Never Together Nor Apart

[Chapter 15]

Hotch's POV:

It's been 3 months since Emily 'died'. The secret weights heavily on my mind and heart. I watched everyone around me loose a part of themselves as time passed. Last month, everyone finally came together when we found out JJ is pregnant with twins. It didn't make us forget, but it allowed for some healing. Everyone was enlightened after the news, that is everyone except Gideon. He may not have seemed upset, but he was. Nobody else knew, but Gideon was close to Emily when she was younger. His own son left him to start a family so he took on Emily as his surrogate daughter. Her father was never in the picture so it worked out well. I watched his thinking deteriorated over cases. I knew he wasn't doing well. I felt terrible not telling him the news. That Emily was alive and well somewhere out there. I leave my office to see JJ and Reid having a conversation in the bullpen. I could tell it was an emotional subject. JJ spots me and motions me towards them.

"Gideon didn't answer his phone. I called him twice. He was supposed to play chess with me last night but never showed," Reid practically pouts.

"Here?" I ask.

"Yea, he hasn't been back to his apartment since um..." Reid doesn't finish his sentence, he knows it's a touchy subject.

"Right," JJ looks down at the floor, "we uh, need to brief".

*time skip*

"No Gideon?" Morgan questions as he enters the room.

"Nope," JJ answers.

"I know everyone's been having a tough time, but at least be on time," he seems a little irritated.

"Yea, cause your never late," Reid snaps back.

"Spence," JJ placed her hand over his.

"This room just keeps getting smaller and smaller," Morgan breathes underneath his breath.

I look to see neither JJ nor Reid heard him.

"Should we wait for him?" Reid hopes.

"We will have to brief him on the plane," I reply.

"Right, now the police task force in Milwaukee needs our help. They've had four murders over the past three weeks, and in addition, another woman has been missing the last two days. They've all been married with children," JJ shows pictures on the screen.

"Any connection between these victims?" Morgan asks.

"Just that they've all been abducted from the area of Wauwatosa, all from very public places, but there's no witnesses," she replies.

"How are we even sure it's the same killer," Reid stares at the case file.

"Well, for starters... all of the bodies have been dumped in the city's third ward," she flashes crime scene pictures across the screen, "and then there's this".

"Is that what I think it is?" Reid asks in a surprised tone.

"All the hearts have been cut from their bodies," JJ nods.

I hear a sigh from Morgan and I grimace, something unlike me to do. Especially when I've worked this job all these years.

*time skip*

"There's an obvious dichotomy in the skill the unsub exhibits in abducting these women and the fact that he cuts their hearts out so crudely," Reid looks at some photos.

"We're probably looking at someone in a psychotic break," Morgan suggests.

"Could be a butcher. Might be a hunter. Someone who's very comfortable being around blood," I add.