Fitting In.

In Time.

Three days seemed to be enough to force the unsub into committing more crimes. The escalation and the lack of a cooldown left the local press into a meltdown as they almost begged for an interview. Garcia had even been gathered to Texas for her help.

"I got it." Spencer stood with a start as the team almost jumped at his voice.
"The code wasn't telling us anything that should make sense. The code has been coded and then coded again. The codes tell us where he is going to next. The codes are for newspapers and their pages. Each paper has a unique code per publication, the location is always the front cover of the papers and the victim is in the pages. This week has about 10 potential victims listed so it could be any of them but I do know where he is going next. And if the past few days are anything to go by then he will strike tonight. We need to go." They all stood as he spoke and cars were climbed into. Sirens had begun to blast and they moved through the streets. Spencer muttered some more characteristics of the unsub to Garcia.

"Our unsub is called Robert Jenkins. He was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. He has no family after his parents gave him up at birth. He was in and out of foster homes as a kid before he was 18 and got into college using the funds of a local charity." The park was seen and Spencer began to point towards the exact location until they reached a fair distance.

"There are about three miles for us to cover. Spread out but make sure that you are in shouting distance of someone at all times." Hotch had his gun pulled before he finished speaking and the team spread out.

Wood crunched below all of their feet as the grass was also crushed. Torches could be seen running all through the park but slowly they faded from her view. Gulps fell down Elora's throat before finally she stood up tall and walked across to an unmanned area.

Snaps could be heard as twigs broke not far from Elora. Trees had hidden the area all around and branches were pushed and pulled by the wind. A faint sight of a torch was seen and Elora had turned her torch to face the floor as she manoeuvred.

One circle followed another as Elora walked around all of the small and large trees. Just as the loudest of snaps could be heard a mass met Elora and her gun was at their head in a second. His face was familiar though and then one of his fingers pointed towards a clearing. Agents had circled the place about as the pair could see far off torches being shone either at the ground or at a man who was stood in the centre. A woman in his grasp.

"Shut up." His gruff voice could be faintly heard as the victim was then dragged to the site that she was destined to die at. Rossi could feel his lungs expand as he went to speak but the spoken words were not by him.

"It's lonely isn't it." The unsub had jolted and his adrenaline increased as she was spotted, her feet moving towards him regularly. Rossi's look of indignation was lost from her peripheral as she moved.

"Don't come closer. Don't step forward." She stopped instantly and then got to a good footing.

"Okay. I did that. Now, we should talk." Her arms didn't lower but neither did his.

"No, the time for talking is over. I don't have time to anymore." His eyes darted all around but she was his main focus.

"I know it feels that way. It feels like every moment passed is another moment wasted. All of your actions become monitored, and the loneliness. There are so many symptoms and side effects linked with cancer but no one ever talks about the loneliness, do they?" His hands began to shake as his rage grew but Elora stood firm.

"You don't have a clue. You know nothing." Elora showed her palms as she placed her gun away, slipping it into place.

"Look, no gun. Robert Jenkins, I do know. I know how you feel so please just think about this." His breathing seemed to shorten as she spoke and his grip grew stronger.

"No, you don't understand." His gulps were changing his breathing and his talking became broken but as he finished speaking, he brought the knife up to the squirming victim's throat. Blood almost waiting to fall.

"No, look. I do, can I tell you something?" He nodded sheepishly as she held her hands out and even dared to inch closer.

"I lost my mother as a kid. She had breast cancer." He was loosening his grip but there had clearly still been walls that he needed knocking down before his drowsy victim could be let go.

"So? Do you know how scary it is? You will never understand it." Elora shook her head and moved an inch closer. The distance between them only seemed to grow larger.

"I was sick growing up, 9 when I got the first diagnosis. I was the only one who had it out of all my siblings. Even though the doctors said it was a faulty gene that had increased my chances." Elora tried to move but his knife was wiggled and she backed down.

"But you're alive. I spend my life, living in fear of dying." Elora stepped forward and then shook her head slowly at the man.

"And what you are doing is making it better? Look, I get it. You feel scared and so you act out but this is no way to do it. Look at her, is your fear any worse than her fear?" Her eyes grew to be a new level of desperation as she inched closer before he drew the knife up and Elora stopped.

"How did you deal with it all?" His tone was lightening up and his hand was shaking severely.

"I don't deal with it well but what I can say is that by doing this, it is only going to make it worse. A few days ago I had to go back to the hospital, my doctor thinks it is most likely a tumour. Since then I have pushed my team away and there have been few moments in my life where I have felt so alone." His eyes were no longer so harsh and slowly his body loosened.

"What am I supposed to do? I am going to prison now anyway. Might as well go out with a bang." She shook her head and tears were threatening to fall from his tired eyes.

"No." Her voice was shaking and her body trembling as she had to force the words out.
"I've been shot before. That is no way to go. Robert, let me be honest with you. When your time comes, you will welcome it. Just like my mami did and at times I was ready to go too. Give your family time to say goodbye. Look in your arms. This woman, she has a family. She too has gone through what you have but she got over it. That doesn't mean that she suffered any less." His eyes had become another dimension as she spoke to him. His attention moving all around him.

"But the pity. The looks that people give me. I'm losing my hair. My family don't know what to say to me and even you look at me like I am dirt. You are trying to relate to me but you never will be able to." His hands clenched but his arm could give him no strength.

"Robert, no, I will never fully understand what you are going through but nobody ever fully understands what another person has and is going through." Her hands never lowered but his hands had slowly fallen to rest on the victim's shoulder.

"If you went through that then why do you still look at me like that? I don't need sympathy." Robert had barely been able to hear himself as his breathing became erratic.

"No, I don't look at you with sympathy or empathy. I see a man who is scared, so he is acting out. A man who just needs love. When I was sick, all I needed was a hug. Is that what you want?" His nod was slow but eventually, it came to a stop.
"I can't hug you until you give me the knife. Robert, give me the knife and I will give you a hug." Elora was so close and as she took the knife from his hand, she immediately handed it to Rossi who stood close by.

Elora's arms wrapped around the man as he cried and kept his face from seeing what they were doing. It was so tight and close that Robert couldn't even feel the cold. Soon the victim was taken off of the scene and he slumped for a second before Morgan handcuffed him.

Strong Italian arms were sent out but Elora stepped back.
"Please, don't do that." Rossi drew back at her words and she just walked back to the car. Her cheeks were soaked and the wind had started up her headache once again.

Robert could hardly see much more as his tears blinded him and the wind picked up. Shouts had filled the air but none of their words would sink any further than the surface. Blinding blue and red lights had peaked around some of the corners but they had become blobs as he barely opened his eyes.