FRATERNIZATION | DEREK MORGAN (ON HOLD)

THREE

"This is special agent Gideon, special agent Morgan, our expert on obsessional crimes, special agent Cohen-Parker our families support liaison, and special agent Reid." Hotch introduced everyone as they walked into the room.

"Doctor Reid." Reid corrected Hotch, making Theresa crack a smile.

She was always beyond proud of Reid for how far he had come. When they were kids, he was always more anxious and closed off. The girl often pulled him out of his comfort zones and made him do things he wouldn't normally have done.

"Doctor Reid, our expert on well, everything." Hotch chuckled before turning his attention back to his coworkers. "And after 2 years busting my butt in this office, I hope you all remember me." Everyone stifled a laugh at Hotch's joke.

Theresa looked at the information on the board that they had gathered. The victims, where their bodies were found and how they died.

The sight made her sick to her stomach and reminded her of what she went through only a few years ago. The memory was still fresh. Her hand slowly made its way up to her neck, almost as if his hands were still there applying pressure and cutting off her oxygen supply.

"He's willing to travel with the body." Gideon pointed out as he looked at the map on the wall.

"Then he drives a vehicle capable of concealing one." Hotch summed up. It was a pretty obvious connection but he thought he'd say it out loud incase someone didn't understand what Gideon was on about.

"1 in 7.4 drivers in Seattle owns an SUV."  Reid turned to face Hotch.

"Explorer with tinted windows. Tess." Derek nodded towards the girl, turning to face her, he placed his hand on the small of her back and gave her the signal to start talking.

He could tell that something was wrong from the way she was acting. She was more jumpy and agitated than usual. He just wanted to be there to try and help her overcome it.

Theresa took in a sharp breath as she looked at different officers in the room. They had made a pretty good board filled with the information that they needed.

"Explorers rate higher with women." Theresa spoke up. "But how do we know it's his car? Ted Bundy drove a VW Bug."

"What about a Jeep Cherokee?" Hotch questioned, raising his brows as he listened to the girl.

"Jeep's are more masculine." Reid responded before anyone else could get a word in.

"We all know how an unsub feels about asserting his masculinity." Gideon looked over to Theresa, noticing the way her eyes flickered over the photos of the victims.

Theresa closed her eyes for a moment once she saw the photos of the bruises around the victims necks. They were being tortured and then strangled to death. It gave her a sick and anxious feeling in her stomach. This was one case she never wanted to relive.

"When did the bureau become involved in the case?" Hotch questioned. He attempted to offer a small smile to Theresa, who had subconsciously shuffled closer to Derek.

He cared a lot about the young girl and often felt like a father figure to her. He remembered the time that Gideon came to him and told him that in order for Theresa to speak, he needed to use her name.

Hotch never asked why, he just went along with it. He knew it wasn't Gideon's story to tell and he didn't want to make Theresa feel as though she had to tell him.

"After the fourth body. He dumped that one out of state." The officer nodded.

"On purpose." Gideon spoke up, cutting in before Hotch could respond to the officer.

"If so, knowledge of law enforcement does suggest a criminal record." Reid looked across at the brunette, noticing the way her eyes had become glazed over with tears.

From working with her the past year, he'd never seen her get overly emotional about a case. Sure, she always felt sympathy towards the victims and their families, which is why she was a good liaison, but this case seemed to be resigning with her more.

"Or that he watches television. May I?" Derek placed his hand on the small of Theresa's back and guided her away from the board as another officer handed him a file.

It seemed as if she got more upset the more that she looked at it, so he thought that the best solution would be to move her away from it and divert her attention.

He used his thumb and index finger to tilt the brunettes head up to look at him. He slowly nodded, silently telling her that everything will be okay and that he would protect her.

"So you wanna see our suspect list?" The officer questioned curiously.

Theresa felt more relaxed once she looked up at Derek, his brown eyes seemed to have softened as he looked down at her. She felt safe being near him.

"No, we won't look at a suspect list until after we come up with a profile. It keeps our perspective unbiased." Hotch informed the officer with a smile.

"When do we sit down with your task force?" Gideon questioned, noticing the way that Theresa stayed close to Derek.

It caused a soft smile to form on his face, knowing that she found safety within him. He knew why, and he couldn't exactly blame her. After what she'd been through, it wasn't a surprise that she found safety in the person who saved her life.

"4:00."

"An accurate profile by 4:00 today?" Derek questioned, profiles take time it wasn't something that they could do in an hour and it be over with.

"That's not a problem." Gideon nodded.

"Agent Gideon, where would you like to start?" Hotch questioned curiously.

Gideon walked over to the board with Anne Cushing on, the most recent murder. He pointed over to where the body was found before turning back and facing everyone, saying,

"At the site of the last murder."