Change My Mind ~ Criminal Minds (Aaron Hotchner x OC)

29.0: Adapting to Change

A/N: This chapter will be based on 6x04 Compromising Positions and incase some people didn't get my announcement my power went out for 3 days so I missed Halloween, but the chapters will still be posted even though they are late :)

The picture is Crystal's outfit throughout this case~

"The universe doesn't give you what you ask for with your thoughts - it gives you what you demand with your actions."

― Steve Maraboli

Three days, that's how long it's been since JJ left on Friday. Her last day had been devastating to the team, Crystal had given her an extra long hug before letting her go home. Hotch had been doing better with the loss of JJ, but Crystal knew he was still taking it hard. She made an effort to take more files than usual so he wouldn't be taking all the burden on himself, of course he noticed.

"You don't have to do that Archer, I'll be fine doing the paperwork by myself." Hotch sighed as he watched her take more of his files, Crystal shrugged. "That sucks because you can't stop me unless you take these from me yourself." 

Hotch raised an eyebrow with an amused look, she winked at him before heading back to her desk. The team would smile as they watched them interact this way, Hotch and Crystal started to have ice cream nights almost every night. The team still didn't know these nights happened, Crystal and Hotch didn't plan to tell them since it wasn't a big deal.

This would be the first case without JJ, the team sat at the round table waiting on Hotch when Morgan smiled at his phone. "Ellie's just been placed in a foster home." Emily smiled at him, "That's good, I'm happy for her." Hotch walked in with files in his hands, "We've got a case in Akron, Ohio. Two couples killed in two weeks." Hotch handed out the files, Emily tilted her head. "One a week? Not much of a cooling-off period."

Hotch grabbed the remote, "Scott and Kathy Hartway found in their car in an isolated area." Reid sat up a bit, "The son of Sam had a short cooling-off period, he also killed couples in their cars."

"Yes, but the first couple was killed in their home," Hotch pressed the remote, "Robert and Allison Keppler. In both cases the husbands were killed with a silenced 9-millimeter, the wife was stabbed multiple times." Rossi turned towards Hotch, "He crosses racial lines and socio-economic ones." 

"The Kepplers lived in an upscale neighborhood, the Hartways were blue collar." Morgan frowned a bit, "That's a big change, from a house to a car. Those are two drastically different M.O's." Crystal hummed, "Maybe he's trying to figure out what works best for him, experimentation?" 

Rossi nodded, "Maybe, he also subdues his victims which takes skill." Reid picked up a picture, "There's nothing that indicates how he overpowers them, no antemortem bruising, no blitz attack." Emily shrugged, "He's got a 9-millimeter, he doesn't need to."

Crystal smiled, "Guns are very persuasive," She turned to Hotch, "Any signs of forced entry to the house or car?" Hotch shook his head, "No, but Akron P.D did find this." Hotch hit a button and Morgan raised an eyebrow, "Handcuffs. He restrains the husbands, then savages the wives."

Rossi looked over at Hotch, "Is this right? They found used condoms on both the husbands and Viagra in their systems?" Hotch nodded, "Neither had a prescription." Emily sighed, "So the unsub gives them Viagra and forces them to have sex before he kills them?"

"And given the timetable he's going to strike again soon, we fly to Akron tonight. Wheels up in 3 hours." The team nodded and Hotch left, when Crystal got up she found Garcia looking at Hotch's office. "Hey, everything okay?" Garcia looked at her surprised, "Oh, yeah I just-"