Morgan hummed as he sat on the couch, Beau immediately jumping up beside him. Beau panted and licked his arms.

"I know, buddy." Morgan chuckled.

"Morning." Fleur walked in.

"Good morning, babygirl." Morgan smiled at her.

"Did I sleep in?"

"Not really, don't worry about it."

"Okay." Fleur hummed and sat down.

Morgan wrapped an arm around her,"Isn't this nice?"

"It is." Fleur smiled,"You okay?"

"Yeah.. Just thinking." Morgan nodded.

"Thinking about?" Fleur raised a brow.

"Secret." Morgan winked.

"Hey." She nudged him.

"Oh, you don't like secrets." Morgan smirked,"Guess who knows the secret."

"Who?" Fleur looked up.

"Oh, nobody... Just your best friend." Morgan crossed his arms.

"Eli forgets everything." Fleur chuckled.

"Exactly. He can't tell a secret he doesn't remember." He shrugged.

"Give me a hint." Fleur groaned.

"No." Morgan shook his head.

"Well- You're not getting told about my secret." Fleur stood up.

Morgan gasped but looked away,"Fine."

"Fine." Fleur hummed.

"I'll figure it out."

"No, you won't because you've got a man brain." Fleur shrugged.

"Man brain?" Morgan scoffed

Kayleigh

"You heard me." Fleur hummed and walked towards the kitchen.

"Oh. I heard you and I'll prove you wrong." Morgan pointed.

"I'm sure you will." She laughed.

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

"The Atlanta Field Office is requesting our help in a string of murders they've connected on the HSK database." Garcia sighed as the images appeared on screen.

"Last night, the body of a John Doe was found in a truckstop restroom in Chattanooga, Tennessee." Hotch added.

"And the day before, the body of sixty-one year old Claire Westchester was discovered in a Birmingham, Alabama truck stop restroom." Garcia continued,"They both had been... It's on your tablets."

"They'd been stabbed multiple times, and they'd both been posed post mortem." Hotch pointed.

"Well, he demeans his victims. That's for sure. They're bound to a urinal with rope " JJ sighed.

"He left one hell of a calling card." Fleur looked at the pictures.

"Well, the lack of blood suggests that they were killed somewhere else and then disposed here." Morgan nodded.

"The stab wounds are both shallow and deep. It could be some sort of systematic torture." Reid tilted his head.

"Well, there are no obvious signs of sexual assault." Tara pointed.

"He's sadistic. The stabbing could be what's getting him off." JJ shrugged.

"But he doesn't stop there. He removed their left ears." Elijah tilted his head.

"Could be keeping them as a trophy." Fleur added.

"The disposal sites are 147.6 miles apart. He probably thought, by crossing state lines, he'd prevent the authorities from connecting the two murders." Reid explained.

"Well, I hate to state the obvious, but we're most likely looking for a truck driver." Morgan nodded.

"Atlanta is one of the countries top long-haul hubs. It's one of the few cities in America serviced by three major interstates." Reid informed them.

"There are hundreds of open cases on the HSK database, finding this UnSub is going to be like finding a needle in a haystack." Tara sighed.

"With the ability to move around the nation, there's nothing to suggest I'll stop any time soon. Wheels up in thirty." Hotch instructed.

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

Once on the jet, Fleur sat down next to Elijah,"We need to talk."

"About..?" Elijah furrowed his brow.

"What Derek has told you." She pointed.

"Morgan told me? Oh, no. Morgan didn't tell me anything." Elijah shook his head.

"Yes, he did." She nodded.

"Nope, I don't think so." He shrugged.

"You sure?" Fleur raised a brow.

"Mhm, I'm sure." Elijah nodded.

"Then.. Tonight, come to mine. I want to tell you something." Fleur sighed.

"A.. Secret?" Elijah raised a brow.

"A very important secret that you can't tell Derek."

"I will not tell him."

"Good." Fleur hummed and leaned back as Reid stood up.

"In a 2009 report, it was suspected that serial killers operating as long-haul truck drivers are responsible for close to five hundred murders over the last three decades." He informed them.

"And that number hasn't gone down." Hotch sighed.

"So what else do we know about truckers?" Rossi asked.

"Well, most see long hauling as a lifestyle, not a job. You know, living a life of solitude on the open road." Tara began.

"Oftentimes that comes with a tremendous amount of stress, having to meet scheduled deadlines for months at a time." Morgan continued.

"And with the right kind of pressure, the UnSub could've snapped." Hotch shrugged.

"No, victimology speaks to that. Both victims were random. John Doe appeared to be homeless and Claire Westchester was the complete opposite." JJ looked up from the file.

"Yeah, looks like she lived in College Park for the last twenty years." Tara agreed.

"She'd been happily married to her high school sweetheart and taught at the local elementary school." Rossi added.

"It doesn't make any sense. Why go from low to high risk victims?" Fleur wondered.

"Yeah, these types of Unsub typically target victims like runaways, transients and prostitutes." Elijah crossed his arms.

"So apart from each of them being in their early sixties, there's no connection between the two?" Tara suggested.

"Maybe age is the connection. He could be choosing these victims because they're easier targets." Reid pointed.

"Or they could be surrogates." Hotch added.

"That's also maybe why he cuts off the ear. He's felt ignored all his life." Reid nodded.

"If the victims represent some type of authority figure, that would explain why Claire Westchester was targeted. She was a schoolteacher." Morgan sighed.

"What about a parental figure? It's possible he chose an older male and older female victim for a reason." JJ suggested.

"Alright, when we land, Morgan, Reid and Deans go to the MΕ. Dave and JJ, go to Chattanooga. Lewis, Howards and I will get set up at the precinct." Hotch ordered.

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

"Agent Hotchner, thansk for coming out." Agent Waters shook his hand when they walked in.

"Of course. This is Agent Lewis and Howards." Hotch hummed.

"Nice to meet you." Tara nodded.

"Pleasure." Fleur shook his hand.

"I've increased state troopers at truck stops along all three interstates like you asked." Waters told them.

"Great. Any updates?" Hotch asked.

"So far, we're coming up empty. I'm coordinating with Chattanooga and Birmingham PD to have the CCTV sent over." He continued.

"Has Claire Westchester's husband arrived yet?" Fleur tilted her head.

"He got here a couple minutes ago. He's waiting." Waters nodded.

"I'm gonna.. Go." Tara pointed.

"I've got your team set up in the Conference Room." Waters pointed.

"Thank you." Hotch nodded.

"Right this way." Waters lead them off.

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

"Finally got an ID on John Doe. Frank Myers of Atlanta. We were able to identify him through his dental records." The M.E handed over paperwork.

"Looks like he's been in and out of homeless shelters for the past couple of years." Reid looked at the paperwork.

"For someone on the streets. I'd say he has some pretty expensive dental work. They're still trying to locate his next of kin." He explained.

"Have you ruled a COD?" Morgan asked.

"Exsanguination from penetrating wounds. In both cases, the killer severed major arteries."

"Were you able to determine when the ear was removed?" Elijah raised a brow.

"Post mortem. Also found this." The M.E held up evidence,"Burlap fibers embedded in both victims wound tracks."

"He stabs them through a bag. That's unusual behavior for a sadist." Reid commented.

"They get off on watching their victims as they inflict pain." Morgan nodded.

"Well, it appears the killer tried numerous times to stab but hit the bone, before he got it right." The M.E pointed.

"This might not be overkill like we initially thought. This could be exactly the opposite." Reid walked over to the other body looking at the wounds,"Look, there are placement errors and hesitation marks which tells me he improvised."

"He's struggling through the kill as if it's his first time." Elijah furrowed his brow.

"What if it is? We could be dealing with a killer who's not yet comfortable killing." Reid blinked.

"That doesn't make any sense. Based on the disposal sites, we profiled this guy had experience." Morgan shook his head.

"Yet the actual murders tell a far different story." Reid tilted his head.

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

"I don't get it. How could this guy be organized and disorganized at the same time?" Rossi asked as they looked at the evidence.

"These are two completely split MOs. We have to consider the UnSub might have a partner." Reid sighed.

"That means he's a silent partner. Both disposal sites only showed evidence of one person." JJ shook her head.

"Chances are, if there was a partner, he'd somehow want to participate in the kill." Fleur shrugged

"It's a weird dichotomy typically seen when an Unsub is in the early stages of becoming a killer." Reid hummed.

"Early stages. As in you think the murderer could be a kid." The cop blinked.

"No, I think he's been living with the fantasy for quite some time but it's only now that he's finally acting on it." Reid told him.

"Only things don't go as planned, so he struggles through the murder, trying to match the actual kill to his long gestuating fantasy." JJ sighed.

"And it's only a matter of time before his hesitation in the actual murder catches up with his staging fantasy." Elijah crossed his arms.

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

Everyone was stood infront of the local PD, beginning to give the profile.

"We believe the UnSub we're looking for is what we call a rectification killer. He's targeting people like he holds responsible to a major trauma in his childhood." Hotch began.

"These feelings have been festering in his mind for decades, as evidenced by the degree of rage." Morgan continued.

"Because of the complexity of these crimes and their victimology, we believe this person to be a white male in his thirties or forties." Fleur added.

"The victims actually interacted with the Unsub when he was a child when they worked in the family court system." Elijah told them.

"It's possible he was removed from his family for his own safety but was too young at the time to know the severity of the situation." Rossi sighed.

"Now that he's an adult, he thinks it's his mission to seek revenge on those in the legal system he believes broke up his family." Reid explained.

"It's possible the triggering event was the separation or death of one both of his parents." Hotch nodded.

"Check for rulings involving a child being placed in the foster care system or put up for adoption." Rossi pointed.

"This guys exhibiting an irresistible compulsion by posing his victims at truck stop restrooms, despite the escalating risks." Morgan continued.

"And this indicates that his childhood trauma may have some direct link to these type of locations." Tara nodded.

"Focus on cases that involve a parent or guardian connected to the trucking industry or who have spent long periods of time traveling on the open road." Fleur sighed.

"We believe that locating this case will be the key to finding him. Thank you." Hotch finished.

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

"We know the second and third victim are connected, but how does Claire Westchester fit into the puzzle?" Rossi wondered.

"Well, let's go through it again. What do we know about her?" Hotch asked.

"She was a school teacher for close to thirty years." Morgan nodded.

"Never had kids but loved her students like they were her own." Rossi added.

"She was extremely hands on, especially to those children who they felt were in need." Elijah sighed.

"Kids... Kids- Wait a minute. If the Unsub is working off a kill list, it's possible he was one of Claire's former students. That could be our connection." Morgan realised.

"That makes sense." Rossi pointed,"If there was something off at home, she would notice signs of abuse and report it to the authorities."

"She could have been the catalyst for getting him removed from his home." Hotch agreed.

"But based on our profile, he would have been too young to have known the names of everyone." Rossi shook his head.

"Not to mention case files weren't digital. He wouldn't have been able to gain access to that information today." Morgan pointed.

"So how does this guy know who to target?" Waters asked.

"Maybe the names were fed to him." Rossi suggested.

"We profiled earlier the possibility of a partner. There could be something to that." Morgan agreed.

"If that's the case, that person would have to feel as wronged by the victims as the Unsub himself." Elijah pointed.

"A parent." Hotch nodded as Morgan called Garcia.

"Green for go." Garcia hummed as she answered the phone.

"Garcia, we think that the UnSub may be working with a partner, a parent or guardian." Hotch spoke.

"And babygirl, check school records for male students who were in Claire Westchester's class going back thirty years." Morgan instructed.

"Yeah, keep talking." Garcia typed.

"It's possible Claire filed a complaint with the school against a parent, which resulted in the Unsub being removed from his home." Rossi told her.

"And cross check that with hospital records. He might have made frequent trips to the ER." Hotch added.

"Just as Randy Martin aged out of the system, Randy Jacobs popped up. But as far as I can tell, he has no criminal history." Garcia told them,"He has a stable job, and he recently got engaged to his long-time girlfriend, Chloe Andrews."

"Sounds like he went from a model citizen to a cold blooded murderer." Morgan cursed.

"His birth mother, Flora Martin, has quite the history, however. Check your tablets." Garcia nodded.

Everyone picked up their tablets, and Rossi looked down at it,"Well, around the time Randy would have been conceived Flora was admitted to the hospital, she was raped."

"She was thirty at the time. It says here she'd been hitchhiking and was sexually assaulted by a truck driver." Elijah sighed.

"According to her statement, her attacker dragged her into a truck stop restrooms and did bad things." Garcia added.

"That's the exact same MO. That can't be a concidence." Morgan shook his head.

"This case is the nexus." Rossi realised.

"So mother and son must have recently reunited, and he's been going off the kill list she provided." Morgan nodded.

"Garcia, what else do we know about Flora Martin?" Hotch asked.

"Hm.. Nine months after her alleged rape, she gave birth to a son. There is no father listed on the birth certificate." Garcia told them.

"So her son is a product of thar rape." Morgan nodded.

"Where is she now?" Hotch asked.

"She is.. In a prison insane asylum for the murder of six truckers." Garcia blinked.

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

"Right there." The guard pointed to an elderly woman.

Fleur and Elijah had gone to speak with Flora to talk to her about Randy and the murders.

"Flora Martin?" Fleur walked up to her.

"Oh. I wasn't expecting visitors." She looked up them.

"Well, we're from the FBI. I'm Agent Howards, this is Agent Deans." Fleur nodded.

"I see. To what do I owe this honor?" Flora asked.

"We're here to talk to you about your son, Randy." Elijah told her.

"We believe he's been involved in at least three murders. Would you know anything about that?" Fleur asked.

"Well, I've been locked up here for the last twenty-four years. I'm the last person you should be asking." Flora shook her head.

"Ms Martin, records show that your son has been visiting you every day for the last three months. We think you know quite a bit about ut." Elijah crossed his arms.

"In fact, you know what I think? I think you know exactly what your sons been up to, and you're absolutely thrilled that he picked up where you left off." Fleur hummed.

That's when Elijah's phone rang and he briefly stepped away to answer it before returning to Fleur and Flora.

"Both Randy and his fiancé, Chloe, are missing. Hotch just issued and APB." He sighed, keeping his voice down.

"Flora might have convinced Randy that Chloe was a threat." Fleur suggested.

"We're running out of time." Elijah shook his head, going to step forward.

"You know what? I think she might be more forthcoming if it was just the two of us." Fleur nodded.

"I'll be right outside." Elijah told her.

Fleur walked over to Flora after closing the door, crossing her arms.

"Do you have any children, Agent?" Flora asked her.

"I do, one.. It's so rewarding as a parent, seeing my child grow up and become successful. I also know that a lot of parents try to live vicariously through their children. But for someone like you, it's about more than just revenge. For you, every murder that Randy commits allows you to relive your own crimes over and over again, down to the last detail." Fleur pointed.

"Is that right?" Flora tilted her head.

"There is so much anger inside of you that you would destroy your own son's life. I know what happened to you thirty years ago. I know what that man did to you." Fleur nodded.

Flora looked down, staying silent as she began tearing up.

"Flora." Fleur sighed.

"I will never forget his face.. Or his hands on my skin or the smell of his breath.." Flora moved her hair to show her missing ear,"He said, whenever I look in a mirror, I'll remember him."

"He's the reason you started killing..Flora, you killed six truckers. Why not more?" Fleur tilted her head.

"I got caught." She shrugged.

"No, you eluded the authorities for months before they found you holed up in that barn outside the city. You could have easily kept killing, but you stopped." Fleur sighed.

"It was time to give up." Flora told her.

"I think you stopped because you found who you were looking for." Fleur nodded,"The man who raped you, Randy's father. His father is out at that barn, isn't he?"

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

"Flora signed a confession. She admitted to making Randy participate in his father's murder." Elijah hummed as they boarded the plane.

"All this time, he seemed to have such a normal, well-adjusted life." JJ sighed.

"Yeah, but there was always that void inside of him." Tara shook her head.

"You know even after he found out who his mother was, he still wanted to build a relationship." Fleur told them.

"Yeah, and that was how she was able to play on his emotions. He wanted retribution for his mother, no matter the cost." Elijah crossed his arms.

"Sometimes we let the need to connect and bond with our families trump any kid of judgement." JJ hummed.

"I mean, that's more powerful than anyone can understand." Tara nodded.

"I just got a call." Hotch walked in,"Randy just cut off his own ear."

"Ew." Elijah blinked,"I mean- Oh. Oh no."

"What a shame." Fleur mumbled.

"I'm sure his mother had nothing to do with that." Morgan sighed.

"Oh- Eli, you still need to come to my house." Fleur pointed.

"I'd love to." Elijah nodded.

"Good, because I have that thing to tell you."

"I'm excited."

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

"Okay, hurry up." Fleur chuckled.

"I'm hurrying." Elijah told her.

Fleur walked into her bathroom, closing the door,"You have to promise not to tell."

"I promise not to tell." Elijah put one hand on his heart and held up the other,"Scout's honor."

Fleur chuckled before going into a cabinet, pulling out a blue coloured stick.

"..Is that what I think it is?" Elijah blinked.

"You'll just have to see." Fleur smiled softly.

Elijah gasped,"It is."

"Want to see?"

"I want to see."

Fleur hesitated before she handed over the test, sitting on the cabinet.

Elijah looked down at it and smiled,"Oh my god- I'm going to be an uncle!

"Shh! Be quiet!" Fleur laughed.

"I can't- I'm so excited." Elijah was practically jumping up and down.

"I'm not telling Derek yet, I want to wait until the right moment." Fleur smiled.

"I have burdened with a great task of secret keeping." Elijah hummed.

"Only you know.. Well the animals do too."

"I'm the chosen one." He whispered.

"Now, lips closed." Fleur pointed

"Completed sealed." Elijah zipped his lips.

Fleur nudged him and stood up,"I need to tell Addy."

"Yes- She'll be so excited." He agreed.

"Right, act natural." Fleur pointed.

"Wh- I'm great at acting natural." Elijah crossed his arms.

"No you're not." Fleur chuckled, opening the door.

"I am." He muttered.

"I'll drive you home, hm?"

"Yes please." Elijah nodded.