Secret Santa for MusicaDiabolos - (2 Parts)

[Jazz]

Merry Christmas in August, MusicaDiabolos! This is a multiple-part fic, so I'll be posting every day or two for you. I apologize, there's no sneezes in the first part, but we're setting the backdrop for something good, I promise. (: I hope you like it.

- - -

“From what the local PD can tell, the bodies weren’t dumped. They died where they were found, give or take a few yards.” JJ said, glancing from the eyes of her colleagues to the images on the television mounted to the wall. She’d gotten a call from the Beaufort County PD requesting the team’s involvement in the case the night before, and was currently briefing the team. Two separate victims, multiple photographs from a multitude of angles for each, cluttered the screen.

“Well,” Derek muttered, taking in the sight of the battered women, “the Unsub doesn’t seem to have any respect for his victims.” He pointed at a picture in the top, left-hand corner. “He didn’t even bother to cover her up. No clothes, no nothing. “ Shaking his head, he looked back at JJ. “Were these crimes sexually motivated?”

The blonde nodded. “Used condoms were found at both scenes, and the autopsy reports confirm pelvic bruising.”

Garcia, who’d sat quietly (albeit uncomfortably through the photos) the whole time, stood up, placing her pen behind her ear. “Please, my amazing profilers, don’t make me listen to this part. I really don’t want to have to stop thinking that everyone in the world is as amazing as you are. Let me know if you need me.”

“It’s all good, baby girl. You know what you’ve got to do,” Morgan said gently, effectively giving her the okay to leave. And in a flash of hot pink and tulle, she was gone.

On the other side of the table, Prentiss had been considering what JJ had said. “Wait, why bother to use protection if you’re going to leave the DNA evidence behind?” She raised her pen up to her lip and chewed on the cap thoughtfully.

“He’s a very disorganized killer,” Hotch offered in reply, his face stoic. Prentiss looked to him for further elaboration. When he did not give any, Reid spoke up.

“It’s very common for Unsubs with organizational issues to leave evidence behind at a scene; most times, it’s a complete accident. Usually, there’s an accompanying lack of hygiene involved, but that still leaves us with the question as to why he chose to use the condom.” He stood, walking over to get a closer look at the screen, and ran a hand through his hair. It was starting to get longer and he had to tuck it behind his ear to keep it out of his face. His hands ghosted the movement of pushing his glasses up further, but it was purposeless; he’d forgotten he put his contacts in that morning.

“These women were seriously mutilated. That kind of behavior isn’t really associated with the disorganized, is it?” Morgan said, looking to his younger colleague. “It almost seems like something a very organized killer would do. Torturing the victim would take too long to do in such an open area.”

“Mutilation could fall under either category, I’m afraid,” Reid said, quickly stealing a glance at Morgan before returning to the images. “But look at the wounds.” He raised a hand to indicate a few particularly large gouges on one of the corpses. “They’re fairly shallow. If they were deeper, we’d have to consider that they were failed attempts at dismemberment, and then we might have to rethink the possibility of an organized, social killer. But scattered Unsubs don’t often attempt to remove the limbs. And neither did this one.”

Morgan nodded, biting his lip to keep back a laugh. Leave it to Genius Boy to pinpoint details in a photograph he’d seen less than five minutes earlier and already start constructing a profile. Prentiss was also amused. “Now Hotch, wouldn’t it have been easier to just explain it like that?” She asked, punctuating her question with a smirk.

Hotch merely blinked in response. “Where exactly are we headed, JJ?” His tone was humorless, as per usual.

“Beaufort, South Carolina,” JJ replied, pressing a button on the remote to turn off the television. Reid, who’d still been avidly investigating the photos for any more important details, was startled when the screen turned black so suddenly.

“Uh, JJ, can I get a copy of those photos? With a blitz attacker like this – he’s struck twice in the past week, right?- we should probably hit the ground running. I want to see if I can figure anything else out about his methodology.” Reid asked curiously, his voice filled with hope. This was one of the first cases since his leg injury where he’d been able work the field, and he was more than eager to get started right away.

“Already in your file, Spence,” she said, smiling at him. She’d known, of course, that he’d want to get the ball moving. Though he was skilled at geographic profiling and had spent most of his office time on cases doing just that, she knew he’d been getting restless.

Paperwork could only make him feel like he was doing so much to help, and as the youngest member of the team, she knew how important he thought it was that he pull his weight and prove himself a valuable asset, despite five years on the job. So she’d already thought ahead to put the photos in his file.

“Thanks, JJ.” He grinned, picking up his manila folder from the table and flipping it open to continue working.

Hotch, satisfied with their initial evaluation with the case, nodded. “Alright. Wheels up in twenty.”

- - -

Part two's written; I'm just trying to space it out. (:

[tma]

Oooo... sneezyReid??!!

also- LOVING the setup- Very in-character. Is making me grin.

[matilda3948]

Can't wait!! Yay for Criminal Minds!!

[MusicaDiabolos]

Hooray, Reid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank-you so much for the present The set-up is very exciting and possibly angsty? Overall very exciting!

[ooo]

Ooh, yay, exciting! I love the set-up, can't wait to read more

[Strong_and_Wild]

What a Gorgeous set-up! It's like I can see it happening in my mind! Can't wait for more ; )

[Jazz]

Thank you so much for the feedback, guys (: I'm glad you like it! It's been a while since I've written a CM fic. And MusicaDiabolos, I'm glad you like it. Anyway, on to part two!

- - -

The flight passed by in an uneventful blur; the few hours it took to travel down the east coast from Quantico to Beaufort were spent discussing the case and trying to create an initial profile. Of course, they wouldn’t have anything set in stone until they were able to examine the crimes up close and personally, but a foundation had been built by the time they touched down.

Reid pulled his sunglasses down over his eyes to avoid the bright Carolina sun as he listened to Hotch’s instructions from the airstrip’s parking lot. “Morgan, you and Reid are going to take the first victim’s scene. Officer Talorna will take you to the site. I want you to keep a particularly close eye out for physical evidence. If he’s as disorganized as we think he is, there should be some, if not an abundance.” The young profiler nodded, walking over to a black SUV and starting to open the door.

“Nuh-uh, Pretty Boy,” Morgan said, swiftly blocking him from getting inside. “You drive like my grandmama. There is no way in hell I’m letting you drive us at ten miles an hour all the way across town.”

Reid huffed. “There is absolutely nothing wrong with my driving, thank you very much. Going an excess of eighty miles an hour does not increase your fuel efficiency.” But his partner wasn’t swayed. “Fine, I’ll get in the passenger seat.”

After a few moments of silence, punctuated by Reid’s not-so-inconspicuous glances at the speedometer, Morgan spoke up. “This seems like a nice little tourist town. It figures someone would pick a quiet little place like this to strike.”

“Actually,” Reid countered, “while this area is known for its incredible efforts at preserving the historic background of the city – spanning from its original founding in 1711 by Great Britain all the way through its Union occupation during the civil war , it’s –“

Morgan cut him off with a characteristic sigh. The boy could ramble on for hours if left to his own devices. “The point, Reid?”

“The point,” Reid said, somewhat embarrassed that Morgan had pointed out that he was going off on a tangent, “is that while this area is historic, we’re actually headed to a shallowly wooded area in Battery Creek.”

“Battery Creek?”

Reid nodded, rubbing slightly at his nose before continuing. “Yes, and the locals from surrounding neighborhoods have taken to calling it ‘Assault and Battery’ Creek. It’s Beaufort’s powerhouse for violence and drug-use, especially in minors.” His nose twitched and he paused for a moment, rubbing it again. “But it’s not uncommon in adults either.”

“Oh,” was Morgan’s anti-climactic reply, and the two fell silent again. They rode that way for a few more miles before Morgan spoke up for a second time. “It’s hot as hell in here. Does it feel like the AC is working to you?” Reid shook his head.

“I don’t feel any air coming out of the vents. It’s not too bad in here, though.”

Morgan raised an eyebrow. “You’re wearing a long-sleeved shirt in the middle of April in a town where people where shorts in December in a car with no AC, and you’re telling me you’re not hot?”

Reid nodded. “This is my usual attire. I’ve grown accustomed to wearing it, no matter the weather.”

“Well, I’m opening the windows.” Morgan pressed a button on the door, sliding both front windows down, and visibly relaxed as a cool wind rushed into the cab. Reid did have to admit, the air felt nice in contrast to the warmth of the car. It was fresher; nowhere near as stale and dry. He took a deep breath in and leaned back in his seat, but scrunched up his nose a little bit when it started to itch.

It had been irritating him since shortly after he got off the jet, but it was nothing compared to what the open window created. He swiped at it with the back of his hand, but it didn’t do much of anything at all. Instead, the motion seemed to aggravate the sensation and he quickly brought his hand to his face and pinched his nose shut to quell the bothersome itch.

“Hihh’eh…Hh’itshh! Ih-heh’ptsh!” The sneezes succeeded in making his sunglasses slide down his nose, and he pushed them back up with a quiet sniffle.

“Bless you.” Morgan said, keeping his eyes on the road.

Reid nodded. “I, uh…thanks.” His nose still tickled just barely enough to bother him, but not enough to make him sneeze again. He sighed and sat up straighter. They were pulling into the area the first victim was found; Reid could tell from the increase in trees and flora that the historic downtown lacked. Reid stepped out of the car and walked over to where Officer Talorna stood behind a line of bright yellow police tape.

“Exactly how we found it, sans the body,” the officer said when he and Morgan both reached her. “I told the boys not to touch anything until you guys got here. I didn’t want them to interfere.” Reid offered her a small, half-smile and a thankful nod at the gesture before ducking under the ticker tape.

He kneeled down and began fingering through the overgrown grass, looking for any sort of evidence and pausing every so often to rub at his itching nose and, more recently, eyes. When he got back to the PD, he thought, he’d take out his contacts. He probably had them in too long, and that was why they were beginning to bother him. He’d been blinking uncomfortably for about half an hour when he noticed a glint of something in the grass. He quickly realized that, in addition to the condom the Unsub had left, its wrapper had also been left behind. With a gloved hand, he carefully picked it up.

“No initiative to clean up his messes, obviously disorganized,” Reid muttered to himself. “Maybe there will be a print or something…”

Derek’s voice broke him out of his reverie. “Hey, Reid, come here for a sec.”

Reid stood, stopping for a moment to stretch his previously injured leg. Though it had healed well, kneeling on his knee for long periods of time did have an aching effect on it. He walked over to Morgan. “Okay, stop there.” Reid froze. “That’s where her body was found. Which means he probably attacked her close to that spot. If I were him, I’d have to be in a position where I could see her without having her see me, which shouldn’t be hard, considering the spot we’re in has no after-dark lighting.”

“But then how would the Unsub see her?” Reid asked , sniffling as he glanced at the trees around him. They’d completely obscure any moonlight that would’ve provided vision.

“She had a cell phone on her. If it were open, if she had been texting or calling or even just checking the time, the Unsub could’ve spotted her.”

“But if it were that easy to spot her at night, why’d it take two days for someone to report seeing the body? Surely it’d be significantly less challenging to spot a body in broad daylight.” Morgan thought about it for a moment.

“Get down on the ground.”

Reid blinked in surprise. “I’m sorry, what?” He raised an eyebrow at his older colleague.

“Lay down. I’m going to walk to the outskirts of this wooded area and see if I can see you from there. If I can’t, then we have our answer. Not too many people come wandering into the woods, and the kind of people that do won’t be the first to report a body.”

“Derek, I’m not going to- “

“Come on, pretty boy, a little grass never hurt anybody.” Derek interrupted him. “Besides, it’ll help us figure out why she wasn’t reported. Reid understood the logic and carefully lowered himself to the ground with a sigh, keeping his eyes peeled for other used condoms as he got down. He didn’t want to end up sitting on one, for more reasons than just tainting the evidence.

As Morgan began to walk away, Reid shifted uncomfortably. Despite the cushion of overgrown grass and the occasional dandelion, the ground was significantly uncomfortable. Not to mention, the annoying itch in his nose was beginning to get worse. He massaged the bridge of his nose and frowned as his breath began to hitch.

“Heh…hih!” His nostrils flared and eyelids fluttered, and he rubbed at his nose with his palm. It was frustrating. “Hihh..eh…” His eyes were beginning to water, and he closed them, wishing Morgan would walk faster so he could get up off the ground. Turning his head off to the side, he gave up trying to get rid of the itchiness. “Heh…eh’KTsh! Heh’TSH! Ihh…hehh…heh’TSHiew!”

His nose caused such a distraction that Reid hadn’t even noticed that Morgan had returned until he heard him speak. “I couldn’t see you from th- …you okay, kid?” Reid nodded, but his nose twitched in disagreement. Standing up, he brushed the dirt off his shirt and smoothed it out. He wasn’t sure what was messing with him so much, but he didn’t like it.

“How far were you when you couldn’t see me anymore?” Reid asked, effectively changing the subject.

Morgan raised an eyebrow at him, but decided not to ask any questions. “About twenty yards. It was a pretty good distance from where the trees started to dissipate, so unless someone walked through here for a good few minutes, they wouldn’t have seen a thing. So it makes sense that nobody found her for a few days.”

“The question is then, why was she…heh…why…” He trailed off, his voice wavering slightly as his breath began to hitch. He winced internally. It was his first case back since his leg injury, and the last thing he needed was someone under the impression that he wasn’t capable of doing the job. “Hih! Hih’NGXT! – why was she that far idto the woods?” He could hear the congestion creeping into his voice.

Morgan eyed Reid for a moment before answering. “I don’t know. I think we’ve got as much as we’re going to get out of this scene for now though, so we should probably head back to the PD and see if Hotch has anything new for us.” Morgan wasn’t necessarily lying: he really didn’t think there was much more that could be useful to them at the scene. Normally though, he’d stick around a little longer. But Reid wasn’t sounding too good, and he didn’t want the kid to be miserable on his first case back, so Morgan walked over to the SUV and got inside before Reid could protest.

“Come on, kid. Let's go.”

- - -

I hope I didn't disappoint! I've got AP work unfortunately, so my updates might be slightly spaced out, but I promise I'll post again soon!

[katia]

This is gorgeous and I am super excited for more.

[ID2006]

I like sneezy Reid

[MusicaDiabolos]

Hoooraaaayyyy! This is awesome, I'm already going back to reread it!!! I love Reid being embarrassed because of his recent injury, and of course Morgan caring about him And having to lie on the ground...awwww...so cute!! Thank-you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TheCakeIsAlive]

... I don't know what to say.

Hmmm....

sneezy!Reid : (well, just Reid in general, really. )

Your writing :

[everest]

Aww, Reid!!! It's been a while since I watched the show, but I love this so far.

[matilda3948]

This story is just delicious!! Looking forward to more.

[LeapYearKisses]

I've never seen the show, but the set-up is fantastic! I love sneezing-while-working scenarios, especially if it's law-enforcement.

[ooo]

You know, I don't actually think I've ever seen the show, but reading your fic I feel like I have. This is so great, and I love poor itchy nostril-flary sneezy Reid

[MusicaDiabolos]

Just read this again for, like, the tenth time Any chance you'll continue? *puppy dog eyes*

[Jazz]

I'll totally continue, I promise! I'll work on it today. I'm just so loaded down with work right now. I apologize! ): But I will continue!