deep end, cm [ 1 ]

048. in name and blood

Jessica is in the round table room and look up when JJ and Spencer walk in.

"Hey." Jessica greets before frowning at her boyfriend. "Those are your same clothes from yesterday."

"Uh... ye-yeah. Yeah, I-- Gideon and I were supposed to play chess here, but he never showed. I-I fell asleep." Spencer says.

"Which is why you didn't answer your phone." Jessica concludes.

Spencer frowns, quickly fishing his phone out and finding 2 missed calls and multiple texts from Jessica. Both calls are from this morning and ost of the texts are as well asking if he wanted to get coffee or her to pick him up. There's a goodnight text and a text saying he could come over to her place if he wanted.

"Oh." He frowns. "Sorry, I didn't--"

"Yeah, I can tell." Jessica chuckles. "It's okay. Figured you were just asleep or something... minus the short moment I convinced myself you were kidnapped and dead."

Spencer sheepishly smiles.

She sits down while JJ puts out the files. Spencer leans down and kisses Jessica on the cheek before sitting next to her.

~ ~ ~

"What, no Hotch, now no Gideon?" Derek asks, walking into the conference room.

"No, not yet." JJ says.

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

"Yeah, cause you're never late." Spencer remarks making Jessica snort.

"So where's Prentiss?" Derek asks.

"Her phone keeps going straight to voicemail." JJ says.

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

"It can get smaller, I'll go back to sleep." Jessica says.

"No." Spencer gives her a look.

"It was a joke... kind of." She says.

"Should we wait 15 minutes?" Spencer asks. JJ checks her watch.

"We can just brief them on the plane." JJ says. "Right now police taskforce in Milwaukee needs our help." She pulls up four photos of different women. "They've had four murders over the past three weeks, and in addition, another woman has been missing the last two days. They've all been women in their 30s, all married with children."

"Any connection between the victims?" Jessica asks.

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

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

"Well, for starters... all of the bodies have been dumped in the city's Third Ward." JJ says while clicking through the crime scene photos. "And there's this." She pulls up a picture.

"Is that what I think it is?" Spencer asks.

"All the hearts have been cut from their bodies." JJ states.

~ ~ ~

Jessica had been about to go to the jet when Derek told her that Hotch was asking for a transfer. Jessica hung back in Gideon's office, keeping an eye out. She watched Emily come and go before soon seeing Strauss leave.

When the coast was clear, Jessica grabbed her bag and quickly goes to Hotch's office, not bothering to knock as she simply walks in.

"You're leaving?" She asks.