to stay close in case Agent Hotchner had any information for her. On the other hand, was she really about to turn down coffee with the willing doctor in front of her?

She made up her mind.

"You know what, Dr. Reid? I'd love to get coffee with you."