KATHARINE GROANED AS SPENCER'S PHONE WENT OFF AT ROUGHLY FOUR IN THE MORNING. She rolled off of his chest, pushing him away from her and laying on her other side with her pillow covering her ears. The way her stomach churned made her regret eating as many cookies as she did.

As Spencer answered the phone, Katharine stumbled off into the bathroom to dispel the contents of her stomach. She hacked into the toilet, coughing as Spencer wandered over to help hold her hair up.

"I'm fine," Spencer assured the person on the other end of the phone. "Katharine's just having a rough morning. We'll be there as soon as we can."

She spat into the toilet before wiping her mouth with a square of toilet paper. She discarded it into the bowl before flushing. Katharine stood, with Spencer's help, and made her way over to the sink so she could rinse with mouthwash.

"Was that Emily?" she asked, spitting into the sink while Spencer turned on the shower. She watched as he stripped and got under the stream of water. Katharine reached for her facewash, figuring she should at least start getting ready for the day.

"Yeah," Spencer said, massaging the shampoo into his hair. "Lucky you, first day back and you get to fly cross-country."

Katharine rolled her eyes as she dried her face. Her first day back was supposed to be filled with paperwork and getting to know the new team, not chasing down another psychopath on the west coast. She pulled open the drawer to her left, looking for the bottle of toner she usually used.

"How different is it?" she asked, looking at him through the already fogging mirror. When he gave her a look, she couldn't help but roll her eyes once more. "I know we said no work talk at home, Spence, but I'm nervous! What if I come back and I ruin the team chemistry or--or what if--"

"No what if's!" he interrupted her, stepping out of the shower. He dried himself off before wrapping the towel around his waist, grabbing another towel to dry off his hair. He wrapped an arm around Katharine's waist, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. "And no work talk. I'm sure your nerves can hold off until we get into the car."

Katharine pushed him away, pouting as she moisturized her face. He squeezed her shoulder. "But if it'll help," he pecked her lips, "I know you've got nothing to worry about. Everything will turn out fine."

Katharine sighed. She dropped her moisturizer back into the drawer and closed it, turning to the side so that she could wrap her arms around his neck. She pulled him closer for a kiss. "Thank you."

He kissed her again. "Okay, now let me go so I can boil a sweet potato for you before we leave. Gotta get your daily vitamin A for healthy fetal development," his hand landed on her stomach, thumb rubbing the barely-there belly bump.

"Speaking of fetal development," she said as he left the bathroom in search of an outfit for the day. Katharine reached for her toothbrush, figuring just this once wouldn't kill her teeth. "According to Bucky's text from last night, our kid is the size of a pomegranate seed now."

The most surprising thing about Bucky finding out about her growing a literal child in her uterus was how invested the super soldier was in the pregnancy. About an hour after he left, he had sent at least thirty articles about pregnancy. Katharine had then proceeded to print out said articles and handed them over to her husband, who was more than happy to give them a read.

Spencer had then broken out a box of old pregnancy books from when JJ was first expecting, saying that there was no harm in giving them another read. Katharine didn't have the heart to bring up the fact that he had an eidetic memory and technically didn't need to read them again.

"And we'll have a blueberry next week," Spencer informed her, emerging from their closet fully dressed for the day. His hair was still damp though it would dry by the time they got to the BAU. Katharine finished brushing her teeth, swishing with more mouthwash before leaving the bathroom. She had showered last night after their activities and there was no need to be wasting any more water.

Katharine bit her lip, shutting off the bathroom light before going into their closet. Spencer was fixing his collar while she pursued her options, picking out a casual trouser suit. She stripped her nightclothes off, tossing them into the hamper for pulling on a white T-shirt, layering the black blazer and pants over that.

She slid on a pair of white sneakers after that. If anyone had any problems with her casual footwear, they could take it up with her fists. Katharine exited her bedroom, heading into the kitchen where Spencer was boiling a sweet potato for her.

She came up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Can we get blueberries from the market when we get back?"

"We'll grab strawberries, too," he agreed, stabbing the sweet potato with a fork and transferring it to a paper towel. He turned off the stove before patting the vegetable dry, handing it to her so that she could eat it like an apple. She grinned, thanking him before detaching herself from his body.

"We're going to be late," she said through a mouthful of potato. He grimaced at her poor manners before handing her another napkin.

Katharine rolled her eyes, taking the napkin before grabbing her water bottle that she had substituted for her beloved travel mug. She pulled her bag onto her shoulder as Spencer grabbed the keys from the hook by the door before they left the house, locking the doors behind them.

TO SAY THAT KATHARINE WAS NERVOUS STEPPING BACK INTO THE BAU WAS AN UNDERSTATEMENT. For starters, she nearly had to force Spencer to pull over so that she could vomit. Though Katharine couldn't really tell if it was her nerves or the morning sickness speaking.

Katharine and Spencer strolled into the round table room, a sheepish grin on both their faces. Garcia had already started delivering the profile but all thoughts of the case went out the window as soon as their eyes connected.

"Holy shit!" she yelled before launching herself at the light-skinned woman. Katharine laughed, catching her colorful friend in a tight embrace. "Pardon my French but I missed you!"

"I missed you, too, PG," Katharine said, rocking herself and her friend back and forth. When the blonde finally released her, she took a moment to look around at the small table. The team had been through several changes in the past five years, she understood.

From losing both Derek and Hotch to the team to accepting three new members, the newest being Matt Simmons, Katharine felt it was safe to say she still felt nostalgic about their old team. She turned her attention to their Unit Chief, Emily Prentiss. She held out her hand, laughing when Emily batted it away and brought her in for a hug instead.

"We're equal in deaths now, Em," Katharine joked. "When are we going for the third?"

"I'd say give it a month," Emily mused, letting her go. Katharine grinned, taking her seat in between Spencer and JJ. The second blonde reached over and hugged her over the armrests.

"Missed me, Jayge?" Katharine teased, hugging the blonde back. She looked over JJ's shoulder and winked at Rossi. "And don't think I forgot about you, Old Man. You'll get your hug later."

"I'll be expecting it," Rossi said, an amused look on his face. JJ and Katharine separated, the three other agents in the room more than confused with what was going on.

"Katharine," Emily introduced. "This is SSA Matt Simmons," Katharine recognized him from the online stalking she may or may not have done, "Dr. Tara Lewis," she also recognized her from the news clip she had watched, "and SSA Luke Alvez."

Katharine couldn't say she recognized Alvez as much as she did the others, though if Spencer's word was any good, she knew that he was a good person. She held up her hand and gave them a polite wave, smiling.

"Pleasure," she said. "I'm Katharine Reid, uh, Specialist Katharine Reid. Sorry, it's been a while."

The three of them smiled politely back at her, though Alvez's grin was wider than the other twos. From the looks between him and Garcia, she figured her bubbly friend had told him all about her. How the topic of Katharine would have been brought up, she didn't know, but something told her that that wasn't a question that needed to be answered.

"Okay," Garcia clapped her hands together, bringing them back to the case. Spencer handed her a tablet while taking his own paper copy from the center of the table. "As I was saying, this one's a doozy. In the Bighorn National Forest in Buffalo, Wyoming, a couple stumbled upon a cardboard box painted black, containing the body of a young boy, either five or six years old. He was stripped and mutilated and looked as if he had been severely malnourished."

Katharine grimaced at the gory details as her hand went instinctively to her stomach. Spencer, seeing her reaction, grabbed her hand and rubbed circles into the spot between her thumb and forefinger. She felt her nausea wane, taking a deep breath, and sending a thankful smile to her husband. The last thing she wanted was to vomit in the middle of a briefing.

"Where was he found?" Dr. Tara Lewis asked, looking up from her tablet.

"Off of the Leigh Monument trail," Garcia told them. "It's the most difficult trail in the forest."

"So our guy knows their way around," Rossi assumed. "And most likely isn't physically disabled. He's active. Do they know who the boy is?"

Garcia shook her head. "No. They tried dental records and came up with nothing. His fingerprints were burned off and not even hair matches to this boy in the state of Wyoming."

"Okay, but what I don't get is why the unsub wrapped the boy in a blanket..." Katharine zoomed in on the photo, "with a tag still on it. Local law enforcement didn't catch that?"

"I don't think the locals would have been looking at brands," Simmons reasoned.

Katharine nodded, squinting at the photo. "It's a long shot but it could lead us to a general location of where the unsub first abducted this boy."

"And somebody's gotta be missing him," JJ input. "Kids don't just go missing."

Emily pursed her lips. She stood from her seat, closing her tablet and straightening out her skirt. "Wheels up in thirty."

Katharine grinned, closing her own tablet and standing as well. She never thought she'd miss hearing those words as much as she did. She couldn't wait to get back in the field.

AFTER GOING OVER THE CASE ON THE PLANE, Katharine found herself sitting at the table across from JJ and Luke Alvez, head leaning on Spencer's shoulder as he devoured yet another pregnancy book disguised as Quantum Theory. Emily had retired to the front of the plane with Rossi, hosting their own silent conversation while Lewis and Simmons occupied the couch and the reclining seat across from them.

"So what's happened in the past five years?" Katharine asked, playing with the button on her coat. Her question was direct toward JJ, but she presented it as something anyone could answer.

The blonde mother shrugged. "I had another kid, Michael--" she slid the photo of the child over to Katharine-- "Surprise, you're a godmother."

Katharine looked up from the photo. "Wait," she held up the photo, already feeling the tears form at the corners of her eyes, "you made me your child's godmother while I was dead?"

Spencer handed her a tissue from his pocket, looking at her in concern. It was odd that she was crying considering the fact that she barely showed any emotion other than anger or a vaguely optimistic one while on a case. Of course, there were those rare moments where a case had really gotten to her but those were just that--rare.

"Are you okay?" JJ asked, reaching over to put her hand over Katharine's. She dabbed at the corners of her eyes, soaking up the tears. Carefully, she looked over to Spencer who said nothing. They hadn't talked about telling the team about her pregnancy just yet seeing as it was technically still early.

"I'm fine," Katharine sobered up. She crumbled the tissue up in her hand and stuffed it into the empty disposable cup in front of her. "I just... didn't expect that. I mean, is that even legal? I was dead."

The new team member, Alvez, decided to speak up at that moment. "Sorry, but what do you mean dead? I mean, people don't just come back to life."

Katharine furrowed her brows. He had been paying attention to the news, hadn't he? Even if he hadn't, five years with half the population gone would have at least set off some warning bells in his mind or something.

"Uh," she stalled, barely recalling what Peter had told her the civilians were calling it. "I, uh, died and then came back during the Blip."

She thought it was a stupid name but didn't bother arguing with the enthusiastic teen. It was nice to be able to see him smile especially after what had happened. She wondered how his trip to Europe was going, figuring she'd give him a call later that night if she had time.

"Huh," Alvez vocalized, nodding slowly. "It was the Avengers that brought them back, right? How'd they do it?"

Katharine's mood suddenly grew dark as he brought it up. She shut her mouth and shifted uncomfortably in her seat, hands crushing the empty disposable cup that had been loosely settled in her grasp. Spencer had put his book down, reaching for her as her eyes became unfocused. She felt as if she were floating away as she relived the moments before she disappeared into the wind.

Faintly, she heard Bucky calling for her and her head snapped in the direction she heard the voice calling from before realizing he wasn't there. The crushed cup dropped from her fingers as she blinked rapidly, looking around confused. The confusion only lasted a moment before the embarrassment took over, resulting in her trying to hide away behind her hands.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, though it came out muffled. She heard the distant roar of one of those hideous aliens she had to fight, causing her to flinch as the jet jolted.

Spencer's hands reached out to settle her. "It's just turbulence," he assured.

Katharine gripped his sleeve anxiously. "Sorry," she apologized again.

Alvez shook his head. "There's no need to apologize, chica. I should be apologizing to you, I was being insensitive."

The term of affection rolled off his tongue so easily that it was almost painful. There was something about the former Task Force Member that reminded her of her best friend that made it difficult for her to look at him. Katharine gave him half of a smile, which didn't seem to put either of them at ease.

"It's okay," Katharine said softly. She tried to meet his eye but found she couldn't. "Uh, how did the Avenger's do it? They fought knowing that they had to win." She swallowed harshly, "Whatever it takes is what Tony said, and, uh," she tried to look at him again but only saw Nina in his place. "Sorry, you just remind me of my friends."

She could feel that he wanted to ask about her friend, about Nina, but he refrained. Katharine was thankful for the lull in the conversation, asking Spencer to get up so she could use the bathroom.

"Are you okay?" he asked, holding onto her arm so that he could steady her in the aisle. Katharine nodded, taking a deep breath.

"I just need a moment," she assured him, pressing a kiss to his knuckles before disappearing into the back of the cabin. Maybe coming back was going to be harder than she thought.

WHEN THEY LANDED IN WYOMING, Katharine was the first one off the plane. As she repressed her need to hurl, she tried to focus on other things instead. Things like the case they were tasked with solving.

They split up, Lewis and Rossi heading off to the disposal site while Simmons and Alvez headed to the ME's. That left JJ, Emily, Spencer, and Katharine to head to Buffalo Police Department to meet with the lead detective on the case.

Detective Porter was a short man and no, Katharine wasn't just saying that because she was five-ten and barely taller than average. She was saying that because of his obviously short temper. The fact that he was five-foot had nothing to do with her commentary beforehand but the fact that he was about the same height as a fifth-grader, it made it hard for her to take him seriously.

Sure, she was being a little mean, but she also didn't exactly take kindly to men that weren't her husband asking her to get them a cup of coffee.

With the way Spencer was glaring at the detective, it was a wonder how the man wasn't already six-feet under. The detective seemed to grow smaller under her husband's anger though, trying to avoid both Katharine and her husband as much as possible.

"If I punch that man before we leave," Katharine forewarned, angrily pulling the top off the evidence box, "make sure you get it on tape. I'll show it to the next misogynist bastard we run into before punching them as well."

Spencer, just as upset, set a stack of files down on the conference room table. He took up a file and opened it, hastily reading through the information. "If you don't do it, I will."

Katharine stopped her angry unpacking, setting down the orange biohazard bag on the table. She looked at her husband, who had also turned to look at her. It was like they were telepathic with only each other, which was both creepy and impressive.

"I love you," she said, looking at him meaningfully. "Like, really, Spencer. I would die for you."

He chuckled in response. "Considering you already technically have, let's hold off on that one for now."

Katharine grinned. She leaned over and pecked his cheek, pulling away quickly as to not be seen fraternizing during work hours. They still had to be professional.

She picked up the orange biohazard bag she had just sat down, turning it over in her hands to search for the label. Once she found it, she tried to make out the messy scrawl that most likely belonged to the detective.

Upon realizing that this was the blanket they had found the boy in, she laid it flat on the table, trying to move the fabric without having to open it. It didn't take much struggling realizing that if she shook the bag a bit, the tag would eventually come to the front.

She squinted at the blue and yellow label, immediately realizing where it had come from.

Katharine pulled her phone out, dialing Rossi's number before hitting the speaker option on the device. She waited for three rings before the Italian man picked up.

"Hey Rossi," she greeted, turning the blanket over in her hands. "Did they leave the cardboard box at the scene?"

"They did."

"Great. Can you see if there's a label on it, maybe a minimalist truck that you can see through the paint?"

There were a few moments of silence as Rossi checked the box.

"Yeah," he confirmed. "It's faint, but it's there."

"Thanks," Katharine wasted no time in between hanging up on Rossi and dialing Garcia's number. The phone only rang once before it was answered by the technical analyst.

"What can I do for you, my beautiful milk chocolate?"

"Hi Penny G," she said, leaning in closer to the phone. "Can you tell me where the nearest Ikea from Buffalo is?"

Katharine looked up at Spencer while Garcia searched for the furniture store. He had packed her items into Ikea boxes and she had commented on how cute the trucks on the side were, the simple design appealing to her minimalistic aesthetic.

"The nearest Ikea is in Draper, Utah," Garcia said.

Spencer furrowed his brows. "Draper? That's five-hundred and thirty-point-eight miles away. It'd normally take eight hours and four minutes taking the I-80 west to get there from here, but considering the time of night that the boy's body was most likely dumped at, and the fact that Wyoming's top speed limit is eighty... I'd say the drive would be just under seven hours."

"But that's only if they drove from Utah," Katharine pointed out. "Delivery services can ensure that you never even have to leave your home to do a little shopping. It's very possible that the unsub could have ordered it from home."

"So what do you need me to look up?"

Katharine pulled the blanket closer to her face, trying to flip the tag over while it was still in the bag. "Garcia, can you look for orders that contain both moving boxes and blankets? Specifically the Ingabritta blanket."

"The moving box dimensions would most likely be the twenty-two by thirteen by sixteen-and-a-quarter," Spencer filled in.

"I will get right on that and I will hit you back up when I've got it."

Katharine hung up the phone, dropping it on the table. Her hand fell to her stomach, rubbing circles with her thumb right above her belly button. She figured she had about four more weeks before she started to seriously show any stomach growth.

That, paired with her love for all things high-waisted, they had a little under seven weeks before they would have to tell everyone. Katharine sighed. She'd have to find a way to contact Nina. For so long, the Puerto Rican had been Katharine's pillar of support in life. Going through her first pregnancy without her just didn't seem right.

JJ and Emily returned to the conference room at the same time as Simmons and Alvez. Spencer filled the four of them in on what they had figured out, highlighting the fact that it was totally possible that the unsub could be from Utah rather than Wyoming.

"Crossing state lines to dump a body?" JJ asked. "Seems extremely dedicated."

"The unsub also cut the boy's hair," Simmon's said. He handed Spencer a photo of the boy that they had taken in the ME's office. "Despite being malnourished and mutilated, the unsub took the time to give the kid a haircut."

Katharine was silent. She played with the ends of her hair as she stared at the photo of the young boy. He was blonde and his eyes could have been the bluest she'd ever seen. Death had dulled them, taken away their shine. The ME's report read that the cause of death was malnutrition, which set off some bells in her head.

"What if we're dealing with a couple?" Katharine speculated. "You remember the case we had where the unsubs kidnapped the women and had them give birth to those kids as surrogates for the one they couldn't have?"

"That was so long ago," Emily commented. "But do you think it's something like that? The couple wants to act as some kind of caregiver for the children they take?"

"But they're obviously not taking care of the kids well enough," Simmons refuted. "I mean, the kids were mutilated and malnourished."

Katharine shook her head. "I'm not saying that they're good at taking care of the kids, I'm just saying that that might be why they're taking them in the first place."

"It would make sense," Spencer backed her up. "But what if they're trying to find the perfect kid, one that obeys without question. The marks on the boy's skin look as if they could come from a belt but they go deep enough that it could be from a whip."

"And wrapping the kid in a blanket and giving them a haircut are signs of care as well as remorse," JJ nodded. Katharine sat back in her seat as the detective strolled into the space they were provided.

He knocked twice, garnering the rest of the room's attention.

"There's been another kidnapping," he said, pointing through the window at the couple stood by the front doors. Katharine's heart dropped into her stomach. This was not good."

KATHARINE SAT OUT OF DELIVERING THE PROFILE, instead, using her time to narrow down the list of fifteen individuals that ordered both the Ingabritta blanket and moving boxes. Due to the blankets being on sale for a dollar, it was a hot ticket item despite it being the middle of summer.

"Speaking in radius from the disposal site, there are eight people that had the items delivered to their homes," Garcia said. "Two of which are men and six that are women."

"Can you narrow it down to married couples?" Katharine asked. "Maybe see if there are any records of attempts at pregnancy that might have failed?"

"Let's see... Five of the six women are married, both men live alone though one of them does have a domestic partner."

"Any record of pregnancy attempts?"

Garcia was silent for a moment, the only sound coming through being the tapping of her keyboard. Finally, she came up with an answer as the rest of the BAU flooded back into the conference room.

"Four of them," Garcia said. Katharine frowned. "However, three of the four made recent visits to a fertility clinic with their partners. The fourth went on her own. I'll send you their information now."

"Thanks, Penny," Katharine looked over as her tablet's screen lit up, receiving the five files as praised. "Do you know why the fourth went on her own?"

"I'm sorry but no."

Katharine sighed. "Okay. Thanks anyway, we'll talk later."

"Bye."

Katharine hung up, dropping her phone on the table in exchange for the tablet. "Garcia helped me narrow it down to four suspects, three of which visited fertility clinics with their partners while the fourth, Margaret Smith, visited on her own."

"Do we know why Margaret went on her own?" Emily asked, taking the tablet that Katharine handed her.

The younger woman shook her head. "No, but her file says that her neighbors have called the cops due to domestic disputes between her and her husband. I'm assuming they were all marked false alarms because her husband never got arrested and they're still together after ten years."

Katharine bit her lip. She didn't want to be wrong about this. She wanted her first case back to be successful.

Before giving the profile, JJ and Katharine had gone in to question the parents. They had been hiking with their six-year-old son when he had just gone missing. The boy, Matthew, fit the victim type, having both blue eyes and blond hair. The mother, Janice, said that he was sitting on the bench next to her and when she turned back from looking through her bag, he had disappeared. The dad was in the bathroom at the time.

"Katharine and JJ," Emily said, "head down to the Smith's house. The rest of us should interview the three other couples. Reid and Lewis, take the first house, Simmons and Alvez, take the second while Rossi and I take the third."

Katharine nodded, getting up from her seat and making sure her gun was still safely holstered on her hip. She grabbed her blazer, checking to make sure her big knife was still strapped to the material there. Once she was sure she was set, she followed JJ out to the SUVs.

Spencer caught up with her at the front door, pressing a kiss to her forehead and telling her to stay safe. She returned his sentiments before hopping into the car, taking up the passenger's seat.

"MARGARET AND JAMES SMITH," Katharine read off her phone, "they're the model couple, picket-fence house and everything."

JJ snorted. "If everything also includes getting the cops called on them due to domestic disputes, then yeah."

The Smith's home was directly in between the police station and the house that Rossi and Emily were checking out. It wasn't too far of a drive, a little over twenty-five minutes going the speed limit and a little under twenty driving like Katharine.

"It looks like there's a lot more space between neighbors than we originally thought," Katharine observed as they rolled up to the street the Smith household was located on. Even from this angle, Katharine could tell that they had a big yard and a shed in the back, something not uncommon for people that did yard work. "I wonder how loud someone would have to be for their neighbors to call the cops for noise."

"My guess is very," JJ said, looking at the house warily. She parked the car, Katharine hopping out with JJ not too far behind.

Together, they walked down the street and up to the house's front door and JJ knocked. They waited roughly five minutes and when no one answered, Katharine took that as a sign that no one was home.

"We'll have to come back," she said, disheartened. Looking around. "Or we can try the neighbors."

They left the Smith's property, walking over to the neighbor on the right's house. Katharine knocked this time, taking a step back and waiting. The neighbor opened the door a moment later.

"I'm Agent Reid and this is my partner, Agent Jareau, we're with the FBI," Katharine said, the two women showing them their credentials. "We were wondering if we could ask you a few questions about your neighbors, Margaret and James?"

The neighbor, Ellis Hemmings, invited them in. She offered her couch for the two of them to sit, which Katharine and JJ accepted respectfully.

"Ms. Hemmings, what can you tell us about the Smiths?" JJ asked, leaning forward so that her elbows were perched on her knees.

"Call me Ellis," the old woman offered. She took up the cup of tea she had made for herself. "Uh, my neighbors aren't the quietest. Sometimes I see Margaret wearing sunglasses in the winter or long sleeves in the summer but she says it's 'new fashion' but I don't believe her one bit."

Katharine almost thanked God for nosy neighbors, they didn't even need to ask much follow-up with that question. "Do you have an idea of where they might be at the moment?"

"Probably hiking," Ellis said absentmindedly. "Their favorite trail is the Leigh Monument trail. When the Smiths first moved in, Margaret used to come over for tea all the time. She would tell me her favorite places to go to. James proposed to her at that monument, you know. It was very romantic."

"Did Margaret used to tell you anything else about their lives?" JJ pried.

Ellis sipped her tea. "Just the reason they moved. Poor souls, losing a child is never easy."

Katharine stood, thanking Ellis for the information. They left the home, Katharine getting on the phone with Garcia while JJ rang up Emily.

"Hey, can you tell me if the Smiths had a kid?" Katharine asked.

"Uh..." Garcia typed a bit. "Oh. They did, but-- it's not a nice story."

"What isn't a nice story?"

"Max Smith was born six years ago to parents Margaret and James Smith. Sadly and tragically, he died three hours after his birth due to complications of the genetic factor. Mother's side."

Katharine grimaced. Margaret most likely blamed herself for losing their kid, which would have been the factor that drove her to visit the fertility clinic which most likely triggered the idea of kidnapping the kids.  "Thanks, Garcia."

She hung up, looking over at JJ who was still on the phone. She pocketed her phone and repeated the information she just received from Garcia. They made their way back to the SUV, JJ's phone connecting to the Bluetooth just as Emily said, "Stay there and wait for the Smiths to get back."

Emil hung up, leaving the two women in silence. Katharine rolled her shoulders back, opening up the glove compartment and taking out the binoculars.

"Looks like we're having a stakeout," she said, trying to keep the mood light.

"Looks like we are," JJ replied, amused. She pulled out her own pair of binoculars from under the center armrest. From the looks of it, they were going to be there for a while.

IT WAS NEARLY MIDNIGHT WHEN THE SMITHS ARRIVED BACK AT HOME. By that time, the rest of the BAU had arrived and were stationed around the home as well. They had a SWAT team on hold several streets over as a just in case. This was the most unconventional takedown Katharine would be apart of.

She fixed her earpiece, getting out of the car as the Smith's garage door closed. Together, with JJ at her side, they rang the doorbell.

When they got no response, Katharine slammed her first against the door, calling out, "FBI! Open up!"

Katharine unholstered her gun, holding it at her side while she heard Emily call for the SWAT team. Once given the word, Katharine kicked down the front door with zero hesitation. JJ broke off to the left while Katharine moved to the back of the house. She heard SWAT and the rest of her team file into the house after them.

"Clear," she heard JJ say as she rounded on the basement door.

"Clear," she heard Emily say as she finished scoping out the upstairs floor.

Katharine opened the basement door, clicking her flashlight on and carefully descending down the stairs. At first glance, it looked like nothing was downstairs but she was soon proven incorrect as a flash of silver entered her vision, startling her into dropping her flashlight.

She pressed her finger to her ear, clicking once to open her communications. "Basement!"

Katharine ducked as the man, James, tried to swing at her again. Katharine used her gun to try and knock him out to no avail. His knife slid across the floor into the darkness of the basement. The man got back up not even a second later, slamming her into the wall causing her weapon to fly out of her hands. 

James pinned her to the wall with his knee, trapping her hands behind her back. He wrapped his fingers around her neck, squeezing until black spots appeared in her vision. Over his shoulder, she saw JJ and Emily come running down the stairs with their guns out in front of them.

"My husband chokes harder than you," she taunted, her voice strained. She freed her hands and shoved him away from her, using one of her legs to hook around his knee and forcing him to fall backward. She yanked out her secondary firearm from her ankle and pointed it at the man sprawled out across the ground. She prattled off his Miranda Rights as she cuffed him, occasionally coughing as the air coming in irritated her throat, JJ and Emily backing her up.

They got James out of the house, the police manhandling him into the back of a police cruiser as Spencer and Rossi emerged from the shed with Margaret between them, Simmons following with the six-year-old boy in his arms.

"We all heard you, by the way," Alvez commented, pulling her communication device out of her ear. "Who knew the boy genius was so adventurous in bed."

Katharine scoffed, rolling her eyes. She'd find the time to be embarrassed about it later. At least her cousin wasn't still on the team. Derek would've ripped her and Spencer a new one for sure.

"There's a lot of things you don't know about Spencer," Katharine said, rubbing her neck slightly. "And choking--that's not even the worst of it."

Katharine wished she had taken a photo of the man's face. The way his jaw dropped as he looked between her and Spencer was priceless, especially when Spencer waved at them innocently, not knowing what they had just been talking about.

Katharine grinned cheekily, bouncing to Spencer's side and leaving Alvez to speculate. It was safe to say that she had made a new friend that day.