BEFORE YOU WAKE. [SPENCER REID]

2.

two

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The more in-detail briefing had gone surprisingly well. Elliana had turned her phone off completely after taking the pictures with a sleeping Spencer to mess with him later so that the anxiety of a call coming through from the one person she didn't want one from was no longer present and she could focus on the case properly.

San Francisco was warm when they got there. So much so that Elliana even took rolled her shirt sleeves up and began to fan herself, her phone tucked into her back pocket and her gun holstered around her waist safely.

The ride to their police station wasn't too bad either. She'd been told to go with Emily and Derek and she already felt immensely comfortable with them two; as much as one could be after only hours of knowing each other. She even felt rather comfortable with Spencer, probably because for some reason she felt as if she could relate to him, one she didn't know of yet. However, for Rossi, Hotch and JJ, she didn't yet feel comfortable enough with them to maybe crack a slight joke like she felt she could with Derek and Emily, never mind her full-blown swearing like a sailor jokes.

Elliana stepped in to the station as an officer greeted Hotch and motioned for all of them to follow after her, heading over to their own bullpen area where they'd cleared some room out.

Hotch thanked the officer before turning to look at the team. "We have two days until the next body washes up, assuming the unsub sticks to the same m.o."

Elliana looked over for a moment and hesitated. "Reid and I were thinking earlier. This seems like an organised killer, the cool down period is the same each time and they stick to a schedule, the same m.o whilst being controlled. They seem to be organised enough to be a power or control seeker."

"Yes," Reid began. "His cooling off period is consistently five days which indicates he most likely isn't doing it for the thrill, it's not something that he needs."

"And they aren't devolving either, not yet, which means they may become even more dangerous." Elliana added, placing the case file she'd been holding down onto the table. "They'll become a danger to the people around them, right?"

Hotch looked over at them both for a moment before raising an eyebrow. "Allon, you don't think the unsub is a male?"

Elliana's eyebrows furrowed until she realised she'd been using they/them for the unsub and she hesitated slightly. "Well, I didn't want to verbalise it, not until I was sure but... I think the singular gunshot to the back of the head is... merciful... the victim is turned away, doesn't see it as the gunshot comes and it's a quick death... not as painful... even though the torture conflicts with that. A woman is more likely to be merciful, right? The ligature marks indicate that the unsub isn't strong enough or large enough to contain the victim which, although I disagree that women are more fragile because I could beat any of your asses," Emily laughed as Elliana smiled slightly. "That might lead us to the conclusion that it is a possibility that the unsub may be a woman."