•✩•

"Doesn't anybody ever go home?" Gideon asked as he watched a few members of his team slowly trickle into the bullpen.

"You're here." Amari pointed out, having walked in with Elle. The two of them were having an impromptu movie night when Gideon called.

"Exactly. Trust me, you don't want to model your social life around mine." He joked.

"If it makes you feel any better, Hotch and Morgan took off." JJ spoke as she appeared next to Gideon.

"Hotch is married, Morgan's, you know, Morgan." Amari shrugged, wasn't hard to believe they weren't here.

"What's this?" Elle asked as she spied the file in JJ's hands.

"Police in Dayton, Ohio need our help with a serial rapist." The blonde replied.

"What's the story?" Amari asked as the all headed to the round table.

"Three months ago he raped five students at a small bible college. Roughly, an attack a week, then suddenly nothing, until nine days ago when he suddenly reappeared with a whole new victim pattern. Both those women are in their thirties. They were raped about five days apart." JJ filled them in as Elle and Amari took a seat.

"Where have the new attacks taken place?" Amari asked.

"Opposite ends of the city." Gideon replied. "He was waiting for them when they got home."

"How do we know it's the same guy?" Elle questioned, leaving forward as she became invested in this case.

Gideon sighed, "He leaves voice mails for them."

Amari frowned. "Freezing them with fear before they even see him. They don't recognize the voice?"

"No." JJ shook her head. "Cops even have DNA, but it's just not in the system."

"Why would someone attacking college students suddenly widen his net?" Elle asked once again.

"Serial rapists hardly ever change victimology once it's established. It's based on a fantasy that's very specific." Gideon replied.

"Maybe he's telling these women that no one's safe." Amari stated.

"Call Hotch and Morgan. Tell them wheels are up as soon as we're cleared for takeoff." Gideon nodded and stood up from the table, walking out the room.

"Yes, sir." JJ called out after him.

After the team arrived in Ohio — Gideon, Hotch and Cirillo headed over to the precinct while the rest of the team converged and went to different locations.

A detective walked up to the three of them and held out her hand. "Maggie Callahan, I'm the detective on this job."

Gideon nodded and took her hand in his, shaking firmly. "Hey, Jason Gideon, how are you?"

"Aaron Hotchner." Hotch shook her hand after. "And Amari Cirillo." Hotch introduced her.

"Hi." Amari smiled gently and shook the detective's hand last.

"As soon as he changed victims, I knew I could use your help. Your thoughts?" The detective asked.

"Serial rapist usually have a set fantasy, I figured if we can get a handle on what made him change, it would give us our best shot at nailing this guy." Gideon told her and Hotch and Cirillo trailed after him.

"Is there a place where our team could set up?" Hotch eventually asked.

"You got it. In the conference room." The detective gestured towards the room in question.

"Thank you." Amari smiled and walked off after Hotch.

"Thank you." Gideon smiled at the detective.

"Agent Gideon, you're going to have to talk to a lot of victims." The detective said before he had the chance to walk away. "It would be helpful to have an extra female presence." Gideon looked at her. "Can you promise me you'll be sensitive?

"As long as you promise me to stay pissed off at what happened to them."

"I've been on this case since day one. I don't want to have to step aside." The detective replied.

Gideon nodded. "You will not have to."

"Thank you." The detective walked away and Gideon left to join the others.

A few hours later, Elle, Morgan, Reid and JJ walked into the precinct, having just gotten back from the hospital one of the victims were at. They'd spent the most of the day over there, questioning her.

"She didn't remember much. No one stood out to her, she didn't hear or see anything that stood out." Morgan rubbed his hand over his face as he took a seat at the table.

Amari glanced up as Elle followed after Morgan, unsettled by the apprehensive look on Elle's face.

"She recognized the voice though." Elle said as she took her seat next to Amari. "From the recording. Although she said he sounded more nervous in person." Elle scrunched her face up, anger coursing through her as she realized this case was getting under her skin.

Amari glanced over and saw Elle's nails digging harshly into the palm of her hands as she balled her hands into fists. Amari placed her hand in a hopefully comforting manner over one of Elle's, and relaxed when Elle unclenched her fists and rubbed her palms over her thighs, pressing lightly to relieve at least a tiny bit of the stress she was feeling.

Reid nodded and took over, sensing the tension coming from his partner and his best friend. "She told us that the unsub remembered specific things about her, things like her favorite place, the only alcohol she drinks and her favorite singer. He even knew that she had the family dog living with her, for protection."

"How would he know all of that?" Amari asked.

Hotch frowned, "That's what we need to find out."

—

"Everybody get some sleep. We've got a big day tomorrow." Hotch announced as the team exited the SUV's they drove to the hotel in, all walking in the direction of the elevators.

All except for one. And only one other person noticed. Spencer looked towards Amari and Hotch, who were joking around and shoving each other. Spencer snickered when he heard her call him 'old man' and then paused and turned back when he realized who was missing.

"What's up?" Spencer asked as he peeked behind the wall and saw Elle standing idly in the middle of the parking lot.

Elle looked up, her eyes wide when she realized she'd been caught. "I think I left my glasses in the car." She pointed back at the black vehicle parked behind her.

Spencer nodded and walked towards her. "I'll keep you company."

Elle shook her head. "No, it's all right."

Speaker furrowed brows as he halted his steps, surveying Elle's body language."We got to get to sleep." He said cautiously, taking in her mildly defensive stance.

"Be right there." She relented and started to walk towards the Doctor, glancing back at the car for a second before walking off.

—

"Call her." Amari said as her steps fell in sync with Hotch's. Him and Hayley were having some ... problems, and Amari loved butting into her boss's business. That, and the fact that Hotch had asked her for advice.

Aaron sighed, "I can't. She's probably sleeping." He huffed as he kicked the wall outside the entrance to his hotel room lightly.

Amari reached her hand out to him from behind, squeezing his shoulder gently. "She'll answer. It's you."

Aaron frowned, turning around to face her. "You don't know that."

"Then hop on the jet Aaron. I don't know what you want to do from Ohio. Just wait it out. This case will last a few days and then we can go home. And you can talk to her." Amari said as her eyes softened at the distraught man in front of her.

Aaron nodded, small smile forming on his face as he looked at her. "Why is it that you're the most annoying pain in the ass," Amari scrunched her face up at that, "yet you still always know the right thing to say."

Amari smirked, punching him softly on the arm. "I'm just that good. Now get some sleep old man. We have a long day tomorrow." She jerked her head towards his door, the one that they were standing in front of.

Aaron nodded, raiding his hands in defeat. "Okay. I'm going." He joked and opened his door.

She rolled her eyes and smiled genuinely at him as he leaned against the doorframe. "Goodnight loser." She grinned.

"Goodnight Amari." Aaron replied, chuckling to himself as he walked further into his room, the door closing slowly behind him.

"Don't tell me you have a thing for office affairs."

Amari's head shot up when she heard the irritating scratching that was Derek Morgan's voice. She rolled her eyes as he leaned against the wall outside the door to her room, realizing it was right next to his.

"Only with the agents I like." Amari chirped as she sauntered over to him.

Morgan chuckled as he pushed himself off the wall, "You're not denying it."

Amari scoffed, "Oh yes. I'm in a deep love affair with both Hotch and Gideon. Don't tell the team."

"Ah." Morgan nodded. "That explains why Gideon hasn't been answering my calls."

Amari laughed as she opened her door. "Try not to call him on the weekends." Morgan raised his eyebrow at her. "That's my time with him." She winked. "Goodnight dumbass."

Morgan rolled his eyes, a small smile playing on his lips. "Night flatass." He called out and walked away smugly after he heard her gasp.

—

"Good morning." Amari chirped as she waltzed into the precinct.

The detective greeted the agents. "Thanks for coming in a little early."

"Good morning. Lousy coffee's up." Hotch greeted, walking towards Amari with a steaming cup of police station coffee. She thanked him and the team gathered in front of the officers at the station.

The detective stood near the front, facing her officers. "We just want you to hear what the FBI has gathered and get you on the streets."

Gideon nodded, beginning with delivering the profile. "So the guy we're looking for is a classic power reassurance rapist. This differs from a power assertive rapist who attempts to humiliate and traumatize his victims, as well as the anger retaliatory rapist and the sexual sadist, whose attacks are also random and excessively brutal."

Morgan carried on. "The reason that's important for you to know — he's the only kind of rapist who targets a specific victim. He fantasizes that he's in a relationship with these women."

Elle interrupted. "Now, he doesn't come across them by accident. This is someone with access. He's the cable guy, or the locksmith. He's the guy who reads the gas meter. He can describe exactly what these women wear and how they smell. These details are what feed his fantasy."

"Now, we need you to look for the overlap between the sets of victims. Delivery men, lawn crew, handymen. Did the school share workers with any of the recent victims?" Amari asked. "Because he sees these as relationships, he most likely lives alone. And living alone allows him to indulge his delusion that he's in a relationship with these women."

Hotch nodded, clasping his hands together "Because of the discrepancy in the victims' ages. We can only pinpoint his age somewhere between twenty and forty years old. It's possible that he has a profession that he finds emasculating. So look for someone in their lives with a job that deviates from normal gender roles, something like a secretary. We're sure that there is some overlap. This guy is a shadow at the edges of each of these women's lives."

The detective grinned at the team of profilers. "All right, that's square one. Recanvas and be sure to relay information on shift change. Thanks very much." The officers instantly started to mutter to one another as they slowly filtered out the room.

"I looked into the idea of rapes that went unreported like you asked." The detective walked up to the team, a file in her hands.

"And?" Gideon asked.

"Two months ago, a female student at Holy Trinity committed suicide. She wasn't one of the reported victims, but her suicide corresponds almost exactly to when the campus attacks stopped." She filled them in.

"Maybe there are more victims out there." Reid frowned.

The next day, the rapist had struck again and the team was becoming antsy. Especially, Amari noticed, Elle. She was jumpy, got easily annoyed, and took every negative thing a male member of the team said to heart. Amari was worried about her. But she cast that worry aside when she realized she had to focus on the case.

"There's not a potential victim in the questionnaires." Hotch sighed as he stared at the stack of papers they'd gotten from the clinic.

Gideon nodded, "Who knows when we're going to get another shot at him."

"The noose is tightening. You saw that stack of forms." Amari said from her spot at the table — it was just the three of them there, with the rest of the team spread out in other parts of the station.

"This company handles the entire Great Lakes region. If he thinks we're close, he can take off and he's got a whole new list of victims in another city." Hotch said frustratedly, he didn't want to let this guy get away. "What do you think?"

Gideon tilted his head to the side, thinking before answering. "When he started with college students, he raped one a week. Now, he has to wait for the right set of circumstances, but he wants more victims. Let's give him one." Amari followed his gaze and saw his eyes glued to Elle, who was a few feet away from them at one of the detectives desks.

Amari frowned. "You think Elle's ready for it?"

"We'll be there for her." Gideon replied, not completely sure himself.

After explaining to Elle what the plan was, the team were all seated at the table so that they all knew what was happening tonight.

"What's my story?" Elle asked.

"You're a legal secretary, thirty six, divorced. Back there, the questionnaire's two days. So in the unsub's mind he's already behind his normal schedule. This guy's itching for another victim, though. Once he sees that form he's going to want to stake you out. You need to let him see you. He wants to know when you leave, when you come home, when you have friends over." Gideon explained.

"He breaks into these houses when the women are away. So, he needs to see you leave. All we need to do is get him to breach that door. Once we get him on breaking and entering, we got reason to get DNA and his ass is ours." Amari carried on, gazing intently at Elle, trying to gauge her reaction.

"Another thing, don't go out with your gun on, it's too risky. If he sees it, we might lose him. Keep it someplace inside so you can get to it easily. I'm going to be right out front, Hotch and Gideon will be around the corner in the surveillance van. And, don't forget you're wired. So, we'll be with you at all times." Morgan spoke up from next to Elle. She nodded and they all got up, ready to set their plan in motion.

Which is how they ended up outside an empty house the team was using for the plan, and why they were parked in their cars not too far away from it.

"She's in." Morgan said as he looked at her through his binoculars.

Amari looked as well and furrowed her brows when she saw no movement coming from the front door. "Why isn't she leaving? She needs to get out of there."

"What is that?" Reid asked from the back seat, spying the car outside the house.

Hotch noticed it too and radioed the team from the van he was in. "Morgan, call her."

Amari listened as she heard him dial her and waited apprehensively for her friend to answer. "Come on, pick up. pick up."

"I think we might have company." Hotch said as the car stopped outside the house, parking opposite to the path leading to the door.

Morgan phoned Garcia immediately. "Talk to me, tiger."

"Garcia, I need you to run a plate for me. Peter Mary Six Eight Yellow Three."

"William Lee, 10308 Pinehurst avenue." She filled him in.

"Ok, can you give me where he works?" Morgan asked.

Garcia nodded, even though no one could see her. "Feel my speed. He works for First Hand Media."

"All right, I got it. Thanks. It's him." He said as he put the phone down and turned to the rest of his team.

"Bingo." Amari smirked.

"Alpha, bravo, she's on the move." Hotch spoke up, causing the whole team to train their eyes on Elle's moving figure.

Amari paled when she saw what Elle had in her hands. "What's she doing with her gun out?"

"Just get in the car. Don't let him know that you see him." Morgan said under his breath, clearly worried for his friend.

"What is she doing?" Hotch asked.

"Easy, baby." Morgan breathed as he saw her approach the car.

Amari bit her lip worriedly when she saw Elle. "She's panicking."

"Easy, easy. Come on, Elle. Back off. Back off." Morgan repeated. "We've got no reason to bring him in. Don't blow it, Don't blow it."

Suddenly, they saw her raise her gun when she got near enough to the car, wrenching the door open and aiming it at the man inside the car.

"Go, go, go! Everybody, go." Hotch shouted and Morgan hopped out the car, the team following after him.

"FBI, put your hands where I can see them. Get out of the car! Right now! Get on the ground! Put your palms up! Shut up!" Elle screamed at the unsub.

The man in the car raised his hands, his eyes wide with mock innocence. "I was just stopping to look at my map." He gestured towards the map on his seat and Elle's face fell, knowing that there was nothing to arrest him for, but still determined to make sure that he was.

—

After the team go back to the station, they didn't have a solid shred of evidence to hold the man, so eventually, they had to let him go.

Amari watched as Hotch pulled Elle aside and they walked out the station, talking furiously between themselves as they did. Spencer came up behind her, tucking his chin on her shoulder in a way of comforting her.

"Hey genius." Amari muttered and lifted her hand up and scratched his hair lightly as she pressed his face closer to hers.

He went to stand in front of her, grabbing her hand in his and squeezing in an effort to quell her worries. He noticed her looking outside in the vicinity of where Elle and Hotch were and sighed.

"She's going to be okay." He assured her.

Amari frowned as she diverted her gaze back to Spencer. "You don't know that."

Spencer's face contorted into a light smile, "You sure about that?"

Amari allowed herself to chuckle and shoved him lightly, not breaking her hold on his hand, knowing that it was the only thing grounding her right now. Spencer had other plans, because he let go of her hand and instead slung his arm around her shoulder, walking with her.

"What do you say we go back to the hotel and watch some movies? The jet only leaves tomorrow and the hotel has a really good crappy selection available." He spoke as they headed out the station.

Amari smiled up at Spencer, thankful that he was there. "Yeah. That'd be nice. Thank you Spence." She buried her head in his chest, chuckling slightly to herself when she felt him wrap his arms awkwardly around her.

•✩•

long time no see huh.
sad that elle is leaving.
extremely excited for the new member of the team
*dramatic wink*

— J