"The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time." Mark Twain.

  "But, I still don't understand why you dyed it purple. Your favorite color has always been green."

  "Because I think it looks better as deep lavender with blonde highlights then it does green," Thea replies, following Reid into the B.A.U. briefing room.

  Spencer shakes his head and turning to the group of people watching the siblings curiously. "Oh, um, guys, this is my younger sister, Thea. Thea, this is Aaron Hotchner, Jennifer Jareau, Penelope Garcia, David Rossi, Emily Prentiss, and you've already met Derek Morgan," Spencer explains. "Um, everybody, Thea's roomate, Kellyn Whites, was our un-sub's fourth victim. She's gonna be staying with me for her own saftey until we catch this guy."

  "Hello, Ms. Reid. I'm sorry for your loss," the man, whom Spencer addressed as Agent Hotchner, says, shaking her hand. "And it's nice to meet you," he adds.

  "Thanks," she responds, releasing her hand from the handshake. She turned her head to the left, looking at the somewhat gruesome pictures on the screen. "There were three other girls other than Kelly?" she asks.

  Hotchner hesitates, "Um, I'm not sure we should be sharing this informa--"

  "Actually, Thea might be able to help, Hotch," Spencer pipes up. "Her I.Q. is almost as high as mine, and she knew the latest victim. She has two doctorates, and we both have eidetic memory. She can give us an inside look on the case."

  "Spence, I have four doctorates, and my memory is better than yours," Thea says.

  "Is not!"

  "Spencer are you sure you want your little sister exposed to this?" Hotch asks.

  "She's kind of already exposed to it," Garcia says, "I mean, she's the one who found Ms. Whites... and she was her best friend."

  "Plus, I have a doctorate in Sociology and one in Psychology. I might be able to help," Thea adds.

  "Thea could also be in danger. The un-sub might come after her next. We don't know his pattern yet," Morgan reasons.

  "I want to help," Thea stresses.

  "I say we let Reid decide," Rossi suggests. "The older Reid. Not the teenager," he clarified.

  Everyone turns to Spencer, waiting for his judgment. He swallows thickly, making his decision. "I want to keep Thea as close as possible. If she wants to help with the investigation... it might help to have another pair of eyes."

  "Okay. Garcia, you want to catch us up on the case so far," Hotch says, sitting down in a chair, facing the large moniter.

  "Oh, uh, yes sir," Penelope answers. She grabs he little remote and stands up to face the team, as the Reids and Mogan sit down.

  "Victim number one, Darcy Milligan, age thirty-seven, pre-school teacher, found dead in her home. Her arms and legs were missing, and she died from major blood loss. Her five year old and twelve year old daughters found her after walking home from the park," Garcia explains, shaking her head sadly. She clicks the remote a few times, showing the crime scene before moving on to the next woman. "The second victim is Rachel Campbell, twenty-three. She's a lawyer. Same wounds and cause of death. Found in her home by her neighbor," she sighs. "Next is Jeannette Harvelle, fourty-two. She was a real estate agent. Found by her husband in their condo. Lastly, Kellyn Whites. Nineteen years old, just started college, worked at McDonalds. Found by her roomate, Dr. Thea Reid," she says, glancing at Thea sympathetically. "All victims were women, but that's about the only connection we've found so far."

  "The un-sub killed them in their homes between the times of five p.m. and eight p.m.," Hotch continues, "The dismembered limbs were not located with the bodies, and no foreign D.N.A. was found on-scene."

  "So for now we need to try and find any links between our vics," Agent Prentiss says.

  "Right," Hotchner agrees. "Garcia, try and find any connections between there work history and living arrangements. Morgan, I want you and JJ to interview Mrs. Milligan's children, and Rossi can interview the husband. Prentiss can take Mr. Harvelle. I'll talk to Ms. Campbell's neighbor. Reid-- or, I mean, Reids, you two can start on the profile."

  The group disbands to go to their assigned locations, trying to put together the case.