VIOLENT DELIGHTS, aaron hotchner

perseverance

Love is our true destiny.
We do not find the meaning of
life by ourselves alone --
We find it with another.

-Thomas Merton

To Juliette, it seems this job can only work in extremes. After those three weeks of back-to-back cases, it felt like serial killers were taking September off. Two weeks of consults and training were fun, but the team's itching to get back on their feet.

Thankfully, just as Juliette entered the bullpen, Garcia exits her lair with files stacked in her arms, they have a case. Yet again, Spencer's the last to arrive, citing an appointment. "Three days ago, Bruce Phillips was found dead with his blond hair dyed black. He had been put in a box and left on a busy street." Garcia starts, displaying photos on the screen.

"He's practically folded in half." Morgan says, pointing out the obvious.

"He had also been hung and restrained, but that's where the plot thickens." She adds. "Yesterday, a couple, Justin Marks and Connie Foster, went missing two miles away from the first abduction site."

"A couple? He's escalating." JJ points out.

"This morning Justin's body was found, he had been hung as well. He was been stuffed in a box left in an alley, officers say his brown hair had been dyed black. Connie's still missing."

"Well, he's kept Connie. Maybe she's the object of his desire."

"They were abducted outside of their homes, so they were probably being stalked." Juliette adds. "Her purse was found on the ground outside of her home, so the UnSub could use some sort of ruse."

"It's difficult to lure most people from the security of their own homes." Spencer counters.

She shrugs. "Some people let their guard down."

"Yeah, but stalking victims vary their routes home. They enter and exit through different doors, they wear disguises. They don't talk to anyone in their driveway, they hardly talk to anyone at all. They're- they're terrorized."

Juliette knows this isn't something to get worked up over, so she backs down. "Alright, so maybe they were followed. Bottom line is, he's escalated."

"She could fit into his fantasy, Jules." Rossi nods.

"For the last time, Dave, no one calls me that." The gaze she kept calm for Spencer now rock hard.

"Well, I-"

"These are good theories, we can discuss more on the jet. Wheels up in 30." Hotch interrupts, glancing one last time between Spencer and Juliette before leaving.

x

It's only later the next day when Juliette finally has time to be concerned about Spencer. Although he hasn't had any more outbursts, she's seen him less during this case than she normally would. She finds him alone in a dark conference room in a corner of the Arizona police station, eyes fixed on a map.

Juliette knocks on the door before entering, as to not startle him. "There you are. Why are you working in here?"

"I'm just having trouble concentrating out there, is all, so I came in here." Spencer stutters, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands.

"Is everything alright? You've been off these past few days."

He looks down. "She wants to meet."

"The geneticist? You've never met?" Spencer shakes his head, so Juliette continues. "What are you worried about?"

"It's just- What if she doesn't like me?"