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AFTER SEVERAL days, Ophelia was finally convinced by Aaron and Spencer to stay at the BAU. Aaron justified her extended stay by saying Strauss was forcing him to step down, and it would make easier transition for the team if Ophelia just remained unit chief even after Aaron returned. This proved to be true, hence their next few cases went without obstacles; everything falling into place as it normally would during a case. That was, until Aaron and Ophelia went to interview an incarcerated serial killer, one dubbed The Fox. Walking side by side, Aaron and Ophelia approached the steel, chain-link door that buzzed when they stopped in front of it. Aaron, as he always did, opened the door for Ophelia. She shuffled in, carrying a sizable stack of files in her arms. The room smelled of metal and a particularly potent floor cleaner. She scrunched up her nose as she spotted the killer, waiting for her and Hotchner in the interview room. To their left was a small, concrete room with a tv set up on the wall which showed another angle of the man. "You go in first," He muttered darkly, not looking away from the killer even though he was chained to the table. "Remember, this is all about sex for him," Ophelia nodded and the guard inside the room unlocked another chain link door, allowing them access to The Fox. Hotch followed close behind her, descretely placing a comforting hand on the small of her back, but only for a moment as to not alert the man in front of them. Ophelia placed the files on the table with a loud thud and sat in the only other chair at the table, Hotch standing protectively behind her. "Agent Ophelia Holmes," The man had a large, unkept ginger beard and a matching mess of hair. "So good to finally meet you," He would shake her hand, but seeing as his were chained to his sides, he didn't get that luxury. "Agent Hotchner," He added cooly, just barely sending him a glance before refocusing his attention back to Ophelia. "We have reason to believe that an admirer of yours has committed a series of homicides in the area," Aaron began, placing his own files on the table. "Is that so," The man inquired, a knowing smirk appearing on his features.
The rest of the team was trying to set up a profile while Aaron and Ophelia were getting virtually nowhere with The Fox. Aaron relayed this to the team on their most recent update. The two agents were held up in the room with the TV, watching intently at the screen. "We're going to have to take a different approach," Ophelia knew what that meant and she immediately felt her stomach turn. "We can't," She objected quietly, gulping hard. "Ophelia, they're just pictures," Ophelia. She looked up at the agents dark, determined eyes. His matching hair flopped messily over his eyes. She wanted to fix it, but now was not the time. "Using Lucy like that..." She trailed off, returning her gaze to the television. "I've never done anything like this before," "And you don't have to now," Aaron shifted slightly in front of her to attract her gaze once more. He looked apologetically into her hazel eyes which glimmered with the slightest hint of fear. "Yes, I do," She reassured him, holding the files close to her chest. She strode triumphantly back into the interrogation room and placed the files in front of her once again. "You want to see them, don't you?" She started. His eyes widened at her sudden confidence. "Why yes, I do," He replied matter-of-factly. "You know, your case was actually one of the first ones I studied," She shifted in her seat so that her cleavage was more noticeable. His eyebrows raised. "Really?" He was impressed, but more so surprised. "Yeah, it was really...interesting," She continued her charade. Hotch watched from the TV room. He felt his fists subconsciously clench and his brow curving inward. The Fox chuckled and Ophelia followed. On the outside, she was chatting up, even flirting with him, but on the inside, she was begging for this moment to be over. "What did you do those kids?" She quizzed, her expression hardening. "Wouldn't you like to know," He replied maniacally as he mimicked her ruse, leaning forward. "Yes," She pushed herself to lean forward even more. Just then, Aaron entered, new bits of information flooding his mind. Taking on his bad cop persona, he ripped open the folder in front of Ophelia, forcing her away from the man in chains. He slammed pictures of the crime scene, the family, and finally one of Lucy in her grave. Ophelia stifled a shiver. Seeing such a young child, especially a girl, so exposed and degraded, made her stomach flip. "You satisfied?" He bellowed, his deep voice making Ophelia jump slightly. "Very," The Fox replied, leaning all the way back in his chair, almost as if her were lounging. "Why did you do it?" Ophelia chimed in, catching the attention of the both of them. "I already told you why—" "No, you told us the how, not the why," Now she raised her voice, getting aggitated at his stubborn antics. "The things I would do to you," His voice was barely above a whisper but sinister nonetheless. "It's about your father," Now he was listening, but he shook off her comment. "It must be so distracting to work with someone so beautiful," He remarked, trying to get under Hotchner's skin. "You kill the man of the household and treat his children just like your father did you," He gave up trying to anger the agents. "You save the best for last. It's like killing your father and ultimately yourself over, and over, and over again—" She cut herself off, a sudden realization coming to her mind. "Wait, Aaron," He turned to her, softening his seething expression. "That's an angle we didn't consider," She began. "She's gentle with the girls because she sees them as herself," "The unsub is a woman," Aaron by darted towards the door and put his phone to his ear. Ophelia quickly gathered their things and joined him. Before they left, however, The Fox had one more thing to say. "Aaron," He held up the letter he received from his admirer. "Look at what I've done," "Our unsub isn't connected to your admirer. We will find whoever sent you those letters," Aaron responded cooly, his phone still dialing Derek's number. "No, Agent Hotchner, I rather think he has already found you," That same sinister smirk appeared on his face. Ophelia scrunched up her nose in confusion as Hotch instantly put his phone down. He started flipping through the files frantically, his expression blank. Ophelia wondered if this is what Hotch looked like when he was scared. "Aaron?" She called, darting her gaze in between the two men. The Fox laughed, he found this incredibly entertaining. "Aaron." She called again, more serious this time as she placed a hand on his forearm. He quickly brushed her off and picked up the notebook that belonged to the killer. "I can't believe you can't see what he's doing," Ophelia was terrified now, though she tried to suppress it. Aaron landed on a page with a newspaper clipping. His portrait, with the reaper's logo scribbled on top of it. "Foyet," She gasped, bringing her free hand to her mouth. Aaron slammed the book down and The Fox bellowed a hefty laugh. Aaron stormed out of the door and Ophelia tried to keep up with the tall man's strides. "He knew you'd come!" He yelled after them and fell into a psychotic laughing fit. Ophelia's calls for Aaron were drowned out by the other prisoner's hollering and banging on doors. Aaron visibly seethed as he practically left Ophelia at the ward. She lost his trace, not sure where to turn next. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, unaware of how tightly she held on to the files in her grasp. "Morgan," She breathed. "The reaper," She attempted to catch her breath but was defeated. "He's back,"
