"Nothing's happening," said JJ.

She, Garcia and Parker stood at Spencer's desk and watched the small, black box that the young genius had prepared.

"It does, she foams up a tiny bit," Parker replied.

"Shh. Watch."

The four agents waited a moment and the can flew into the air - hitting Emily on the head falling back to the ground.

"Oh, What?" the dark-haired woman mumbled in surprise and rubbed her head.

"I'm so sorry, Emily."

"What was that?"

"Don't you recognize a rocket when you see one?" Garcia joked.

"I was merely demonstrating a physics law. I didn't mean to hit..."

"Oh! Show me."

Emily joined the others.

"All right. Uh, turn around, please," Spencer asked the others.

"Turn around?" Emily asked confused.

"Yeah, he's not going to show you how it's done," JJ explained.

She, Garcia, and Parker turned around.

"A magician doesn't reveal his secrets," Spencer agreed, sounding a bit smug.

"I thought you said it was physics."

"Physics magic."

"Trust me, it won't do you any good to argue with him," said Garcia and Emily now turned around too.

"I know the secret," said Parker.

"What's the secret?"

"I can't say, I swore."

"What?"

"In eighth grade, when we started practicing for the talent show. I was the good-looking assistant."

"All right. All right. Turn back and observe."

The three women and Parker turned back around and Emily later decided to ask about the talent show.

It took another few seconds until the can flew into the air again.

This time it landed right at Hotch's feet.

Emily, JJ, Garcia, and Parker grabbed whatever files were lying around and pretended they were damaged.

"Physics magic?" Hotch asked after picking up the jar.

"Yes, sir."

"Reid, we talked about this."

"I'm sorry, sir."

Hotch walked over to the desk and put the jar on it.

"You're starting to get some distance on those."

The profiler then turned around and went into his office.

"So he does have a sense of humor?" Emily wanted to know.

"Sometimes."

~~

Aristotle said,

"Evil brings men together."

"1996. The rib cage of a male was found in the Desert Rose National Park," JJ began. "It was never identified. This morning, the remains of two victims were found in almost exactly the same area."

The photos of the first crime scene and the rib rack were still in black and white.

The current remains were an arm and a torso.

"Well, one year later is cause for concern, but 10 years? That could be a coincidence."

"It would be if the unidentified male wasn't missing a right rib bone," said Spencer.

"And the torso found this morning is missing exactly the same bone."

"Both of them seem to be surgically removed. And the advanced rate of decomposition on the male means that he died far before the female."

"Oh, Katherine Hale," JJ explained. "They found a bracelet on her wrist. She ran away about two weeks ago from her small Colorado town."

Katherine Hale was a beautiful young woman whose only arm was found.

"UnSub's crossing state lines. He's mobile."

Parker looked up from the file as the door opened and Gideon came into the room with a box.

"If the remains are related to the same killer, where's he been for 10 years?" Derek wanted to know.

"Killing," Gideon replied.

He put the box on the table, opened it and threw a stack of files in front of Parker.

"Unsolved case files going back 30 years. Every case, the victimology is the same. The unwanted. This box is just the tip of the iceberg. Thirteen cases spanning 30 years. The same MO. Right rib bone was missing. It's him, Hotch. It's the same killer."

"All the remains were dumped in remote areas and always near Interstate 80. And up until now, no remains this intact or this close to the actual time of kill have been found."

"Never two victims dumped at the same time in the same place."

"All of these killings, the work of just one man?"

"The most prolific serial killer ever."

~~

After landing, the profilers split up. Derek, Hotch and Gideon immediately drove to the site of the remains while Emily, Spencer and Parker drove to the police station.

They reported to the information desk. Of course the officer there wanted to see the badges. He took a quick look at Emily's and then threw it on the counter in front of her. The officer stepped away and Emily tucked her badge into her jacket without comment.

But the officer wasn't the only one. The three agents naturally noticed the suspicious looks.

"Is it just me or do you get the feeling that we're not welcome here?"

Parker and the others walked around the counter into the area where the desks were.

"No, it's not us, it's what we represent. The government's not all that popular out here."

They heard a barred door leading to the cells open. A middle-aged woman was led out. However, she seemed to prefer to stay in her cell and fought against it vehemently.

"You can't make me go. I know what my rights are. No, don't make me go. No, I don't want to go home! I know my rights."

The officer was pushing her past the agents when she noticed them observing the situation.

"What are you looking at, princess?" she snapped at Emily.

"Don't make me!"

The woman continued to resist and the officer seemed to be losing his patience.

"Okay, okay. If that's the way you want it, Jane, back to jail."

"I do. I do. Okay, okay, okay, okay."

Jane relaxed a little and the officer loosened his grip. Jane immediately took advantage of this and pushed him, so that the officer staggered.

She turned to the agents and clung to Spencer's jacket.

"He's coming. He's coming back and there's nothing you can do about it. Do you hear me?"

The officer had regained his composure and pulled Jane away from the young man and towards the cells.

"Nothing! Nothing!"

Jane continued to try to free herself from the officer's grip and an oblong object fell out of her hand.

The woman tried to grab it, but the officer was still holding it.

"Excuse me. She dropped this," Emily said and picked up the object.

"It's harmless," the agent assured when the officer wanted to take it.

"Thank you," said Jane.

"What is it?"

Jane didn't answer, but used the object as a whistle while she was taken back to the cells.

"A psycho with a whistle. That's not too weird."

"Spence, are you wearing your sassy shoes again today?"

~~~~

Not long after the others also arrived at the police station, Garcia sent them a fax with the preliminary autopsy report.

"Early toxicological investigations of the victim's blood indicated high levels of ketamine," Spencer read after removing the sheet from the printer.

"Ketamine is primarily a horse tranquilizer. It's also used as a date rape drug. In street lingo it's known as being stuck in a K-hole."

"So his victims were completely conscious when he killed them? Imagine what she must have gone through," murmured Sheriff Davis.

"It's essential for this UnSub that he sees the terror in his victim's eyes. That is what gets him off."

"He's either had medical training or he's honed his skills over the years," explained Parker.

"Look for a man in his mid to late 50s. Highly intelligent. Methodically and obsessively clean."

"His vehicle's most likely an RV. Muted in color. Neither old nor new. In perfect working order."

"It'll have a CB, radar detectors and police band radio. All these things have helped him evade you."

"And this vehicle is his killing room. It'll be soundproofed. Surgical instruments are on the walls. There's a stirrup chair or an autopsy table in it."

"All of his kills are recorded. If not on video, in a journal that he carries with him in his right-hand inside jacket pocket."

"How could you know that?"

"Tool marks on the remains indicate that he's left-handed," Emily replied.

"This man is void of all normal human feelings. A killing machine, incapable of remorse, compassion, love."

~~~~

The profile reminded Sheriff Davis of a story she had heard. And that story actually led to Jane.

The sheriff led Gideon, Emily, Spencer and Parker to the cells where Jane was still located.

"How do you feel, Jane?"

"I don't want to go home, George. Please, don't make me go home."

"Jane? These people are from the FBI. I'd like you to tell them your story," explained Sheriff Davis as she joined Jane in the cell.

"Why, so they can make fun of me, too?"

"That's very pretty. Did you make it?" Emily tried to start a conversation.

"It was a gift," Jane replied.

She gave the arrows to the profiler so Emily could look at them.

"Oh," Emily said. "What happened to you?"

"My car broke down. The engine went out on me, and, you know, in those days they didn't have cell phones, so I tried to fix it myself," Jane began to tell her story. "Then I felt a presence and then everything went white. Then I was in a spaceship, and I could see myself. It was like time was suspended. I could feel everything. And there were strange maps on the walls. Diagrams of all the stars. It was very, very cold. And the alien, he touched me very softly and he drew lines all over my body , smiling down on me. And then I looked in his eyes, and I wasn't afraid any more.

"Then what did he do?" asked Gideon.

"And then I was back in my own bed and it was the next morning."

"How long ago did this happen?"

"I was 19. It was 30 years ago."

"And did you ever see him again?"

"Oh, I see him. I see him every time I close my eyes."

"The strange maps on the walls could have been anatomical drawings," Spencer advised as they left the cell.

"What about the fact that she could see herself?" Sheriff Davis wanted to know.

"A mirrored ceiling."

"So his victims could see themselves being dismembered."

"Every time I think it can't get any worse, it does."

Parker thought the same thing. No matter how many cases they solved, nothing prepared you for something like this.

"Her subconscious mind has created a delusion that she was abducted by an alien."

"It's possible she's the only one who survived."

"Why'd he let her go?"

"She said, when she looked into his eyes, she felt relaxed."

"And in that moment, the one thing that he wanted, she didn't give him."

"Fear."

~~~~

Investigators were still looking for the guy's vehicle. So Parker found himself in the middle of a mobile home parking lot in the hot midday sun.

"We set up a nationwide tip line, but all we've really got so far is, 'White male, mid to late 50s, tall, with a medium build,'" summarized Hotch.

"From the remains discovered this morning, we know he doesn't keep his victims long."

"We've got more cops arriving by the hour to help find this guy. We also put out a nationwide APB."

"If he is still in this town, and we believe he is, he has absolutely no way out."

"What are we waiting for? Let's go catch this SOB."

The investigators split up and made it their mission to talk to every person at the campsite.

"To get away with murder, you simply don't tell anyone," Spencer commented after a while.

"And the only people he told were the people he killed," said Parker. "And then he took from them what he needed. Cash. Credit cards."

"I'm going to call Garcia and see if anything Katherine Hale owned was used after her death."

"–And then he moved on to his next victim."

~~

The sound of several wind chimes made Spencer look in that direction. The decorative objects hung on a trailer in front of which an older woman sat and knitted.

"Maybe he's not using an RV. Maybe he's towing a trailer," Spencer suggested.

Parker followed his gaze and his train of thought.

"That way he could unhook and move about."

"He could also hide it. That's why we can't find him."

"He's waiting for the roadblocks to clear."

"Okay, if he has a truck, it's going to be just like his trailer. Muted in color and American-made."

"It's going to be dark soon. We should get back and call Gideon. I think the UnSub's in town somewhere."

~~~~

Parker followed Hotch and Derek into Sheriff Davis' house, the others were behind her.

"Clear."

"All clear."

Why were the agents at the sheriff's house? Someone had called the tip hotline anonymously from Kathrine Hale's cell phone. And this call was made in front of the house where Parker and her colleagues were.

But the sheriff was nowhere to be found.

They found a large puddle of red juice in the kitchen.

Deputy Silo crouched down and was about to pick up the plastic carafe, but Derek stopped him, perhaps a little too harshly.

"Silo, don't touch anything. We need to profile this room."

"Profiles?" Silo repeated. "You said the call was made five hours ago by the UnSub right outside this house. Now, what's to profile? He took George."

"Why?" Gideon asked.

"All right, we need to work fast."

"All right, she enters the house and then it's usual."

"Okay, she drops her keys, hits the answering machine, takes off her gun belt.

"And then moves towards the kitchen."

"He's never taken anyone of prominence," Gideon pointed out. "Why take the sheriff?"

"And not her gun."

The sheriff's gun lay untouched on the floor.

"Silo, call your office. See if she was planning to meet anyone," Hotch instructed him.

"Please," Parker added.

At the same moment, Spencer tapped her and motioned for her to give him a glove.

Parker reached into her jacket pockets and threw a glove at Spencer.

"No way a cop would take chase without their gun. Definitely looks like she tried to make a move for it."

"She didn't make it," Spencer explained, picking up a syringe from the floor.

"Guys, George brought Crazy Jane home with her," Silo entered the room again.

"So he takes control of George, then goes after what he came here for."

"Crazy Jane."

"Those footprints, they've got to be Jane's. They go to the back. She escapes. The UnSub knows the ketamine's going to wear off, so he's got to act," Derek reconstructed the situation.

"Now he hasn't got what he came here for."

"So for leverage, he takes the sheriff, which means, sooner or later, he'll contact us."

And it actually didn't take long for the guy to get in touch.

"Katherine Hale's cell phone just came back on in the middle of town," Hotch reported after a short phone call with Garcia.

"Let's do this."

"He thinks we have Jane."

"Which means he wants to trade."

"Whatever he wants, we need to find Jane and the sheriff fast. You go to town, we'll go to Jane's."

~~

Jane lived somewhat isolated in a large house with an attached barn.

The house didn't appear to be in the best condition from the outside, but was definitely livable. But that wasn't what might worry you.

What was alarming were the many wind chimes hanging on the porch and trees.

"Guys, these wind chimes are made of bone. I think it's human rib bones."

Hotch and a group of officers immediately searched the house, the others stayed outside and started bagging the human bone wind chimes.

"It's completely empty. She's not here," reported the team leader as he stepped back onto the porch.

"Well, he's obviously been here before and left these gifts for her," said Spencer.

The young profiler untied the foundry that was used to attach one of the wind chimes. He turned and put it in the evidence bag that Parker held open for him.

"How romantic," Emily commented.

"Well, his version of romance."

Parker shot the bag and passed it on. The young agent immediately took another bag for the next wind chime.

"What, are you trying to say you think he keeps coming back here because he's in love with her?"

"That's impossible. A sexual sadist can't feel love."

"Well, define love," Hotch said.

Spencer's better stood on her tiptoes to remove the next wind chime in question and mumbled: "Don't hurt me. No more."

"Chemically, it involves surging brain elements called monoamines, dopamines, norepinephrine and serotonin. Love chemicals controlled by phenylethylamine, also found in–"

"Chocolate. I love chocolate," Emily Spencer interrupted.

"Peas, too! It's also found in peas," Spencer explained.

"Peas?" Parker repeated in surprise.

"Indeed, some people become–"

"Reid, stop. Please," Spencer was interrupted for the second time.

This time it was Hotch pacing back and forth on the porch.

"Love is a term for the strongest affection and appreciation. According to a narrower and more widespread understanding, love is a strong feeling, with the attitude of intimate and deep connection to a person (or group of people), which transcends the purpose or benefit of an interpersonal relationship and extends into usually expressed through an accommodating, active approach to the other person–"

"Parker, if Spencer isn't allowed to be smart, then neither are you."

During the conversation they managed to untie the knot and were back on the ground with the entire sole of their foot.

The young adult was also putting the wind chime in an evidence bag when they noticed something

"Wait a minute–"

With furrowed eyebrows, Parker turned to her boyfriend.

"Is that why when you were a teenager you suddenly liked peas so much and we almost always cooked something with them."

Spencer blinked noticeably often before answering a quiet, "No."

"Spread out, everybody. Keep looking."

Parker put the next wind chime aside as Hotch reached the barn behind the house.

They found the trailer behind the barn.

Spencer opened the door and Hotch and Parker entered the trailer first.

To say they were shocked was a massive understatement.

"Clear."

The trailer was modified to resemble an operating room.

There was a lot of surgical equipment hanging on the walls, but also common tools, like the rounds that hung on the ceiling.

The blood on the table was still fresh, so the guy couldn't have been gone that long.

"I thought I'd seen everything," said Hotch.

Unlike Parker and Spencer, you couldn't see his horror.

"Guys."

"What is it?"

"It's a coffin."

Hotch opened the lid and the team looked at the body of a young woman.

"Hotch? There's another coffin over here."

The profiler stepped around the table and also lifted the second lid.

Sheriff Davis was still alive, unlike the other woman.

"It's okay. Don't try to speak. We've got you. Come on."

~~

Hotch parked the car next to the others who had positioned themselves in front of the diner.

The Unit Chief helped Sheriff Davis out of the car.

"George? George, honey."

Her husband immediately ran up to her and hugged her.

"Are you all right? Thank God. Thank God."

"He killed Tommy's teacher. I saw it," said Sheriff Davis, still upset. "Annie. She was just 22."

Sheriff Davis Mann looked at her silently for a moment.

The woman could tell from his face that something was wrong.

And when she asked, he hesitated before answering her.

"They found the school bus abandoned, just outside of town," reported Mr. Davis.

"Tommy's supposed to be on that field trip. Where is he?"

"Safe. He's fine. He's with my mom."

"But that man, he also killed the school bus driver," Mr. Davis continued.

"What? How?" the sheriff wanted to know and turned to the profilers. "We had the whole town shut down. There was no way out."

"What was the one vehicle we weren't looking for?"

"A school bus."

"More importantly, where are the children?"

~~

Not long after, Jane was found.

She was found walking the streets and one of the officers immediately took her to the diner.

"Jane, he's been coming back to this town for years to see you," Hotch explained to the confused woman.

"All those years? Why?"

"He says he's in love with you," said Parker.

"He's in love with me? Why?"

"That's what he says."

"He hides out in your old barn and he watches you. And when he leaves, he leaves these wind chimes as gifts," Emily tried to explain.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?"

"They're not beautiful. They are the remains of people he took, tortured and killed. He is not an alien. You were abducted by a serial killer."

"But he did come for me, didn't he?"

"Not George, he came for me, didn't he?"

"That's what he says."

"You told me to run," Jane addressed Sheriff Davis. "But I didn't want to run. I wanted to see him again, to see his eyes and see his face. And I don't know, somehow, it just felt like I was coming home."

"Jane?" came a voice from Diner.

Derek and Gideon were just about to take the UnSub away.

Jane saw him and wanted to run towards him.

But before Jane could reach him, Emily and Sheriff Davis were able to hold her back.

"He has the children, Jane."

"No. No, wait."

"He has our children."

"And we will find them," Derek assured.

"And if we don't, they'll die of exposure," replied Silo.

"Rick!"

"He hasn't got Tommy, George. But what if he did? Hand him over."

"Silo."

"What choice do we have?"

"Not this one."

"Tell them, Jason. Tell them I'm not interested in harming children," said Breitkopf. "You've studied me for years. Have I ever once harmed a child? It does nothing for me. Give me Jane and they'll have their children back."

"Is she part of this with you?" Silo wanted to know from Sheriff Davis.

"Look at her, Rick. She's not a part of anything. She's as much his victim as you are."

"With Jane in my life, I will never harm another human being."

Jane tried to approach Breitkopf again, only to be held back once more.

"Leave her alone!"

Only this time, Parker stood in front of Jane, blocking Breitkopf's view of her.

Silo took a step forward to attack Breitkopf, but he was stopped by Derek.

"Hey, don't even think about it."

"No matter what you do to him, he will never give you what you want," explained Gideon.

"They found me, Rick. They'll find the children. Trust them," Sheriff Davis tried.

"Take me with you, Frank. Just you and me," Gideon suggested.

Parker's alarm bells began to ring. Why would Gideon suggest such a thing?

"– And my Jane," Breitkopf added.

"You'll take me to where the kids are?" Gideon made sure.

"Happily," assured Breitkopf. "I couldn't have that on my conscience."

~~

Parker stood next to Spencer as Gideon, Jane and Breitkopf got into the car.

Gideon started the engine, Parker calculated the risk and set off.

They handed Spencer their gun, tore open the passenger door and literally threw themselves into the passenger seat.

"What are you doing?"

"You are not going alone," said Parker and buckled his seatbelt.

"Parker–"

Gideon was interrupted by Hotch, who was rather passive aggressively knocking on Parker's window.

"Do you want to save the children or not?" Parker asked, ignoring Hotch.

"It's okay, the kid can stay. You can drive now, Jason," Breitkopf spoke up.

"You heard the man. You can drive now," Parker repeated, pulling his sunglasses off his nose.

Reluctantly, Gideon drove off, leaving the rest of the team at the diner.

"What just happened?" Spencer wanted to know after the car was out of sight.

"I have no idea."

~~

"Parker is an interesting name," said Breitkopf as they left the highway again. "Do you know why your parents gave it to you?"

"I have no idea," Parker replied.

Breitkopf advised them to ask their parents and then chatted with Jane until he told Gideon to stop.

The group got out and now found themselves in the middle of nowhere.

"What he's feeling right now will happen, and when it happens, like all the others, he'll take your life. And then he will really feel," Gideon addressed Jane.

"I don't believe he will," said Jane. "I don't believe you know what this feels like."

"If you did, you wouldn't be here. You'd be with the one you love."

"Where are the children?" Parker asked.

"That way," Breitkopf explained, pointing past the two profilers. "Two miles."

"Go," said Gideon and the young profiler ran off.

It was already dark when Parker found the children, who all appeared to be unharmed.

Gideon was already running towards the group and helped Parker bring the children to the car.

"Where are they?" Parker asked quietly so that the children wouldn't notice.

"They escaped. I had to look for the children, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. We will find them."

The rest of the team, the police and ambulance were already waiting at the car.

~~

On the flight home, Hotch sat down across from Parker.

It took Parker a moment to notice him, but then stopped the music and put the headphones aside.

"What you did was extremely–" Hotch began.

"I know."

"The Children, Gideon and yourself, you could all be dead."

"Listen Hotch, if you want to tell me that you're going to file a complaint, fine just do it. I don't regret it," said Parker and wanted to put the headphones back on.

"That's not– I'm not going to file a complaint. I just wanted to say that I am proud of you."