Well people, this is the end of an epic tale. I hope you've enjoyed it and will remember it- okay, I sound like I'm reading an eulogy.

Seriously though, I do hope you've liked it; and cursed all the twists and turns. I've got one or two other stories that I've got to finish off so if you want a sequel (yes, I might do a sequel) you'll have to both beg me for one and also wait unfortunately.

Anyway; tell me what you think and I've had over two-hundred reviews on this so I thank every single one of you who has reviewed!

Anyhow, enjoy.

KaseyKC

EPILOGUE

"I am part of all that I have met;
Yet all experience is an arch wherethrough
Gleams that untravelled world, whose margin fades
For ever and for ever when I move."

Ulysses, Alfred Lord Tennyson

Three months later

"We've got another case guys," JJ declared as she passed their desks in the bullpen, heading towards the conference room, "and it's a bad one," she added as she looked over her shoulder to see them all hurrying to follow her.

"Oh great, just when I thought I'd have the weekend to relax," Emily muttered as she followed behind Morgan, "why can't the unsubs give us one weekend?" she asked, almost to herself; she wasn't expecting an answer and so turned to glare at Reid when he responded.

"Actually, on average an unsub doesn't really have- what?" he looked at Emily who glaring at him rather murderously and then at Morgan who was miming being hung behind Emily, "Oh... uh, nevermind."

Emily snarled at him before turning around and pushing past Morgan who was trying to not laugh at the look on Reid's face, "Did she just snarl at me?" Reid asked shocked and Morgan couldn't help it, he laughed.

"Oh man... you need to learn some tact; that way Prentiss might not consider murdering you," Morgan chuckled as Reid followed after him into the conference room; they both sat down in the only spare seats in the room, although Reid made sure he was as far away from Emily as was humanly possible which left Morgan to sit next to the snarling bobcat.

"What is it JJ?" Hotch asked, gaining everyone's attention and sobering Morgan up fast. JJ sighed and clicked the remote she had for the large screen on the wall and three photographs of middle-aged men appeared.

"David Kent, Adam Brine and Christian Wilds; each found on lonely highways, their wallets and valuables still on them, no obvious signs of struggle but they were each found within a mile of each other within a two week period," JJ explained as she pulled up another set of images, this time of the crime scenes, "when they were examined, the coroner discovered several injuries indicative of torture including electrical burns, strategic cuts and cigarette burns on both sides of the torso."

"Damn..." Morgan breathed softly and Reid secretly echoed his sentiment; he hadn't liked being tortured by Hankel all that time ago and his torture had been mild compared to what these guys went through.

"There were also signs of ligature marks on the throat, wrists, feet and..." JJ paused for a moment and grimaced as she looked down at the report in her hand; just to make sure that what she'd read an hour ago was actually there in writing and she hadn't imagined.

"Where else?" Hotch asked, frowning at JJ's hesitation; he'd never known her to hesitate when explain a case unless it was something... disturbing.

"Their genitals," JJ muttered as she looked up and at Hotch, "there was indication that their genitals were bound and restrained at the time of death," JJ looked away from everyone who were staring in shock and surprise; she quickly moved on as she hit the button on the remote in her hand and continued, "the local police want our assistance since they found a note in the breast pocket of the latest victim; taunting the police for not being able to capture the unsub."

A photograph of a hand-written note appeared on the screen and they each read through its contents in silence; each of them mulling over the words, the verbs, the tense and other such things that most people wouldn't even consider thinking about.

"This was written by a woman," Prentiss declared suddenly and everyone looked at her inquisitively.

"How can you tell?" Rossi asked quietly, not doubting that she was right but wanting to know how she'd come to that conclusion.

Emily looked at him and then pointed at the image, "look at the verbs and nouns used; women generally use verbs more than men, 'he, they, you, them, she, we,' this unsub is a woman!" Emily explained as they all looked at the note again and noticed what she'd seen.

"Or it could be a writer?" Morgan said as he looked through the note, mentally tagging anything that pointed to a female unsub and anything that pointed to a male unsub; there was quite a lot of things that pointed to a female unsub but there were so rare, especially female serial killers.

"No, Emily's right; the handwriting supports that," Reid countered as he leaned forward slightly, "the fluid writing and the defined capital letters are indicative of a woman having written this."

"So we've got a female unsub in North West Virginia. Let's go catch her then."

They all nodded and quickly collected their things before heading for the elevator as Hotch said, "wheels up in twenty."

They all piled into the elevator; Morgan, Rossi and Hotch at the back; JJ, Prentiss and Reid in front of them and the one and only Jason Gideon in front of them all.

"Though much is taken, much abides; and though
We are not now that strength which in the old days
Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are,
One equal-temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."

Ulysses, Alfred Lord Tennyson

THE END