"Thank you, Elijah. I loved seeing Horatio again." Reid smiled softly as they walked up the steps of the train station,"But I'm sorry."

Elijah had invited Reid over to see Horatio and.. Well, they were running later than expected and Elijah had left his car at the Headquarters... So they ended up taking the train, like Reid often did.

"It was no problem." Elijah told him,"I liked having you over."

"But now we might be late." Reid sighed.

"Late together." Elijah hummed,"I wouldn't mind that."

"Really-"

"You're Doctor Reid." A skinny, tired-looking teenager stopped on the other side of the steps.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Reid tilted his head.

"I just know what you do." He pointed.

"Okay." Reid began to turn.

"I saw you at Georgetown a few weeks ago. You gave a lecture on sexual sadism and how you helped catch the Mill Creek Killer in St. Louis."

Reid chuckled softly,"Not much of a public speaker."

"I don't know, I thought you seemed cool." The boy told him.

"You look kind of young to go to Georgetown." Elijah tilted his head.

"I'm a junior at Northwest High School." He shook his head.

"And you go to lectures on anger-excitation for fun?" Elijah raised a brow.

"I don't have many friends." He sighed.

"So, you're interested in profiling?" Reid asked.

"Yeah, I mean, I read a lot. You know, true crime, like graphic novels mostly." The boy told them as Reid nodded intently,"They're all about whether there's really such a thing as evil. Or like, nature vs nurture, all that. So I figured it would be smart to hear from an expert.. So, you said a lot of them kill prostitutes?"

"That's the number one serial killer target, actually." Reid nodded.

"Is that for sex or because they think they're dirty and think they need to be punished?" He asked.

Elijah furrowed his brow, gently taking a hold of Reid's coat sleeve,"Were you waiting here for him?"

"What would it mean if somebody were stabbing them and cutting of their hair?" The boy questioned.

Elijah could feel his heart rate increasing. This conversation was just.. Making him uncomfortable. He looked over at Reid, gently tugging on his sleeve.

"I've never heard of a case like that." Reid shook his head,"..Do you want to come to the BAU with us and maybe talk to some of our other team members?"

"I actually have to go to school." He turned.

"Give me your name and number and I'll call you. And-" Reid tried to head back but too many people were coming up the stairs.

"Reid, we have to go." Elijah sighed as Reid nearly ran past him as they hurried up the stairs.

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

"Reid, calm down. This is all going to be okay." Elijah assured him as the elevator doors opened.

Reid nodded but stayed quiet, looking down at the sketch he'd drawn of the boy at the station as he walked out.

"Hey, Spence. Elijah." JJ hummed as she walked up to the pair.

"JJ, who's your contact at the DC police?" Reid asked her.

"Victor Barnes. Why? You need me to call him?" She raised a brow as Reid walked up to the phone.

"Hi, Detective Barnes, please?" Reid spoke over the phone.

"What's wrong?" Gideon asked, walking up to the three of them.

"We need to get that to everyone as soon as possible." Elijah pointed to Reid's sketch that he'd sat on the table.

"Hi, Detective Barnes. This is Special Agent Dr Spencer Reid of the Behavioral Analysis Unit at Quantico." Reid began,"Have you had any recent murders involving prostitutes, even just Jane Does? They would've been stabbed to death and their hair would've been cut off by the killer?"

Everyone around Reid was silent, now they all needed to know what was going around.. Whether this boy was a killer.

"When was the most recent victim?" Reid asked, nodding slowly,"I'll explain to you when I see you, I'll meet you in a half hour."

"What's going on?" Gideon questioned as Reid put the phone down.

"D.C may have a serial killer, and I think we just let him get away." Reid told him.

Gideon looked around at the three,"JJ, go tell the others. Wheels up in twenty."

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

After arriving in D.C, Gideon had gone with Hotch and Reid to the coroner's office to see the bodies. Meanwhile, Elijah had gone with Fleur to speak with some of the local prostitutes.

"At night, no one can see down there." One of the prostitutes, Rhonda, explained to Fleur as they walked,"During the day, you just duck behind a dumpster or into a doorway."

"And business is pretty heavy here during the day?" Elijah raised a brow, turning to another prostitute, Holly.

"How do I know you're not just looking to crack down on us?" She asked him.

"Because I'm telling you." Elijah sighed as Fleur joined him,"We're here to protect you."

"A lot of johns from the Hill stop by on their way to work." Holly told them.

"We always say the same politicians yelling about cleaning up the Hill are the ones dropping fifty bucks with us before they make the speech." Rhonda nodded.

"It's true. And the more important they think they are, the quicker they are to accidentally finish up with us." Holly added.

"Yeah, it's weird like that."

"No, unfortunately that's pretty much universal." Elijah shook his head.

Fleur then pulled out Reid's sketch,"Do either of you recognize him at all?"

"I don't know his name or nothing." Holly shook her head.

"He hangs around, tries to pretend like he's not watching us." Rhonda shrugged,"He's just a horny kid, y'know?"

"You didn't see him talking to any other girls around here?" Fleur raised a brow.

"I just figured he's the kind, gets his little bit of danger, goes home and takes business into his own hands." Rhonda hummed.

"Is he the one who did this?" Holly asked them.

"We don't know, but someone did. So you need to be careful." Elijah pointed.

"We stick to the daylight and only work the high-end blocks." Rhonda nodded.

Fleur looked over at Holly,"How old are you?"

"Twenty-one."

Fleur and Elijah exchanged a look before both turned their attention to Holly.

She sighed,"Nineteen."

"Just watch out for each other, okay?" Elijah nodded slowly.

With that, Fleur and Elijah turned and began walking away.

"You okay?" Fleur looked up at him.

"Yeah.. I'll be fine once we catch this guy." Elijah nodded.

Fleur smiled at him, rubbing his arm,"We both will."

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

Next, Elijah headed back to Garcia and met up with Reid to try and identify the boy they met at the train station although they weren't having much luck so far.

"This is impossible." Reid shook his head.

"Says you." Garcia chuckled slightly.

"There's nothing in the juvenile offender records." Reid pointed.

"So.. You think like a high school student." Elijah told him.

"I was twelve and I hadn't been though puberty when I was in high school." Reid commented rather nonchalantly.

Elijah blinked in.. Surprise. He knew Reid was smart but he didn't expect that answer. Even Garcia had to take a second to compose herself.

"Okay. Reset." She nodded slowly,"We think like high school students, you think like a profiler."

"Well, he said he was a junior, right?" Elijah looked over at Reid.

"Mhm."

"First rule of the teen years. When talking to an authority figure, always lie and say you're older." Elijah crossed his arms,"He's.. Probably a sophomore."

"Exactly." Garcia nodded.

"Okay.. His coat was lamb's wool, but it didn't look vintage. It fit like it had been tailored to him." Reid recalled,"That means money. In D.C, money would mean private school."

"Look at you go." She hummed.

"Even a lie has to be within the depth of your own experience, right?" Reid asked.

"Yep, fair enough." Elijah nodded.

"Pull up the district that serves Northwest High." Reid pointed,"Are there any private schools within those boundaries?"

Garcia typed,"Three."

"Do any of them offer elective courses at Georgetown?" Elijah tilted his head.

"One. The Morton School." Garcia told him.

"Pull up the junior class." Reid nodded, fidgeting with his hands.

"Huh?" Garcia quickly looked up at him.

"Uh.. Sophomore class." Reid corrected.

"If I do say so myself." Garcia hummed as she slowly scrolled through the online yearbook.

"Wait- Wait. Stop." Reid leaned forward.

As she did, a face all too familiar to the boys could be seen, right in the middle of the page. He looked a little happier, but it was defined still the same kid.

"Nathan Harris." Garcia read out the name.

"We got him." Elijah smiled slightly.

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

Elijah was looking through the one-way glass at Nathan after he'd been brought in by Morgan, Reid and Gideon. He'd been writing the text for a 'graphic novel', or so he claimed, that also just so happened to be about killing prostitutes.

"Elijah, could... Could you come with me?" Reid asked as he walked in.

"Wouldn't you prefer Morgan? You both got him from his house and-" Elijah began but he was cut off.

"I know, but we both met him down at the train station." Reid nodded quickly,"I'd rather you were with me."

Elijah was well aware that Nathan never intended to meet him at the train station. He was there for Reid, not SSA Deans... But he couldn't say no to Reid.

"Okay, I'll come with you." Elijah hummed,"Can't say no to that face."

Elijah loved watching Reid try and hide the little smiles he got after compliments. If anything, it made him even more cute, if that was possible. Elijah shook his head to clear his thoughts as both he and Reid entered the Interrogation Room. He had time for gushing about Reid later, now he had to interview a possible serial killer.

"I didn't kill those girls, I swear." Nathan shook his head.

"Nathan, if you didn't do it, how did you know details of the murder?" Elijah questioned as he paced around Nathan while Reid sat down in front of him.

"'Cause I saw the body... It was early, it was before school. She- She was dressed in red, she'd been stabbed a lot and her hair was all chopped off." Nathan told him.

"Where was that?" Elijah stopped pacing, instead leaning against the table.

"In an alley off of K Street. They take men down there for sex. I see them do it all the time." Nathan shook his head.

"What were you doing down there?" Reid asked.

"I don't know. I just sort of... End up there sometimes." Nathan shrugged,"You know, I stay out all night and I just come back in the morning. And if my mom's at work, I don't even bother coming home."

"Why didn't you call the police?" Reid raised a brow.

"I don't know.." Nathan was looking down.

Elijah sighed, "Nathan, the prostitutes I spoke to said that you watch them."

"I've never touched them." Nathan insisted.

"Do you fantasize about having sex with them?" Elijah tilted his head.

"No, I told you. I think about killing them." Nathan shook his head,"Look, after the lecture I saw you at the metro stop a few times and I thought maybe you could help me."

"How?" Reid asked him.

"I don't know. I saw that body and I felt... Excited. And that really scared me." Nathan admitted.

"Is it possible that you actually killed those prostitutes, but you just don't want to admit it to yourself?" Elijah crossed his arms.

"No."

"Then why did you run away from us?" Reid tilted his head.

"Because... I don't know, I thought you'd say I was crazy and there's no way to stop it.." Nathan finally looked up at them properly.

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

After Nathan had been taken away by the authorities to be held overnight and evaluated, they all headed to the Conference Room. If he wasn't their Unsub, they'd need a working profile.

"D.C police sent us these photos of the first victim." JJ clicked the remote and the pictures appeared on screen.

"This was the Unsub's first kill. He held his urges in check for three months and when he couldn't control them anymore, he sent this message to the cops." Hotch explained, referring to the 'Help' carved on the victim's stomach,"We know the 'Help' and the hesitation marks mean he was ambivalent about the kill. What we don't know is why he chopped her hair."

"He didn't take it with him. We know it's not a trophy." Morgan pointed.

"It's probably a way to minimize some of their power, robs them if their femininity." Gideon nodded.

"That fits with him killing during the early morning. It's the time when prostitutes have the least power sexually, as opposed to a night were he might see them as on the prowl." Reid agreed.

"Hey, I know we're just spitballing here, but this profile points to Nathan Harris." Emily raised her pen.

"I don't want to hear about Nathan Harris." Hotch shook his head.

"Hotch, she is right. He reached out for help." Elijah pointed out,"This is adolescent boy. He's probably intimidated sexually. I don't really care how many times he said he didn't do it. He knew about the last victim and admitted to getting off on seeing her dead."

"We've got Nathan Harris. It doesn't do us any good to talk about him now." Hotch spoke firmly, enough to shut Elijah up,"I just want to make sure that if its not him, we stay on top of this thing before it takes on a life of it's own."

"Alright, alright. We know the Unsub is a sexual sadist." Gideon began.

"The symbolism of stabbing them most likely means that he's impotent." Fleur added.

"The only way he can get off is by killing." Morgan nodded.

"Considering that cutting their hair and killing during the early morning both stem from feeling powerless, there's a chance his pathology is more than sexual." Reid contiued.

"What do you mean?" JJ looked up at him.

"This is D.C. Power is the most important commodity." Reid explained,"Maybe this guy feels impotent in his professional life as well."

"But why these particular women?" Elijah sighed.

"The simplest answer is that he has access." Reid answered.

"Well, Northwest D.C has three major hubs of prostitution. Near Florida Avenue, off Logan Circle, and MacPherson Square, where the victims were found." JJ put the locations up on the screen.

"Probably works in or around Capitol Hill." Gideon nodded.

"I'll go back out on the street in the morning and see if any of these women know anyone that fits that description." Fleur offered.

"Good. It's late, let's go home." Hotch looked around at them all.

"Uh, shouldn't we get word out to the papers?" JJ asked as she stood up.

"Not yet."

"It's not too late to make the morning edition-" JJ tried.

"I said no." Hotch shook his head and walked off.

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

It was the next evening. Another prostitute had been killed while Nathan was in custody which meant he wasn't the Unsub, but he'd still been evaluated earlier in the day.. And now he was gone. Elijah and Reid were slowly driving down the street, looking for him.

"He's got to be out here, right? Where else would he be?" Reid asked.

"I still can't believe his mother's not put here searching for him." Elijah shook his head.

"I told her it would be better if she waited for him at home." Reid looked out of the window.

Elijah sighed,"Spencer, you know this  isn't your responsibility."

"It is." Reid insisted,"I can't explain."

"Well, try me."

"He knows that I understand him." Reid looked back over at him.

"Well, of course you do. You're a profiler." Elijah nodded.

"It's more than that." Reid told him.

"How?" Elijah raised a brow.

"..I know what it's like to be afraid of your own mind." Reid admitted before shaking his head, changing the subject with a small smile,"What's up with Hotch today?"

Elijah chuckled,"I don't know. Maybe he tied that knot in his tie too tight again."

Reid laughed and Elijah just watched with a smile, taking it all in. He'd made Reid laugh and he got to see him smile once more. This brief joy was interrupted though as Elijah's phone rang. Gideon.

"Yes, sir?" He answered.

"You've gotta hurry over here, wherever you two are." Gideom sighed.

"Why's that?" Elijah asked.

"We just found another body." He told him.

"Alright, we're on our way." Elijah hung up.

"What is it?" Reid asked him..

"Reid, they just found another body." Elijah shook his head, quickly turning the car.

As the boys arrived at the scene it was.. Different from all the others. Not in a back alley and at night. No cut hair and no message either.

"Well, I'd say he's getting bolder." Elijah commented.

"If it's the same Unsub." Gideon shook his head.

"You think it could've been Nathan?" Reid asked slowly.

"This kill was fast and messy." Gideon nodded.

"There's cut hair, no message carved." Elijah pointed.

"Not to mention killing at night. None of this is out Unsub's signature." Gideon turned to Reid.

"Excuse me, Agent." A police officer walked up to Reid,"They found the boy you're looking for."

Elijah and Reid exchanged a look before they both followed the officer to.. A church. Reid eagerly headed inside but... Elijah hesitated. He didn't want to enter. He knew he had to, but he couldn't. He didn't want to go back.

"Elijah, are you coming?" Reid had stopped and was looking back at him.

"Right- Yeah." Elijah shook his head and followed Reid inside, keeping his eyes laser focused on the floor.

You'll be fine. Just stay calm. You're fine.

"Says he's been here for four hours." The officer told them as he walked past.

Elijah briefly looked up and noticed Nathan sat in one of the pews. Reid walked forward and sat beside Nathan. They were talking but.. Elijah heard none of it as he hovered nearby, hand on the back of a pew to keep himself stable. He just kept repeating it in his head. You're fine.

"Are you going to cuff me?" He heard Nathan ask.

Reid looked up at Elijah who had seemingly composed himself enough to look normal. Elijah pulled a set of handcuffs from his jacket pocket and handed them to Reid. Both Reid and Nathan then stood up, Nathan with his hands out, ready to be cuffed.

"Do you want to know what I've been doing all night?" He asked them.

"Mhm." Reid nodded as he cuffed Nathan's wrists.

"Just been sitting here thinking... The only way for me to save people's lives in the future... Is to kill myself." Nathan answered.

Reid looked up at Nathan quietly, then back at Elijah before the pair lead Nathan from the church.

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

After arresting the actual Unsub, Ronald Weems, the team headed back to the Headquarters. Elijah watched from afar as Reid and Nathan talked briefly, a goodbye. He waited for a few minutes after noticing how down Reid looked just sitting there.. And he decided he'd make his first move.

Elijah walked over to where Reid was sat, sitting his bag on his desk,"Come on, Pretty boy. You and Me. We're hitting the town."

"No offense, Elijah, but I'm not really feeling like I'd make the best company right now." Reid looked up at him.

"Oh, not a chance. Up." Elijah tapped on the back of his chair, getting no response,"Up! Don't make me hurt you."

Reid chuckled, finally getting up,"Happy?"

"Happy." Elijah hummed as he picked up his bag,"Now let's go have some fun."

Elijah smiled as he and Reid let the Headquarters, heading for his car in the parking lot.

"Have you met Dolly?" Elijah asked as they walked,"You like?"

"Oh- I do." Reid nodded.

"Had this baby since I was at college." Elijah tapped her hood,"She's as reliable as the sunrise."

Just as they were about to get in, Reid's phone rang.

"Hello?" Reid answered, Elijah walking to his side,"What?  Oh, God.. Uh.."

"Reid, what is it?" Elijah asked quietly,"Who is it?"

"Stay- Stay where you are. I'm calling an ambulance." Reid hung up,"I need you to drive Elijah."

"Yeah- Yeah." Elijah nodded quickly as they both got into his car.

Elijah was barely paying attention to where they were going. He didn't know what was going on, he just went where Reid told him to. They arrived at a motel and ran in, Elijah almost out of breath as they reach the open door... On the bed was Nathan, bleeding out. He'd cut his wrists.

"He started slashing himself up." The prostitute stood in the corner cried.

"Oh, dear lord." Elijah shook his head, already taking off his scarf.

"Elijah, give me your scarf. Tie it around him as tight as you can." Reid instructed and Elijah complied as he turned to the woman,"Get anything at all. A belt."

"Don't.." Nathan mumbled.

"I'm not letting you die, kid." Elijah shook his head.

"Tie it! Is it tight? Make it tight."

"Here, take it." The woman ran back over with a belt.

Elijah quickly took it and began wrapping the wrist that Reid was applying pressure to.

"Where are the paramedics?" Reid looked around.

"Stop.. Don't.." Nathan spoke softly again.

"I'm going to keep putting pressure on them." Reid nodded slowly before yelling,"Where are the medics?!"

"I don't know!" Elijah snapped back.

"Don't." Nathan repeated.

"I'm not going to let you die.." Reid was close to tears.

"You can let go now." The paramedic told Reid as they walked in,"Sir?"

"Reid." Elijah looked at him.

"Let go, sir." The paramedic instructed.

Reid nodded slowly as he let go of Nathan, letting the paramedics work on him.

"Let's wait outside.. Yeah?" Elijah gently took Reid's hand, both of their hand were stained with Nathan's blood.

Reid nodded slowly although he didn't speak. The pair waited outside, wiping down their hands with cloths as the paramedics loaded Nathan into an ambulance.

"Hey.. Come here." Elijah held his arms out.

Reid looked down before we walked up to Elijah, wrapping his arms around him tightly.

"You saved his life, Reid. He's okay. It's all going to be okay." Elijah assured him, rubbing his back.

"..Thank you." Reid closed his eyes.

"I'm always going to be here." Elijah told him,"I promise."