A/N: Back from a loooong break! My writer's muse has returned in the form of Criminal Minds! I hope you enjoy this, I'm probably a bit rusty but no worries, this story is written to completion already! Reviews and cookies wanted!

Chapter 1

Flies buzzed frenzied circles drawn towards the copious blood. Heat waves distorted their sight as they circled the crime scene. Gideon was taking the lead in the conversation prowling and picking apart the murder with vicious detail. It was a small suburban home belying the horrors within the neighbors all stood around whispering trying to invent what occurred within the home. Reid scanned their audience observing their observers for suspect behavior. The killer was probably going to come back to admire his work. He wiped the sweat from his brow yearning for a cold wind. He estimated it was a hundred and eight degrees today and he hated every moment of it. He much preferred the cold where he could just get bundled.

"The unsub is devolving, he's gone from a clearly planned and controlled murder into an impulse killing."

"The killings will increase, become random, anyone that presents him the opportunity could become the killer's target"

"Did we do this? Get this family killed because of what we did?" Gideon wiped sweat from his brow before answering.

"No, the unsub would have kept killing. In his mind he has no choice, what we did put the stress on him to make him go off script…" A scream ripped the thick atmosphere jolting all the agents and cops into action guns drawn charging the house next door. A brunette woman fled from the house sobbing and stumbling screaming in scared when she ran straight into Hotchner. He dragged her off to the side allowing the other's room to breach the house.

"He's falling apart faster than we thought. He went straight from those murders to here, no cooling off period." Gideon felt his heart sink as he stared at the fifth murdered family in as many days.

"He only used his ritual on the two girls, the father and uncle were killed in a panic. Even with the girls it looks like he was barely able to keep to his M.O" Derek circled again eager to pick up more clues, mistakes. He could still hear the woman outside sobbing hysterically and Hotchner trying to calm her unsuccessful. He'd heard too much crying the past few days. The strain was starting to get to him with this one. It was always families that were well connected, happy, minor secrets but nothing dark or horrendous. If they hadn't been slaughtered they would have been happy their whole lives. It was one of those cases that left him feeling inadequate. If they couldn't save these families from a man they were already chasing then what good were they?

"Derek, you ready to go?" He startled from his thoughts by Spencer whom fidgeted from foot to foot ready to leave.

"Yeah" He supposed the cooler air would help his mood. Reid got to the car first tossing his bag in and getting buckled before Morgan reached his side. Derek stopped hand on the door hesitating to get in a strange feeling pricking at his neck.

"Morgan?" he shook his head. He was being paranoid. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah fine, too hot is all" He slid into the seat and the keys into the ignition and buckled. Reid made coughing choke that sounded almost like a cry.

"Reid are you" his gut twisted seeing the large knife against his throat a small bead of blood formed near the hilt where it pressed the hardest.

"Don't move or he dies"

"You don't have to do that, what do you want?"

"Turn on the car, get the air on then keep your hands on the wheel where I can see them" He pressed the knife harder into Spencer's throat forcing him to gag a little for air and a small rivulet of blood to drip.

"Take it easy" Derek complied tense feeling the man relieve him of his gun.

"Drive, normally"

"Where to?" He glanced at the crowd so close by but no one noticed.

"I don't know…the freeway, west"

"Okay, okay, ease up with the knife. We've got speed bumps ahead. I don't want you to accidentally cut his throat"

"Don't tell me what to do!" he hissed and struck Reid's temple with the butt of the gun.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told you what to do" Morgan risked a glance over to Reid again. His eyes were waving, eyes a bit pinched and neck staining red but it wasn't a dangerous about of blood, yet.

Silence filled the car for a while as he drove, polite and careful, afraid to provoke the man. In the back the man was muttering to himself to quiet and disordered to be understood and rocked back and forth too anxious to sit still.

"This isn't right, isn't right, it shouldn't have happened like this!" the knife loosened from Spencer's throat a bit.

"What happened?" Reid chanced the question. If he could get the man talking he could get a profile.

"You weren't supposed to be there, why were you there!"

"There was a murder at the other two houses."

"I didn't do it! I didn't do you you're not pinning this on me! You hear me! I won't be your bitch!" he exploded yanking Reid's head back by his hair digging the knife deep into his flesh. By luck alone the knife twisted upward to cut into the bottom of his jaw.

"Hey hey! Leave him alone! Stop it!"

"Don't tell me what to do! I'm in charge I'm in charge I'm in charge!" Spencer cried out writhing in the seat trying to get out of the seat belt used to pin his arms down the man behind him striking the underside of his jaw with the sharp edge of the knife.

"I'm sorry! We're sorry we didn't mean you! We weren't looking for you" Morgan pleaded desperate to make him stop. Even out of the corner of his eyes he could see blood rolling down the dashboard. As quickly as it started it stopped the man breathing hard from the outburst. Derek didn't dare say a word afraid to cause another outburst but he did risk a glance to Spencer. He was shaking and pale breathing hard. His eyes were clenched shut and he sat stiff struggling not to move as the knife went back to his throat. Morgan couldn't see the extent of the damage but the bleed was slow. He didn't think it was enough to be dangerous for now. He checked the clock. It'd been an hour already and it was another hour later before the silence snapped with the ring of a phone.

"Who's is that? Tell me now," he shook Spencer's head sharply barely able to contain his anger as he spoke.

"It's mine, we've been gone a while"

"Give it to me" Morgan moved slow reaching into his pocket and surrendered his phone just in time for it to shut off and then seconds later Spencer's rang. "Phones, both of you, now!" Morgan noticed that Reid's hands shook as he sluggishly complied. He couldn't tell if the kid was just shaky and scared or in shock. Their phones were thrown out the window but the man didn't relax. Morgan hoped he didn't notice he was being watched in the mirror. One thing was true, this wasn't the unsub that had murdered the two families. This man was uncontrolled, panicked and disorganized.

"What do you want us to do next?" Spencer ventured tentatively. He sounded tired and his voice wispy. Morgan braced afraid of another attack on the kid but it didn't come. Reid had phrased it right keeping the authority in the man's court.

"W-we need a new car, supplies" a moment of silence. They both realized they needed to guide him passively so he felt in charge. He was operating without a script.

"How do you want to do that?" Morgan took the discussion from Reid not wanting him to draw attention to himself again.

"There, the convenience store, pull over. Park next to those two red SUV's"

"Now what?"

"Get out and switch the plates, and don't forget, your friend is here with me so don't try anything"

"Alright, no tricks, just don't hurt him" He was surprised to get handed an army knife with a screw driver attachment. He checked Reid one more time. He seemed okay for now, keeping it together. Switching the license plates was quick leaving his fingertips a bit scorched from the hot metal. "It's done, what do you want me to do now?"

"Get into this one here, the driver's seat, and handcuff both hands to the steering wheel" Morgan hesitated. "Now!" the man slashed Spencer's cheek with the blade.

"Alright, easy!" He tried all the doors of the car but they were all locked. He felt desperate. He didn't think this man could take any sort of complication. It was only a small sense of relief when the hatchback was left open. He was able to crawl into the car unlocking each door before he reached the driver seat and cuffed himself to the wheel. As soon as finished the man dragged Spencer out of the car and put him in the passenger seat again. He pulled off his tie and bound his hands behind his back then buckled him in and tightening the straps restricting him tightly. Morgan didn't have a chance to ask what next when he was pistol whipped repeatedly until he surrendered consciousness.