Criminal Minds 1. The case

"Hotch" JJ called as he made his way down the corridor of BAU to his office. "We've got a case, it's a bad one" she sighed, giving him the paperwork containing the case.

"Okay, get the team in the conference room in 20 minutes" He replied, looking down at the paper JJ had just given him, the case involved families with young children, cases like this was always the worst.

20 minutes later the team were sitting round the table. JJ changed the slide on the projector to display the images of three bodies. "This is the winters family, they lived in Miami, Florida. Jacob 49 and his wife Gloria 40, were both stabbed 22 times each across the abdomen and neck in their home, they were found in the master bedroom."

"Overkill" Emily stated

"Yes, but their daughter Aishling who was 9, died of water asphyxiation, she was found in the bathroom" JJ continued.

"She was drowned?" Morgan asked.

"It would appear so, her hair was wet, and so were the top of the t shirt she was wearing."

"So the unsub must of held her under the water in a bath" Rossi said.

"But why would the unsub drown the child but stab the parents, it doesn't make sense". Prentiss questioned.

"Maybe because the unsub felt more compassion towards the child, as she died in less pain than her parents." Reid suggested.

"Yes, but I wouldn't say drowning is exactly a peaceful way to go". Morgan remarked. "And by the looks of the overkill in the parents it is highly unlikely that the unsub feels any compassion at all."

"Morgan is right" JJ said as she changed the slide to show 3 images of another family. "Because how he killed this child" she started "well you can see for yourselves".

The team stared in horror at the charred remains of a little boy who could be no older than 10.

"Burnt alive" Morgan muttered under his breath.

"This is the Langley family, also killed in their home 3 days after the winters family was killed. Their house was little over 30 minutes away from the winters. Michael and Holly both 38 were also stabbed to death over 20 times, and they were also found in the master bedroom. Lucas aged 10 was found in the garden tied to a stake" JJ said her voice shaking. " The neighbors alerted the cops after they heard screaming from next door, and saw a fire in the back garden." She finished.

"2 families, with 1 child, both sets of parents killed the same way, but the children killed differently, this is going to be a hard case." Rossi stated.

"We need to get to Miami as soon as we can before the unsub kills again, JJ meet with the officer in charge of press and tell him we don't want them to know the details just yet, we need to keep this case as quiet as possible before widespread panic happens." Hotch said calmly. " wheels up in 20."


	2. Katie

I know I said I would update every Sunday but I wrote chapter 2 today and really wanted to upload it. The story will go faster paced after this chapter I promise

Next update will be Sunday 14th September

_Accept the children the way we accept trees—with gratitude, because they are a blessing—but do not have expectations or desires. You don't expect trees to change, you love them as they are." _

― _Isabel Allende_

After getting off the jet the team made their way to the Miami Police Station. "Morgan and Prentiss go to the winter family house and see what you can find. Reid and Rossi go to the Langley family household, look for anything that seems out of place, any items missing, and most importantly see how the unsub got in the houses. Hotch said, the serious tone in his voice matching the look on his face. He glanced towards the station. "It looks like the press have already made the connections between the two murders" Hotch started.

"I'm on it" JJ cut in, walking towards the dozens of reporters crowding around the entrance of the Miami police station.

"We will meet back here in 2 hours" Hotch said glancing at his watch "so we can start to build a profile on the unsub. And remember it's been 2 days since the murder of the Langley's, the unsub is most likely choosing out his next family, so we need to act fast." "I am going to talk to the detective in charge of this case." He said turning to walk across the road towards the police station where JJ was talking to the press.

"The others nodded and set off in two black SUVs.

Meanwhile…

"Daddy get off me" a little brunette called out to her stepfather.

"Shut up and get in the house," the tall man screamed. He let go of Katie's arm causing her to fall to floor. She quickly got up, crying and stumbled into the house.

"You know, you could be a little nicer to her, it isn't exactly her fault". A small woman about 5 feet 3 inches with brown hair just past her shoulders like her daughter said.

"She is almost 9 years old! She has to learn her fear is irrational, besides I don't want anyone to ask where we have been" the man spat.

"I know Doug, but she is seeing that child psychologist, he has helped her a lot, she is nowhere near as scared now," the woman continued.

"I know, I know, I just lose it with her sometimes, I don't want all the neighbors knowing that your child is fucked up in the mind, that's the only reason I paid for these stupid sessions with that stupid doctor." Doug growled nastily. He always referred to Katie as his wife's child every time Katie did something that upset him. Doug was her stepfather, and only known Katie for 2 years, but Katie still called him dad. She had never had a fatherly figure in her life until 2 years ago, not that Doug was exactly the fathering type.

"She's not fucked up in the mind, she just has a phobia of throwing up." The woman said nervously looking up at her husband who had a menacing look on his face. "But I do agree, that her fear is irrational and babyish" the woman quickly added, desperate to not upset her husband.

"I told you Carla, what sort of phobia is vomiting anyway, its sissy and its stupid". Although I have to admit that doctor has cured her, thank god for that, At least now she wont constantly worry about getting ill" He said a glower in his eyes. His expression quickly fell again. " But she still cuts you know, I've seen the cuts on her arms. Its disgusting, she hates her life and us so much, I mean we have done everything for her, we give her food everyday, she is allowed to live in my house, I buy her clothes, she even has a place to sleep, and this is how she repays me! you should of got rid of her when I met you, put her in one of the foster places, I wish never let that awful little girl into my house" Doug said, with a disgusted look on his face.

The talking about Katie continued for a while as the 2 adults made their way into the hallway, too deep in conversation to realize that they had forgotten to shut the door.

Katie sat on the stairs listening to her parents conversation as fresh tears rolled down her cheek. She hated them! She could not understand why her mother picked that sleaze ball over her. Her mother knew what Doug did to her at night. When he crept into her room hurting her over and over again, telling her if she told anyone about this he would kill her. What kind of people would let that happen to their own daughter?

Well maybe I deserve it. Katie though to herself. Daddy says I do, and I bet mommy thinks I do as well, I mean I am messed up in the head after all.

She sighed as she rolled up the sleeve of the tattered pink cardigan she was wearing. There on her arm were fresh scars made from the blade she had upstairs. The pain made her feel alive, it made her forget, and it also reminded her of the suffering she endures each day in the hands of her stepfather. She was so lost in thought she didn't see the masked man as he walked into the house carrying a knife.

Katie looked at her mum in horror as she heard the sound of her piercing scream as the man wearing all black with a mask covering his whole face aside from his eyes and mouth plunged the knife into her small frame again and again and again.

Katie looked frantically around the hallway for Doug but he was already lying on the floor in a pool of blood leaking out of the open wound in his chest. She wanted to scream but she was glued to the spot, she couldn't move.

Just then the man dropped the knife to the ground and turned around, looking at the stairs Katie was sitting on. He looked towards her and smiled. Katie looked into his soulless eyes; they were blue, dark blue and filled with emptiness. His eyes filled her with dread as she felt them look deep into her soul. But she could not help but think she had seen those eyes somewhere before.

The man walked closer towards the stairs and to Katie. You could see a smile stretch across his face. "Your next" he whispered.

Okay JJ finally meet Katie in chapter 3, chapter 2 is quite a long chapter and chapter 3 is going to be quite long as well. I'm sorry this chapter isn't the best. Its basically a chapter to introduce Katie


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Criminal Minds, Family, Hurt-Comfort