Open Paradise

Christiansburg, Virginia

The sun had barely risen. The dim light of dawn filtered through the trees, lighting the scene with an eerie sinisterness. Hysteria was slowly beginning to rise as the neighbourhood arose to find the street filled with police cars and yellow crime scene tape. Two huge black Suburbans pulled up behind the last row of cars and the team climbed out, walking towards the crowds as one. Flashing her badge and ducking under the tape, Emily stared up at the familiar house. Her stomach was a pit of lead, she'd tried her sister's number a dozen times on the plane but got directed back to voicemail every time. A group of officers were standing in the drive, blocking her from getting a good view of the body that lay there.

"Wait." Morgan's hand on her shoulder stopped her progress towards the house. "You wait here, I'll go."

"No." Emily shook her head, "You don't know what she looks like. I'll do it."

"No, Prentiss wait, you don't have to-" Morgan's protest was cut short by a loud cry. Turning towards the parked police cars, he couldn't describe the strangled noise that escaped from Emily's throat. A small brunette, dressed in plaid pyjama pants, a baggy hoodie and unlaced doc martens, sprinted across the road, flinging herself into Emily's waiting arms.

"Oh thank God, thank you." Emily murmured as she hugged her baby sister. "You're ok?"

Allie nodded, tears streaming down her face. "I'm ok."

"I tried to call you."

"Oh." Allie pulled back looking confused, letting the police department blanket drop from her shoulders and instinctively feeling for her pockets before glancing down and seeming to remember what she was wearing. "My phone's in my room."

Behind them, Hotch cleared his throat, "I'm going to find the lead detective, see what I can find out."

"I'll come with you." JJ stepped forward, "I'll have to sort out the paperwork if we're going to take on the case."

The mention of the case hit Allie like a punch to the stomach and she shrank back against Emily. Reid pushed himself off the car he'd been leaning against and moved closer as Morgan gently asked for Allie's attention.

"What happened here?"

The tears drying on Allie's cheeks again flooded her eyes and she turned away from the stares to look to her sister, "She's dead." She whispered, "He killed her."

Emily sucked in a sharp breath, "Bree?" She suspected the answer but that didn't make the confirmation any easier.

Allie nodded disjointedly, her breaths coming in shaky gasps, "And Z-Zach. He killed Zach too. I saw, but he, he wasn't...you know...yet. He was m-moving. They were looking at me. Bree was s-so scared. I didn't know what to do."

"Did the man see you?" Morgan asked, his tone still gentle.

"Yes. He, he chased me. I hid and he t-tried to get in. I was s-scared and then he left. I thought he left but he didn't, he killed them. They didn't even do anything. We didn't do anything!" Allie finished in sobs, turning her face into Emily's shoulder as the elder's grip tightened protectively.

"Did you know the man?" Morgan pressed, ignoring the warning look Emily shot at him.

"No." Allie hiccuped. "I don't think so."

"But you saw him?"

"He had a mask on."

Morgan opened his mouth but his next question was silenced by the return of Hotch and JJ.

"We ok here?" Hotch quickly looked around the group, taking in the tears of Allie and the pained look on Emily's face.

"Yeah." She nodded. "As ok as can be expected."

"Alright," Hotch called everyone back to business, "This is officially a BAU case now so JJ and I will head to the precinct and set up there. Morgan and Reid, you take the crime scene; check out the house, talk to the neighbours. Prentiss, get Allie sorted and I'll meet you all back at the station."

Everyone moved towards their assignments. Hotch and JJ climbed into the closest SUV and disappeared around the corner. Reid and Morgan headed for the blood stained driveway. While they were talking, the bodies had been removed, but Emily still placed herself in Allie's line of vision and led her to the back door instead of the front. The kitchen and living room looked untouched, but stepping into them, Allie felt suddenly exposed and vulnerable. The whole place seemed tainted somehow. Emily noticed her hesitation and paused.

"You ok?"

"No." Allie whispered, "I don't want to be in here."

"Ok." Emily nodded, turning quickly and leading the younger girl outside. Once back on the crowded street, she motioned for Reid to join them. "Take Allie to the precinct, I'll meet you there in a bit."

"What are you going to do?" Allie frowned uneasy at the prospect of being separated from her sister again.

"I'll help Morgan examine the house and get you some clothes. You'll be fine with Reid."

"I know." Allie glanced over her shoulder at the young doctor. "Just don't take forever ok?"

"I won't take long at all." Emily promised, hugging her sister tightly before moving back towards the house.

The drive across town was spent largely in silence. Reid drove while Allie stared out the window. She sat slouched low in her seat, her feet tucked underneath the blanket she held tightly wrapped around her frame. Her gaze was vacant, her mind drifting a million miles away. She would imagine she was anywhere but here.

Glancing at her, Reid felt a surge of sympathy, he forgot what it must be like for the people who weren't surrounded by this everyday.

He cleared his throat lightly, "Are you hungry?"

"Um..." Allie pulled her eyes into focus and turned to look at him, "What?"

"When was the last time you ate?"

"I don't know. Yesterday. Lunch, maybe dinner. I don't really remember."

"Do you want to stop and get something?"

"I'm not really hungry."

"You should eat." He looked back over at her as he pulled the SUV to a stop at a red light.

"I actually feel kinda sick."

"Understandable." Reid nodded. "Are you cold?" He reached for the heater, turning the dial only slightly so a gentle warm flow filled the car. Allie smiled thinly in thanks but didn't loosen her grip on the blanket. Reid kept an eye on her as she sank back against the door, she didn't seem to be going into shock, but he'd seen people hold it together after the event, only to break down completely hours or even days later. After a moment she looked up and caught his gaze,

"I'm fine." She assured him after assessing his worried frown, "I'm not going to freak out."

"I know." Reid turned back to the road. They rounded the corner and the wide police building came into view. Cars filled the street; police cruisers, news vans as well as the row of FBI Suburbans. The glass front doors stood open and a crowd of reporters and curious spectators jostled for position in front of the cameras. Even 100 yards away, with the engine running and windows up, the excited yelling was clearly audible.

"Oh God." Allie shrank even lower in her seat, pulling her knees into her chest and folding the blanket in front of her face.

"Don't worry, we'll go around the back." Reid reassured her.

"Actually," Allie lowered her arms, looking at him over the edge of the blanket, "Can we go somewhere?"

"Go somewhere?" Reid frowned, "Where do you want to go?"

"I don't know. Anywhere." Allie shrugged in a failed attempt at nonchalance, "I guess I could eat."

Reid nodded in understanding and accelerated, passing the sea of reporters unnoticed.

Reid turned the SUV into the parking lot, pulling alongside the narrow building. He climbed out slowly, allowing Allie time to walk around the car before letting her lead the way inside. The café was in the midst of their morning rush so he guided Allie towards one of the only free seats, by the front window. She stiffened and stopped causing him to almost walk right into her.

"I don't want to sit there."

"Oh." Reid looked around for another option, "Uh, where do you want to sit?"

"Down there." She pointed to a booth in the back corner. Reid nodded and picked a path between the randomly placed tables to slide onto the worn bench. Allie sat opposite him, looking at her hands. Her shoulders were tense and she didn't make eye contact as she whispered, "Sorry."

"Don't be." Reid shook his head and held up a hand to halt the approaching waitress, signalling her to give them a minute. "Why did you want to sit here?"

"I just didn't want to be by the window." Allie spoke to her hands, too embarrassed to look up. "What if he's watching?"

"Do you think he's been watching you?"

Allie shrugged heavily, her eyes filling with tears despite her desperate efforts to keep them at bay, "I don't know. Probably not, but he saw me." She finally raised her eyes to meet Reid's, "He killed my friends but I got away. What if he's going to come back to finish the job?"

"We're going to find out about this guy. Find out what he wanted, why he targeted your friends,"

"Why he didn't try harder to kill me too." Allie interrupted.

Reid paused for a moment before swallowing and continuing, "It's all things that we'll figure out, and once we do, we'll catch him. It's what we do."

Allie nodded, drawing a long, slow breath to steady herself, "I know. You guys are the best. Em told me."

"She's good you know, your sister," Reid motioned for the waitress to return, "Get Prentiss on a mission and the guy doesn't stand a chance."

"I know." Allie rolled her eyes, her smile watery but for the first time, genuine, "She's always been like that."

The waitress arrived, distracting Reid from answering as they ordered breakfast. As he thanked her, he noticed Allie studying him curiously.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"I thought you were a doctor?" She blurted, breaking eye contact and focusing on her glass of water as soon as the words escaped her lips.

"I am." Reid confirmed. "You don't believe me?" He pressed when she didn't respond.

"How come you have a gun then?" She motioned to the holster on his hip.

"I'm an agent too."

"Oh." Allie nodded, stirring the water with her finger, watching as the ripples broke on the edge of the glass. "Aren't you kinda young?"

"To be a doctor or an agent?"

"Well, both, I guess."

"I graduated university early."

"How early?" Allie looked up curiously.

"I was 16 the first time." He smiled, watching as her eyes widened, successfully distracted for the moment.

"Wow."

"Yeah, I- hang on." He paused, reaching into his pocket for his ringing phone. "Reid here." He stood, motioning to Allie that he'd only be a moment.

"No!" She yelled, grabbing his arm and preventing him from moving away. "Don't leave." The blind panic in her eyes stopped his half formed reassurances that he wasn't going far.

"Ok." He nodded, sinking back into his seat to take the call.

Christiansburg Police Department

Hotch stood motionless before the whiteboard; the edges of which were lined with portraits. Six in total, plus three of typical suburban homes. Typical, except for the police tape surrounding them. JJ entered the room behind him, clearing her throat gently so as not to startle him. He turned to face her,

"Everything sorted?"

"Chief Winchester has agreed to let us run the investigation. We have the majority of his men on standby to use as we need. He's walked you through what they know?"

"Yes." Hotch turned back to the board, "It's not much."

"How far away are the others?"

"Right here." Morgan strode into the room, followed closely by Emily.

"What'd you get from the scene?" Hotch asked, moving to sit at the large, round table in the centre of the area.

"Not much. It was pretty clean." Morgan joined him as Emily looked around with a frown, "Where's Allie?"

"Reid took her to get breakfast. She wasn't keen on the cameras." JJ explained motioning to the crowded street outside.

"Oh." Emily nodded pulling out a chair, "I guess it's better that we can talk without her here anyway."

"She'll still need to run through the night with us. In detail." Hotch warned and Emily nodded,

"I'll talk to her."

"Actually, I don't think that would be the best idea. You shouldn't even technically be working this case."

"What?" Emily paused halfway into her chair, "You're not seriously considering taking me off it?"

"No." Hotch conceded, "But it's personal so your role will have to be kept to a minimum. And stay unofficial."

"Allie isn't even a victim." Emily pointed out.

"She's still involved, and personal feeling can cloud judgement. I'm keeping you here for Allie, she needs you right now."

"But you don't." Emily sat down heavily, sounding hurt.

"That's not it at all." Hotch's tone softened.

"He's covering our ass." Morgan jumped in, "You know how the Bureau gets about personal involvement."

"I'm not sending you away and I'm not cutting you out. But if anyone asks, you're not officially working, got it?"

Emily looked across the table at Hotch, throwing her boss a tired but grateful smile, "Thank you."

"Right." Morgan walked towards the board, studying the pictures carefully, "What do we know so far?"

JJ walked around the room, handing out brown folders to each team member, "Six murders so far. Three couples, all in their early to mid twenties, all in established relationships, all killed together."

"Jealousy could be a motive." Morgan suggested as he flipped through his copy of the reports.

"The first two had the same MO," JJ continued, "Taken from their homes in the middle of the night, no sign of forced entry."

"They could have known their attacker." Emily pursed her lips in thought.

"It's a small town," Hotch thought aloud, "Security isn't a huge issue."

"Right," JJ nodded, "Local police say it's not unusual for doors to be left open at night." Looking back at her paper she carried on reading, "Both couples were reported missing the day after they disappeared."

"Wait," Morgan held up a hand, "They weren't killed at the scene?"

"No, they were held somewhere. The houses were searched, both came up clean for prints and had little, if no sign of a struggle. Here's where it gets weird,"
"Because it's been so normal up till now." Emily muttered and JJ threw her an ironic smile,

"Sadly, it has. Exactly a week after they disappeared, the bodies turned up...in their own homes."

"Hidden?" Morgan asked.

"No. Neighbours found the first couple; Margaret Keyes and Simon Brown in their living room. And Anabel Lewis' mother found her daughter and her boyfriend of five years, Anton Clare on their bed. Their bodies were badly beaten, and all had lost a noticeable amount of weight."

"They were tortured and starved."

"What about the latest?" Hotch asked.

"Brianna Dawson and Zachary Carmichael. We don't know a lot about them, the families still need to be notified and questioned but hopefully Emily and Allie will be able to fill in some gaps for us." JJ looked to Emily who nodded.

"I don't know much. I've known Bree since she was a freshman at Virginia Tech with Allie. They've been best friends since then. I'd never met Zach."

"We didn't get much from the house." Morgan looked at the corresponding picture on the board, "No sign of forced entry, and not a great deal of a struggle."

"If he's kidnapping his victims, why did he kill Bree and Zach at the scene?" JJ asked, scanning her files again for answers.

"Allie interrupted him." Emily spoke quietly, looking around the group, "She said she saw him and he chased her."

"He must have known she'd called the police." Hotch surmised, "He panicked and killed the others before anyone could get there."

"Why didn't he hurt me then?"

Everyone turned towards the new voice. Allie stood in the doorway, Reid apologetic behind her, "Bad timing, sorry."

"It's ok." Emily motioned for Allie to join her at the table as Hotch regarded her carefully,

"He didn't attack you because you don't fit his target victim. He's going after couples, he was there for your friends and not you."

"You weren't supposed to wake up." Morgan picked up where Hotch left off, "When you surprised him, you said he chased you?"

"Yeah," Allie nodded unsteadily, "I ran and locked myself in my room."

"Did he know you were calling 911?"

"Yes, he was trying to get in and I yelled that the cops were on their way."

"That's when he realised he didn't have time to complete his MO and went off track."

Allie sucked in a quick, shallow breath, "It's my fault?"

"No!" Emily jumped in quickly, reaching to rub her sister's arm, "You did absolutely everything right."

"But I interrupted! I made him panic!" Allie looked at the faces surrounding her. They were masks of sympathy but no words could get through. Her thoughts were broken, coming in fits and starts, like a cut up film. She could see Zach, lying so still but still alive, she knew he'd still been alive. And Bree...she would never forget the look in her best friend's eyes. It would haunt her until the day she died.

"Allie," Emily grabbed her shoulders roughly, forcing her to look into her eyes, "None of this is your fault. None of it. Do you hear me?"

"But, I-"

"It's not your fault." Emily repeated, pulling her into a tight hug. "We're going to catch this bastard and you'll see how messed up he is."

"She's right," JJ spoke more calmly than Emily and Allie couldn't help but listen to the logic in her voice, "You did exactly what anyone would have. Exactly what you should have done."

"Maybe you shouldn't be in here." Morgan suggested, "Reid, take her into the staff lounge for awhile."

"Actually, I need Reid here." Hotch countered, "Emily, you go."

Emily nodded and gently pulled her crying sister to her feet. As she lead her from the silent room, she thanked whatever powers had ensured Morgan thought to cover the pictures on the board when Allie arrived.