THERE SHE GOES . . . ━︎ criminal minds

three . . .

season one, episode two;
continued . . .

Elle questioned, as people snacked on their lunch, "What's the most sinful place on campus?" Grace shook her head, as Morgan replied almost sarcastically, Hotch eventually being the voice of reason, "No, that's not consistent with the previous targets."

Gideon looked around at everybody from his whiteboard, "Yeah, yeah, that's good, but listen, please, do not jump to conclusions. Religion might be a part of it, but it's not necessarily the prime compulsion." Grace's brows snapped together, confused about the entire thing. Something felt all too similar about this case and it brought about a horrible pit in her stomach.

As Grace put her hands on her head frustratedly, Morgan seemed to be getting fed up with Gideon telling them all to slow down, "Gideon, rush to conclusions, jump to conclusions, who cares?"

"We are running out of time."

Spencer noticed as Grace began pacing, the nail of her middle finger on her left hand scratching the pad of her left thumb repeatedly. It was like she was terrified of something. She couldn't shake the feeling she had. The feeling that she knew what this killer was doing. But then she got it. She got it the moment her right fingernail scratched the pad of her right thumb. To make it even. Her eyes met Spencer's as her head jerked up rapidly. "Compulsion."

Spencer and Grace sat side by side, watching the video of the moments leading up to Matthew Roland's death over and over and over again, trying to figure out if their inkling was correct. Grace was, at least. Spencer hadn't actually informed her of what he was looking for - all he did was 'shush' her every time she attempted to speak.

He got up, looking at the whiteboard with a questionable stare. Grace brushed him off as he mumbled something incoherent, knowing it was most likely to himself anyways, while she continued watching the video. A few minutes later, she gasped, "Reid! Here! Look, look, look, look!" Her voice was so fast it was hardly audible, but Spencer still rushed over, perching himself back down onto the seat beside Grace.

He barely had time to acknowledge the blush that rose upon his cheeks as their arms brushed together, the hairs sticking up on end. Because Grace had already played the video again. She clicked a button which zoomed in slightly to the door. "Look, watch the doorknob."

They watched as the doorknob turned one, two, three times. Spencer replayed it. He zoomed in again, replaying it over as the pair made sure what they were seeing was right. He glanced over to Grace beside him, swallowing thickly before he spoke, "Three times."

Spencer hurried to the office of the professor that died earlier that day as Grace found Matthew Rowland's class schedule. The second they reunited, Grace spoke, her voice barely a mumble, "The unsub has OCD."

They hurried back to their 'office', where Hotch and Gideon had regrouped, "We know why the profiles never fit. You were right to tell Morgan not to rely on precedent, the fires thus far have been completely task-oriented." Grace stayed silent for the moment, watching intently as Spencer explained their revelation to the team. She didn't even notice the way both of her middle fingers were scratching roughly at her thumb pads.

Hotch did though. Excusing her actions for a moment, he furrowed his brows at Spencer, "So once they're set, the unsub is done?"

Spencer turned to Grace, giving her an opening to be the one to reveal their find, "Uh, this unsub is not a classic serial arsonist. They use fire because of a- a mental disorder. A very extreme case of OCD, obsessive compulsive disorder. They do everything in threes." The woman inhaled deeply as she finished speaking, not wanting to continue any further.