I Will Never Let You Go (A Maxcer Fanfic)

Colin Bray and the Records Room.

Back at the BAU, Spencer was pacing in front of the elevators. After telling Emily about this new detail, they went back to the office and went straight to Garcia's office. She showed them what she had found and sure enough, Max was present in all the photos; all but one including Willow. After some debate, Emily had called in the order to have Max and Willow brought to the BAU, where they would stay until they knew it was safe for them to return home. Emily walked up to Spencer, making him stop in his tracks.
"Are you sure you want to bring them here?"
"I'd rather them be here with us than be at home. Whoever this unsub is, he's been stalking them which most likely means he knows where we live and until we catch him I do not want them there."
"But who knows when that will be Spencer; by some miracle it could be tonight, at worst it could take weeks. And if that's the case they need to be put into protective custody."
Spencer shook his head slightly as he averted his eyes downward. Emily noticed his behavior and sensed that he didn't want that. She sighed and gave him a sympathetic look.
"It's what needs to happen if this goes on for a longer period of time Spencer, and you know that."
He met her eyes again and gave her a look that spoke a thousand words, words that he would never say aloud because she was his unit chief. She knew what was going through his head and she didn't waste time nipping it in the bud.
"You are not Hotch. Max is not Haley. And this unsub is not Foyet." Emily said firmly. Spencer's expression immediately softened, and he stood there with his mouth open with no words coming out.
The elevator dinged and as soon as the doors opened, the sounds of a crying baby filled their ears. Anderson and two agents stepped out, followed by Max holding Willow in her arms. Spencer met them in the middle and wrapped his arms around them.
"Shhh hi peanut. I know that cry; someone's tired." He said, taking Willow from Max and placing soft kisses to her cheek. "She was only five minutes into her second nap, which took her awhile to get settled." Max said, attempting again to put the binky in her mouth. She took it, but she still whimpered.
"It's my little friend Willy. Hi sweetheart." Garcia said with a smile as she walked up to them. Willow looked at Garcia and immediately stopped her bawling, being too focused on the colors that she wore. Spencer handed her his daughter, who reached up to grab the bow in her hair. The parents winced, but Garcia unclipped the bow and handed it to Willow. She stared at it, gripping it tightly in her hands. Garcia bounced her a little, making the baby giggle.
"Luke and I are gonna set her playpen up in one of the interview rooms. I'll make sure she gets some rest." Garcia said, nodding her head to Luke to grab the folded playpen and diaper bag from Anderson. Spencer looked at Max, who seemed worried. He nodded to her, signaling that it would be alright, and she seemed to relax. Once they had gone, Max crossed her arms and asked "So you mind telling me why I had to be forced from the house?" She sounded almost mad, but it didn't catch Spencer off guard. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you myself, but I wasn't allowed to." He said apologetically.
"Why did you have them bring us here?"
Spencer had her follow him to the conference room, where the pictures of the women and the dump sites were stuck on the evidence board. Max's eyes widened at the sight of the women on the curbs. She'd heard about it on the news that they'd found a fourth body just hours before.
"All these women were suspected of cheating on their husbands; one of them was confirmed by the husband before she was killed. They all have children and for the past couple months have been going to Ernie's bar. It's probable that this is where the unsub meets his victims or where he takes them from so he can murder them in a secondary location; we profiled that he takes them to his car somehow, kills them, then quickly disposes of them." Spencer explained as Max still surveyed the pictures. Her eyes landed on the ones that didn't contain the bodies, and she tilted her head at them confused.
"What are these for?" She asked. Spencer unpinned one of them and handed it to her. He pointed to a particular spot, making her squint her eyes at it. Raising both her eyebrows, she looked up at him, realizing now why he wanted her there.
"He leaves a picture with each of the bodies, and you are present in every one. Once would've been considered coincidence but four times? It's clear that he chooses to take these photos before his kills and he makes sure that you are in them. We've been trying to figure out why that is."
"You think he's stalking me?" Max asked.
"He's targeting cheating women who have children. In order for him to know for sure is by stalking them."
"But I have never cheated on you." Max stated, her eyebrows drawing together.
"I know that. But then there's some other reason why he's watching you. And until we know what that reason is, you and Willow are staying here."
"Here? At your office?"
"Yes." Spencer said, taking the photo from her hands and pinning it back to the board. Max watched him as he walked around the table to grab a file. She thought about what he had said, about all the women having cheated on their husbands and that they all had been to Ernie's. A memory popped into her head and her heart started to race. Realizing Spencer had left the room, she jogged after him onto the catwalk.
"This guy, he probably had a wife who cheated on him, right?" She asked, pulling on his arm. He turned to face her and nodded.
"So is it safe to assume this person was also recently divorced?"
Spencer thought about it for a moment, thinking about all the pieces of the profile. "Cheating would've caused the divorce, but if he has kids there may have been a custody battle. It's possible that the wife took the kids from him and that's what's fueling his rage." Spencer saw the look in Max's eyes and saw that she figured out something.
"What is it?"
"A month ago, when I went to Ernie's with the girls, a guy came up to me trying to buy me a drink. I declined and he noticed my ring. He said he was recently divorced."
"Do you know his name?"
"Colin. That was all he told me."
"Do you remember what he looks like?"
"Mostly yeah."
"Could you describe him to a sketch artist?"