Criminal Minds Series Rewrite: Season Three

In Name and Blood: Part One

"Let your heart feel for the afflictions and distress of everyone." - George Washington

The light peeking out from the curtains is enough to wake you up, and you turn to face your boyfriend to try and hold onto sleep a little bit longer. However, when you touch his side of the bed, it's cold and empty. Opening one eye, you notice that he isn't there. Judging by the coldness of the sheets, he left a long time ago.

"Spencer?" you call out, but you don't get a response.

You take your phone off the charger and call him, but he doesn't answer there as well. Something isn't right. You get out of bed and quickly get ready for work, grabbing your keys and heading to the car. It's still pretty early when you get to work, but this is the only place where you think Spencer can be. He could have been at his apartment, but you have a strong feeling that he's at work.

Feeling confirmed.

Spencer is in Gideon's office with a chessboard set up next to him. He is asleep on the chair, and you smile at his dedication to wait for someone all night.

"Sweetheart," you whisper and sink to your knees. "Wake up." You reach up and tuck some of his hair behind his ear. He jerks awake and looks at you, yawning and stretching due to the position he was in all night. "I missed you this morning."

"Sorry."

"What are you doing here?"

"Gideon didn't answer his phone. I called him twice. We were supposed to play chess."

"Here?"

"Uh, he hasn't been back to his apartment since..." he trails off.

"Right."

"Hey, I need to brief the team," JJ says, knocking on Gideon's open door.

"Okay, we'll be right there," you nod.

"Is Hotch here?"

"He's not due for another half hour."

"Come on, babe," you say and help him to his feet.

You three head to the briefing room where only Derek is there. Penelope is here, but she is stuck in her office since she hates these briefing meetings.

"What, no Hotch, and now no Gideon?" Derek asks.

"No, not yet."

"These guys have been out for two weeks. You'd think the least they could do is be on time," Derek scoffs.

"Yeah, because you're never late," Spencer says sarcastically.

"So, where's Prentiss?"

"Her phone keeps going straight to voicemail."

"Well, this room just keeps getting smaller and smaller, doesn't it?" you say.

"Should we wait fifteen minutes?"

"We can just brief them on the plane. Right now the police task force in Milwaukee needs our help. They've had four murders over the past three weeks, and in addition, another woman has been missing for the last two days. All the women are in their thirties, married with children," JJ explains, showing the families on the screen.

"Any connection between these victims?" you ask.

"Just that they've all been abducted from the area of Wauwatosa, all from very public places, but there are no witnesses."

"How are we even certain it's the same killer?"

"Well, for starters, all of the bodies have been dumped in the city's third ward. There's also this." JJ moves onto a new picture, and you gasp at the bodies shown. "All the hearts have been cut from their bodies."