DESENSITIZED//CRIMINAL MINDS

1.02 | 'just thinking outside the box, doctor'

IT HAD ONLY been a few short minutes after she had arrived home that she was already walking back through the doors of the bau headquarters. she sat down at her desk across from reid and next to morgan with a sigh. "just got home?" morgan asked, noticing the demeanor change from when they had all been together earlier in the day.

sierra nodded. "jj told me to get used to it."

reid chuckled, not looking up from the chess game that he was playing by himself. "you'd better." he told her. "or you're gonna be exhausted the next few months."

sierra groaned. "i already am."

just as reid was gonna ask sierra if she wanted to play, gideon passed by, moving one piece. "check." he said. "checkmate in three." he told the boy, and walked away without another word.

morgan let out a small laugh. "you know you'll beat him when you start learning." he said.

reid furrowed his eyebrows. "learn what?"

morgan shrugged. "to think outside the box."

reid looked across him at sierra who just shrugged her shoulders, not knowing what their friend was talking about either. before she could open her draw and do some paperwork, elle entered the office area. "question for you guys." she started. "the footpath killer, why'd he stutter?"

gideon had a run-in with a serial killer at a gas station as soon as they had returned to virginia. apparently, the man had a horrible stutter, and gideon knew why, but he refused to tell.

"come on, elle, we've all asked him and he won't say." morgan said. "he wants us to figure it out."

elle sighed. "okay." she said. "i'm up for a challenge."

"good." jj said, entering the office area with a stack of files. "because these go to you."

sierra couldn't help but let out a small laugh at the woman's misfortune. "all of those for her?" she asked.

jj sent the girl a sarcastic smile. "i wouldn't laugh if i were you," she teasingly warned her. "you've only been on one case. you'll get there."

"bau team!" hotch called from the top of the small staircase. "meet me in the conference room."

the five agents quickly rose from their seats and scurried off into the conference room, where hotch had already set everything up. they all sat at the table, sierra in between morgan and reid.

"bradshaw college in tempe." hotch started, as jj passed each agent an identical file. "six fires in seven months."

"who recorded it?" gideon asked.

"a student with a digital camcorder." jj answered. "he was watching a fire in the building across from their dorm." she continued as sierra opened her file to see all types of information about the cases. "the other person who you'll see in the video is his roommate, twenty year old matthew rowland."

jj then played the video, which was seemingly innocent enough at first. it started with two boys in their dorm room, recording the fire across the street in disbelief. suddenly, their attention turns over to the door, where someone is pouring liquid underneath and into their room. by the time they realize it's gasoline, it's too late.