Never Together Nor Apart

[Chapter 80]

Hotch's POV:

"I'm sorry, but I've never seen them," the front desk lady answers.

"Well, what type of woman do you see most?" Morgan wonders.

"High-powered professionals. After barking orders all day, they need a submissive outlet," she recalls.

"And how has Bare Reflections influenced the scene?" I ask.

"By completing ruining it. Interest in the munch I host has gone up," she scoffs.

"Wait, that's a good thing isn't it?" Morgan states confused.

"It's amateur hour. They flaunt their red scarves and they act like Carson Bare is real. My group is a safe haven for true dialogue," she explains.

"And instead, you see desperate soccer moms looking to impress their friends," Morgan takes the hint.

"Exactly. They've taken over. They act all risqué, but they really aren't. And they ignore our rules," she sighs.

"Cause despite its popular image as dark and orgiastic, BDSM play has complex rituals, roles, and dynamics that frame the experience. Am I right?" I state.

Morgan looks at me surprised and a bit impressed, while the woman give me a nod of approval.

"Yes. We feel the key ingredients of good BDSM play— communication, respect, trust— result in the same connection to body and self found in positive traditional sex," she smiles.

"So the end result is like yoga... sort of," Morgan looks to me to keep the conversation going.

"Has anyone come in wanting to discuss breath play?" I suggest.

"No. That topic's forbidden and any attempt gets a lifetime ban," she turns serious.

"Well, if you hear something, please let us know," I make sure to add.

She walks away leaving me with a grinning Morgan.

"So... is that how Alana was conceived...?" he draws out the question.

"What Emily and I do behind closed doors is none of your business," I contradict my statement with a smirk of my own.

"Who would have thought," I hear Morgan say underneath his breath.

*time skip*

"Looking for past high-risk victims outside of Madison is completely ingenious, because now we're getting somewhere. I mean, fool me once and all that, but don't worry you're not going to be able to fool me twice, because imma get you!" Garcia exclaims.

"Garcia?" Remind her of the task on hand.

"Sorry, Hotch. I'm just— I'm super pumped because I have used my complete and total bad-assery-ness to bust a move through layers of local legal bureaucracy, and I have learned that Sarah Young, a street prostitute in St. Paul-say that five times fast— was murdered last year," Garcia reports.

"And I bet she was strangled during a rendezvous," Kate guesses.

"Mais oui. And get this— two other prostitutes, both strangled with nylon rope, turned up eight and fifteen years ago, one in Iowa City, the other in rural Illinois," Garcia adds to the victim list.
(But yes)

"He knew crossing state lines would make it more difficult to link the crimes," I realize.

"That's a very different cooling-off period. I wonder what was so special about those dates," Detective Pierce points out.

"First kills we're in 2000, 2007, and then he went dormant until last year. What triggers him?" Reid questions.

"Deaths in the family?" I offer.

"He could keep losing jobs," Pierce takes another guess.

"These are sex crimes, so what interferes with sex drive?" Kate begs the question.

"Children," both Reid and I shout a bit too loudly.

"Right... the addition of a child would disrupt even the happiest of couples," Kate gives us odd looks.

"More specifically, the births," Reid states.

"Tell me about it," I mumble.

He gives me a knowing look.

"What if each of these kills corresponds to the birthed of the unsub's own children?" He finishes his thought.

"Garcia, how may men in the hunting zone had a child in 2000?" I ask.

"I'm slicing through hospital records as we speak. In 2000, 16 area men, caucasian in that age range, had their first child because I know what the follow-up question is going to be, five of them had their second child eight years ago," she spits out.

"And again last year?" I continue the search.

"Hmm... two lucky fellas," she reports.

"Were either one of them busted for something like peeping or exposure?" Kate adds to the parameters.

"Yes and no. There's a Patrick Jon Murphy. He's a physical therapist. Here's the thing— he was never actually arrested. I do have some sealed family court docs though that I'm about to unseal and learn... Oh, when he was 12, he witnessed his neighbor strangle his wife to death in a sex game gone bad," she gasps.

"Even though he was only a witness, that moment created a single event imprint on his love map and probably started his interest in breath play," Reid explains.

"Is his wife interested in BDSM?" I wonder.

"Uh, no. It doesn't look like it. The Murphy's have been in and out of couples therapy for years," Garcia looks through the records.

"The therapy roller coaster may have been due to intermittent periods of frustration and then bliss surrounding the murders," Reid vocalizes.

"And his urges increase during periods of non-intimacy," I add.

"If the unsub's trigger was the birth of his kids, why the change in victimology and accelerate the kills now?" Kate wonders.

"I think the guilt he felt has been alleviated by Bare Reflections, and the intense female interest in it has justified his impulses," Reid answers.

"Garcia, we need addresses," I call out.

"Of course, I just sent them to you now," she informs.

*time skip*

"Whew, I'm glad that's finally over," Morgan sighs.

"And why's that?" Kate questions.

"I need some lovin from my baby girl," he confesses.

"After a case like that?" Reid exclaims.

"Yea, I haven't had any in months and I still don't want it after what we just witnessed," I state.

"I can agree with that," Reid nods.

"Well, I didn't mean it like that, and let's not forget what you talked about at the BDSM munch we visited," Morgan smirks.

"I told you that was none of your business," I warn.

"Oh, but it is. What kind of kinky stuff had you been getting into before that baby of yours came huh?" Morgan teases.

"Okay, okay! I don't know what happens to you all after these cases, but I feel like I have to stop you from talking about your sex lives at least once every two months. You are like my children, and I don't need to hear any of what you do to my girls!" Dave practically shouts.

"Your girls?" Morgan questions.

"Yes, my work daughters, now please leave that subject for another time," Dave pleads.

I let myself smile, laughing at Dave's reaction before laying down to catch up on my sleep.

Another chapter for today! I have a busy first couple of days this week so I am not sure you guyed will get any new chapters tomorrow- Wednesday, but I will try my best!

1176 words