Elijah hummed as he pulled up outside the BAU Headquarters once again for another day of work as an Agent. He got out of his car like normal and headed for the door, stopping when he heard faint.. Meowing? Sure enough, in a bush by the building, Elijah saw a small, black kitten.

"Oh- Hello baby." Elijah crouched down, scooping up the kitten.

The kitten meowed, curling up in Elijah's hands. He was so tiny.. Fragile. Elijah smiled softly, gently stroking him.

"Deans."

Elijah jumped slightly, turning and looking up at the man stood behind him. Hotch.

Elijah cleared his throat,"Sir, I-"

"You're not bringing him inside the office." Hotch shook his head.

"But Hotch, I can't just leave him out here." Elijah shook his head,"It might get cold or rain or-"

"Deans, the cat will be fine. Just get inside." Hotch pointed before he turned and entered the building.

Elijah nodded slowly as he looked down at the kitten in his hands. The kitten looked up too, meowing at Elijah. No, he couldn't leave him. Elijah headed back to his car, sitting then kitten down on the seat. He pulled a towel out from the trunk, he kept one just in case and then grabbed some treats from the glove box. Elijah liked to keep some just in the car, mainly for when Muffin needs to go to the vet.

"There, is that better?" Elijah asked as he wrapped then kitten in the towel.

The kitten meowed, rubbing his cheek against Elijah's finger. Elijah hummed, holding the towel close to him as he walked back to the building and headed inside. When he reached the desks, he saw Reid, Fleur and Morgan already there and talking.

"Oh, Elijah. How have-" Fleur turned, pauding when she saw the towel,"What's that?"

"Well, you'll all need to keep quiet about this because Hotch told me not to bring him inside but.." Elijah adjusted the towel so they could see the kitten.

"How- Oh my god!" Fleur gasped.

"Lemme see." Reid peered over the divider.

"I found him outside the office." Elijah hummed, stroking the kitten.

"We'll probably be on a case soon, how will he-" Morgan began.

"What's his name?" Reid tilted his head.

"Oh, he doesn't have a name yet." Elijah answered.

"He's so cute, Eli." Fleur smiled.

"I know." Elijah grinned,"I'm sure Muffin will love having a little brother."

"Aw, I want a cat." Fleur groaned.

"Then get one." Elijah shrugged.

"Soon." Fleur nodded.

Elijah held the kitten close to him,"I love him so much."

"Can.. Can I hold him?" Reid asked.

"Of course you can." Elijah nodded, walking over to Reid's desk,"Here, just be careful."

"He's not a baby, right? Like the rules with a child and a kitten are very similar. Actually-" Reid rambled.

"Spencer, just hold him." Elijah handed over the kitten.

Reid hesitated, his shoulders tense as he took the kitten. Although he soon relaxed, gently stroking the kitten.

"See? There you go."

"I feel like I might break him." Reid looked up at Elijah.

"You won't break him." Elijah assured him.

"I could."

"You won't, darling."

Reid bit his cheek, almost like he was trying to hide a smile. Elijah barely even realized he called Reid 'darling', it just.. Slipped out.

"How about.. You name him, hm?" Elijah offered.

"Me?"

"You."

"Hm.. Horatio." Reid nodded.

"Shakespeare, huh?" Elijah chuckled softly.

"You know it?" Reid asked quickly.

"Yeah, I did it at school. Hamlet and Macbeth." Elijah told him.

"That's so cool! Did you know that-"

"We have a case, Conference Room in five." Gideon walked past them as he headed to the Conference Room.

"Oh- Lovely." Elijah nodded quickly as Reid carefully handed him Horatio,"I'll be there soon, tell Hotch I'm at the bathroom or something."

"We will." Fleur chuckled.

Elijah hurried past the desks and down the corridor until he reached Garcia's office, quickly entering.

"Garcia, I have a massive favor to ask of you." Elijah told her.

"Favor- Me-" Garcia blinked, quickly turning around before gasping at the sight of Horatio,"Kitten- You have a kitten."

"Can you please look after him while we're away on this case?" Elijah asked.

"Oh, I would love to." Garcia grinned.

"Here." Elijah handed him over in the towel and gave Garcia the treats,"His name is Horatio and you can give him those if he's hungry."

"I love him so much, he's so cute." Garcia immediately began petting Horatio.

"Thank you so much, I love you." Elijah pointed, not waiting for a response as he left.

Elijah jogged past the now empty desks and headed to the Conference Room, arriving just in time to hear the start of the debrief. Elijah looked around as he sat down.. No Hotch, no Elle.

"Nickolas Faye of Ozona, Texas was beaten to death roughly thirteen hours ago. Blunt force trauma to the head. He's the second young boy from Ozona to die the same death in the past two months." JJ explained as she handed out files,"A local hunter found his body. The first victim, Robbie Davis."

"Who's hunting children?" Fleur sighed.

Elijah shook his head,"Did either of these boys have a connection?"

"So far, nothing." JJ shook her head.

"Well, if they weren't linked before they certainly are now." Morgan sighed.

"Killed by the same offender." Reid nodded,"Wheels up?"

"Wheels up." Gideon nodded.

*********************************

"Did you guys hear Elle was cleared?" Reid sat down on his chair on the plane

"It was self-defense." Morgan nodded as he looked through the files.

"It was a good shot." Fleur shrugged.

"She certainly hit what she was aiming for." JJ agreed.

"If she's been then why isn't she out here with us? Or Hotch?" Elijah crossed his arms,"I even tried to call her earlier and-"

"Focus on the case." Gideon spoke, not looking up from his files.

JJ sighed and handed him another file,"Ozona police and autopsy report for Nickolas Faye and Robbie Davis."

"Well, the bludgeoning could suggest frustration or rage." Morgan shrugged.

"And there's no indication of a sexual motive. It's unusual when the victims are this young." Reid added.

"This Unsub seems to be taking pleasure from the kill itself." Gideon nodded.

"If it's not sexual, what's the significance of targeting young males?" Morgan asked.

"Most serial killers prey upon specific types to carry out their fantasies of revenge." Reid explained,"Bundy killed women that looked like an ex-girlfriend that jilted him. Dahmer claimed that schoolyard harressment led into his fury."

"Okay, so maybe these kids represent someone who victimized offender." Elijah nodded slowly.

"Like a young male from his past. Maybe a bully, an older brother. Someone who abused him?" Fleur suggested.

"No, that's unlikely." JJ shook her head as she put her phone down,"They just found another body. Eleven year old girl."

"Why would the victimology just suddenly change?" Reid sighed.

"Maybe the girl wasn't the target, maybe she just got in the way." Morgan suggested.

"Or the sex of his victims isn't significant. The pace he's killing certainly indictes a velocity of change." Gideon spoke up.

"I mean, we can't keep tabs on every single child in Ozona. How are we supposed to keep them all safe?" Elijah raised a brow.

"Enforce a curfew?" Reid suggested.

"Children shouldn't have to worry about something like that." Morgan sighed.

"The woods were the only thing I was afraid of as a kid." JJ told them.

"Seriously? I thought you grew up in a small town." Morgan looked over at her.

"Yeah... Surrounded by woods."

"Yeah, bummer for you." Morgan chuckled.

"The only thing I was afraid of was the dark." Fleur sighed.

"Some of us still are." Reid nodded.

"When we land, you four go to the newest crime scene. The little girl. I'll go to the scene of Nickolas Faye's body." Gideon instructed.

"Whatever you say, sir." Elijah hummed.

*********************************

"Can I have your attention please?" Gideon looked around the room of cops,"Good afternoon. We want to make something clear. Due to the velocity of change, we predict this offender could strike again at any time. His confidence builds with every attack."

"Look for someone physically fit, shy, kind disposition, someone you may trust with your own child. Because the killer targets kids he may be small himself. And though we keep referring this Unsub as 'he', do not rule out a woman." Morgan pointed.

"Excuse me." A woman walked in, her young son and an officer, Deputy Hall, with her.

"Chief, you're going to want to hear this." Hall nodded.

"My son Matthew never came home today." The woman, Janine, told them.

"Here we go." Elijah sighed softly.

"When was he last seen?" Fleur walked forward.

"His teacher saw him in the parking lot after school."

"Search team? Come on guys, let's go." Chief Jones clapped.

The officers soon began to file out of the room to go look for Matthew.

"Okay Reid, school is on Willow Road." Morgan pointed.

"If the boy was abducted, this area would be the most secluded nearby." Reid thought.

"Okay, so Jones could put his guys at a gas station and we can cover territory in the east." Morgan nodded.

"Ma'am, why don't you sit down?" JJ brought a seat over to Janine.

"Oh, thank you." She nodded as she sat down.

"So how old is Matthew?" Fleur crouched down to the younger boy, Hnery's, level.

"Uh, he turned eight in August."

"I have a niece that's eight, they're very resourceful at that age." JJ nodded.

"What you thinking about?" Fleur turned to the little boy.

"Nothing.." He looked down.

"You look awfully upset to be thinking about nothing." Fleur tilted her head,"..You look like you have a secret, is it important?"

Henry nodded as Elijah walked over,"Is it about your brother?"

"Honey, is that true? Are you hiding something?" Janine asked, the young boy staying quiet.

"You want to protect him, right? That's what a brother's for." Elijah briefly glanced at Morgan before back to the boy.

"Matty said he was just gonna ring the doorbell.. At the haunted house, on the hill." Henry sighed.

"That's Finnegan's place." Jones walked back in.

"Who's Finnegan?" Gideon asked.

"The old guy that lives in the house." Henry nodded.

"Forever, kind of a local legend. A ghost story." Jones sighed.

"What about?" Fleur stood up.

"Supposedly, he watches the kids from his window. Hunts them, skins them, eats them. Standard." He shrugged.

"Pardon, that's standard?" Elijah blinked.

"Folks have been telling that story since I was a kid." Jones shrugged.

"Why haven't we been told about this?" Morgan asked,"Fables are often sparked by an ounce of truth. We need to exhaust every possibility."

*********************************

"So, did you get anything?" Elijah asked Garcia as he sat with Reid in Finnegan's house.

The others had thankfully found Matthew in Finnegan's house and officers were taking him back to his mother while the agents stayed behind.

"Only that Finnegan's house on the hill is like the Bates Motel of Ozona Texas." Garcia hummed.

"Yeah, we heard the legend." Elijah sighed.

"Elijah, seriously. People that go into that house supposedly never come out. Spooky~" Garcia sang.

Elijah chuckled,"Garcia, could you at least pretend not to enjoy that rumor so much since we've entered the house.. And because Reid's scared."

"Elijah." Reid nudged him.

"He's sensitive... Sorry." Garcia shrugged.

"Besides, the local police have no reports of that actually happening." Elijah reminded her.

"Exactly." Reid pointed.

"Yeah, this is true. All complaints filed were false alarms. But then there is that matter of his missing wife." Garcia typed.

"Wife- What wife? When did she go missing?" Elijah questioned.

"Almost fifty years ago."

"And there's no record of her ever being found?"

"I've got two words for you my friends, Rear Window. That guy probably chopped that lady up into delicious bite size little pieces. Think about it. She may have never left the premises... She may still be in the house." Garcia whispered.

"Garcia, I am currently sitting in the dark with Reid. Thanks." Elijah shook his head as a door creaked nearby.

"While you're waiting for a potential murderer to come home?" Garcia hummed,"What you're doing is kind of dangerous, kind of sexy."

"Aw, I like to think I am." Elijah smirked,"I'll call you back, gorgeous."

"You guys are having creepy fun. I wish I was there." Garcia sighed.

That's when a hand touched both the boys' shoulders. Elijah jumped and spun around only to see Morgan stood behind them, smirking.

"Morgan, what in the name of buggery was that?!" Elijah crossed his arms, trying to regain his composure.

"Thought you weren't scared." Morgan laughed while Reid had practically jumped out his skin.

"I'm not scared, you just took me by suprise." Elijah hung up on Garcia,"I thought you were Finnegan."

"I'm working on not being scared." Reid muttered.

"You should work a little harder." Morgan chuckled.

"Garcia was not helping the situation." Elijah sighed, putting his phone in his pocket as they walked into the corridor.

"This whole town is on edge." Morgan shook his head.

"Maybe that's why Finnegan's in the wind." Eliiah shrugged.

"Hey, that's interesting." Morgan pointed to the guns on the wall.

"The Unsub didn't use a gun." Reid nodded slowly.

"But he knows every trail in Ozona. If Finnegan's an avid hunter, why didn't he use it?" Gideon walked into a room, picking up a bag,"Robbie Davis."

"The first victim." The sheriff pointed.

Elijah picked up a second bag,"S.P. Sarah Peterson, right?"

"I guess Finnegan brought the kids back here first before baiting them into the woods. But why wouldn't he get rid of the evidence?" Morgan asked.

"Perhaps he sees them as trophies." Elijah sighed.

"When this is all said and done I'd like to hang his head on my wall." Morgan walked out the room.

*********************************

"At first blush, it looks like Joseph Finnegan died of natural causes." The coroner told them, they'd just found Finnegan's body outside.

"His heart probably gave out while he was setting this." Reid walked over with an animal trap.

"Yeah, Karma's a bitch. Those coyotes were gnawing on him for a week." The coroner sighed.

"Before the second and third murders even happened." Elijah pointed out.

"This area is off the traveled path. It's a wonder anyone discovered him at all." Fleur shook her head.

"Is it? Those leaves didn't cover him up by themselves." The coroner pointed before he walked off.

"He's right. The deputy might not have been the first to find him." Morgan realised.

"And now our only suspect is cleared." Elijah crossed his arms.

"Square one?" Fleur asked, looking around at the others.

"No." Gideon shook his head as he walked off,"If Finnegan's dead, who's been living in his house?"

"Heading back to the house then." Fleur sighed.

"Looks like it." Elijah nodded.

"Come on people." Morgan nudged them.

"Just don't appear from the darkness and touch me this time." Elijah pointed as he started walked.

"Like this?" Fleur jumped at him.

Elijah sighed,"No, Reid and I were sat in the dark calling Garcia and- Oh, I forgot to ask about Horatio."

"I'm sure the cat is fine." Morgan nodded.

"He's my baby, he's not just a cat."

"He's a cat." Morgan chuckled.

"He is my baby." Elijah insisted, shaking his head.

"Trust me, once you get animals, they become your children." Fleur nodded.

"See?" Elijah crossed his arms,"You agree too, don't you, Reid?"

"I've never owned any pets." Reid shook his head,"Well, aside from fish."

"But you can agree that Horatio is my baby, right?"

"I can." Reid nodded.

"See? If the doctor agrees then it must be correct." Elijah hummed.

"I'm gonna give you apples." Morgan pointed.

"No, I need him." Elijah pointed back.

"I'm right here." Reid chuckled.

"Good." Elijah sighed,"I wasn't worried."

*********************************

"Here's a question, if a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound if there's nobody around to hear it?" Reid asked.

"What the bloody hell are you reading over there?" Elijah turned to look at Reid.

"I was just thinking.."

"The Unsub found Finnegan's corpse in a lightly travelled part of the woods and nobody else knew." Morgan sat beside him,"So he was able to use this house and no one was the wiser."

"Actually, I was referring to Finnegan's wife." Reid nodded.

"What are you talking about?" Fleur sat down.

"Well, she was rumored missing, perhaps even killed fifty years ago." Elijah walked over, his arms crossed.

"In actuality, she left Finnegan for another man. He writes about it in his journals." Reid informed them,"How he would look out of the window on a daily basis to see if she'd come back. She never did. He never recovered. He turned into a recluse that everyone in town misunderstood."

"Found something. Come here." Gideon walked in, hovering in the doorway of the kitchen.

The group stood up and walked into the kitchen with Gideon, empty food packages on the table.

"Provisions delivered by the church to every elder's doorstep. Each one dated after Finnegan died." Gideon pointed.

"So the Unsub ate everything?" Reid blinked.

"Almost everything." Gideon corrected,"Unopened cans of cream spinach were thrown into the trash, each one wrapped with duct tape."

"One with each tray." Reid nodded.

"So... We're looking for a guy who really, really hates spinach?" Elijah raised a brow.

"Who doesn't?" Fleur shook her head,"I've always hated it."

"Ritualised. Meticulous. Organized." Gideon scanned the room.

"He would eat with the same particulars." Reid added.

"Pull prints. Have Garcia run them for a match." Gideon instructed as his phone rang, causing him to walk out of the kitchen,"Hotch."

"That's about Elle, isn't it?" Reid sighed.

"I don't know." Morgan shrugged.

"I talked to her in Ohio." Reid nodded.

"We all spoke to her." Fleur sighed.

"No, I talked to her before." Reid admitted,"I went to her room one night and she was drinking."

"She nearly died." Elijah put his hands in his pockets,"I'd be drinking too."

The group stood quietly, but Elijah looked over at the anxious-looking Reid. That.. Elle. He'd assumed she was the friend Reid was talking about when he asked for advice that night. Now he was proven right, most likely at Elle's expense.

*********************************

The group of Agents, minus Gideon, were now sat having a cup of coffee as they rethought things about the case.

"So why the woods?" Morgan asked.

"Hm?" JJ raised a brow.

"Your fear. You said it was of the woods." Fleur reminded her.

"Uh, I was a camp counselor up in the woods in Vermont. I had the night shift. Tuck the girls in and turn off the lights. Everything was fine, all the kids were asleep until... I noticed there was some blood on the hallway floor." JJ explained,"I followed the blood trail to the camp director's cabin. He was just lying under his covers, dead. I ran out of there so fast. I just remember it being really dark. They caught the caretaker trying to leave town, guess he still had the knife on him. Anyway, I guess that's probably when I decided I didn't like the woods."

"You're serious?" Morgan blinked

"No." JJ chuckled,"No, I can't... You seriously fell for that?"

"Hey, they thought Fleur and I were dating." Elijah hummed,"If you say anything with enough confidence, they'd fall for it."

"You did?" JJ shook her head.

"They're men, Jen." Fleur hummed.

"I'm an exception." Elijah nodded.

"He is." Fleur leaned against Elijah.

"What about you two?" Reid turned.

"Fears... I don't think I really have one." Elijah shook his head, he was lying but he didn't want to get into his many, many fears.

"Everyone is scared of something." Morgan shrugged.

"Well, okay.. Churches." Elijah admitted,"They just.. I don't know, they're creepy."

A half-truth there. He was scared of churches but.. There was more to it than them being 'creepy', more to it that he didn't want them to know.

"Does this face look like she's scared?" Fleur hummed.

Elijah looked down at her,"No, you look like you want to kill me... Which is pretty normal."

"This is literally just my face, I don't see the issue." Fleur blinked.

"We've been over this, you have a resting bitch face." Elijah sighed,"Right, guys?"

"I don't wanna call her a bitch." Morgan chuckled.

"That's not what I'm saying." Elijah shook his head,"Fleur is really nice but she just looks permanently unimpressed."

"I'm not bothered by anything." Fleur shrugged.

"It's just your face, darling." Elijah assured her.

"Thanks Eli." Fleur hummed, "Anyone else got a fear?"

"Reid's still scared of the dark." Morgan pointed,"Why is that.

"Because of the inherent absence of light." Reid sighed,"I'm, well, I'm working on it."

"I know, and I'm proud of you." Elijah told him.

"Thanks." Reid smiled softly.

Elijah smiled back as his phone rang,"Yeah?"

"I love our relationship. We hardly need words." Garcia hummed.

"Hello, darling. Have you got good news for me?" Elijah asked.

"I pulled two sets of prints off those food trays." Garcia nodded.

"Two?" Elijah blinked.

"One belonging to a child." She added.

"Okay, but which one of the victims? How about you coordinate with the Ozona coroner's office for a match?" Elijah suggested.

"Oh, my little Londoner, that's so yesterday. I already have my minions working on it. In the meantime, your intrepid hacker found you a match to the other set in the database. His name is James Charles, he's a local guidance counselor?"

"Yeah, he's the local guidance counselor helping us with this case." Elijah told her.

"You're kidding. His address is 3725 Briarwood Road." Garcia typed.

"I know exactly how to find him, Garcia. Thanks. Tell Horatio I miss him." Elijah blew a kiss before he hung up,"Call Gideon, we've juts found our Unsub."

"Let's go." They all shot up, leaving.

*********************************

"Okay, the dad? I expected. But the son? I couldn't predict that one." Elijah shook his head as they pulled up in the SUVs by the bus stop.

"Kid has a lot of anger." Fleur shrugged.

"After his mom left, I bet Jeffery resented the fact that his dad spent more time with other kids than with his own." Morgan sighed.

"Took out that rage on any kid he viewed as having what he didn't." Gideon shook his head.

"So, Tracy's mom says this is where the bus would have dropped her off after school." JJ told them,"She was supposed to walk home with a neighbor."

"That's most likely when Jeffery approached, but where would he have taken her?" Fleur looked around.

"There's such heavy patrolling in this area. How could he have taken a little girl without being seen?" Reid asked.

"We taught him. Nobody's going to think of anything if two kids are walking together. The buddy system, remember? In the process of educating the public, we educated the killer." Morgan sighed.

"Now, if I were a twelve year old, where would I hang out?" Elijah spun around,"The park."

"Surrounded by woods." JJ added,"Let's go."

Although when they reached the park it was empty, only hat and purple bag discarded nearby.

"It's Tracy Bell's." Fleur picked up the bag, reading the name.

"Jeffrey's got her in these woods. Split up." Gideon instructed as he ran off.

Everyone did as they were told, splitting off as they shouted for Tracy. That's when they heard her screaming and all ran to where the sound was coming from. They saw Jeffery with a baseball bat, Tracy on the floor as Jeffery lifted the bat into the air. Elijah hurried forward and grabbed Jeffrey, wresting the metal bat from his hands.

"No! Get off me!" Jeffery shouted while Tracy ran over to Fleur.

"Jeffery, calm down." Elijah sighed.

Elijah looked down at Jeffrey as he slowly stopped struggling. Then he looked up at the team.. And Tracy. He'd never been the biggest fan of children but he was glad he managed to protect her. They all did.

*********************************

The team had finally gotten back to Quantico, Elijah was rushing ahead to Garcia's office. He had to make sure his baby was okay, not that he doubted Garcia, but he wanted to get there fast.

"Garcia, how is he?" Elijah quickly opened the door.

"He is absolutely fantastic. He's sleeping." Garcia smiled.

"Thank you for looking after him for me." Elijah smiled, handing her a small box,"This is for you."

"For me?" Garcia gasped.

"For you, darling." Elijah nodded,"It's a box of shortbread, I picked it up on the way."

"Oh, my little Brit, I love you." Garcia hummed, taking the box.

"As you should." Elijah smiled,"Now where's the baby?"

Garcia pointed over towards Horatio in a fluffy, pink cat bed. Elijah excitedly scooped up Horatio and went to leave Garcia's office.

"Wait!" Garcia ran up, kissing Horatio's head,"Okay, bye kitty."

"Goodbye, Garcia." Elijah chuckled as he walked out,"Oh, I'm going to take such good care-"

"Elijah Deans." Hotch spoke from behind Elijah as he left the room.

"Aaron Hotchner?" Elijah slowly turned around.

"Is that the kitten I specifically told you not to bring in here?" Hotch asked.

"No..?" Elijah shook his head, trying to hide Horatio.

Hotch sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Elijah bit his cheek, looking down. God, he was so fired. Hotch was going to tell Gideon and get him fired for disobeying orders.

"Sir, I'm sorry, I-"

"Take it home, do not bring him back."

Elijah blinked in surprise, but was quick to recover, "I won't, but he's been good. I promise."

Hotch walked over, looking down at the kitten in his arms,"What's his name?"

"His name is Horatio." Elijah smiled.

"Who named him? It wasn't you, obviously." Hotch chuckled.

Elijah sighed,"Reid did."

"I can tell." Hotch nodded,"Now, go home."

"I'm going." Elijah turned,"Goodnight, Hotch."

"Goodnight, Deans."

Elijah smiled, gently stroking Horatio as he left the Headquarters. When he reached his car, he sat Horatio on his knees. Was it safe? Probably not. But they made it home safely, so it was a win in his book. Elijah held Horatio close to him as he headed inside, hoping that.. Nope. Muffin was right there.

"Hi.. Muffy." Elijah spoke softly,"Don't be mad, okay? This is your baby brother."

Muffin seemed to look Elijah up and down as he sniffed around. Elijah slowly bent down, holding out Horatio.

"Gentle.. Muffin, gentle." Elijah hummed, presenting Horatio to Muffin.

He knew this wasn't the best way to do it, but he trusted Muffin. Muffin was an old boy, a good boy, reliable. Muffin sniffed Horatio and ended up getting pawed in the face.

"Horatio, you do not hit your brother." Elijah tapped his paw.

Horatio meowed up at him and Elijah sighed. This was going to be a long night.