Think Again

I had been up all night. As I was getting ready for bed, something about what Spencer had said at the Dairy Freeze was bugging me. Picking up my cell phone, I called Ron Moore and was thankful to learn that he was still at the morgue, and that he was more than willing to stay a little longer and wait for me. Throwing on a pair of jeans, I grabbed my hoodie and a set of keys for the car, and I left.

~

I had been at the police station since one o'clock in the morning. Pictures of Harmony's body covered one wall, along with the files from the other eight cases on another. All were different people, most from different backgrounds, age groups, and ethnicity. All however had similar damage done to them. All had their skin removed from one area - their arm, back, leg - all had the same tear marks, all had their eyes removed, and all had the skin from their faces removed. And one other thing.... My heart raced as I looked over pages and pages of medical files, and it jumped for joy.

"What the hell is all of this?"

That is until the voice of Derek Morgan scared the crap out of me.

I fought back a yelp as I jumped. Turning I found the BAU team all bright eyed and bushy-tailed staring in awe around the room.

"U-um last night Spencer said something about i-infection killing Betty before we found her," I said, "And it got me thinking about Harmony, and then I got to looking at the older cases, and then...." I motioned to the walls, "This happened."

Everyone was slow to react as they set their belongings on the chairs around the table. Hotch and Rossi looked upset.

"Now, I know what this looks like, but I didn't want to wake you if I wasn't absolutely sure I had something-"

"How long have you been here?" Hotch asked. I couldn't tell how he felt about the situation.

"Um... s-since about o-one?" I played with my nails as I looked away from his gaze. I was still in my tennis shoes, jeans, t-shirt, and band hoodie from last night."

"What have you got?"

Looking up I fell right into his steel glare and said, "Um... the cases go back six years, a-all have something to do with skinning," I moved around the table to motion to the pictures of past victims, "All have their eyes and faces removed along with one other part of the body." I went through all of the other similarities the cases had, then went in for the kicker.

"Spencer said that infection would kill Betty by the time we get there, but when I looked at Harmony's body at the morgue there was no sign of it, even though she had been missing a week. So I figured someone with a medical background would know how to treat an open wound, so I checked medical records to see if they had anything in common that way and, I found this." Handing a piece of paper over to Hotch I told the others, "They all went to Doctor Earl Switzer as their plastic surgeon."

Everyone was silent, then Rossi nodded, "Good work Kels-"

"When were you going to tell us," asked Hotch.

"I um... I literally just made the connection before you walked in," Holding my hand up I added, "Scout's honor."

Hotch nodded, "Alright, good work. Now, go back to the hotel and sleep."

"I'm not finished."

"You're not?"

"No. Why is the UnSub keeping the victims alive so long?"

"Why?"

"First and honestly I have no idea, but I'm starting to think that it might be to make a point."

Hotch nodded, "Thank you, now get some sleep."

I sighed and with a small smile I said, "I, um, can't." Holding out my hand, I let them see how it quivered, "There's way too much caffeine in me."

Hotch sighed and motioned for me to sit down, which I did. I reached for the cup of coffee Spencer had brought me, but Hotch took it away giving me water in stead. I frowned at him, but he wouldn't give. Sighing I took the glass and gulped from it, knowing full well how dehydrated I will be in an hour.

Everyone took their time going from wall to wall soaking in all of the color coated information. Spencer was finished first. Sitting down next to me he asked, "You got all of this from me?"

I smiled shyly and nodded, "Yeah."

He smiled back at me and looked down to his file.

"How long has this guy been a doctor?" Rossi asked looking at the picture of one of the earlier victims - a Thomas R. Legrange, who's eyes, face, and the skin on his penis had been removed.

"He's been practicing successfully for about a decade now," said Spencer looking at the file I had printed on Switzer, "He graduated in 1997, top of his class."

"So what happened six years ago to make him do this," Rossi moved on to an other picture - Cassandra Heyman, who lost her eyes, face, and the skin on her stomach.

"Also," said Derek, "Why is he going so far out of his way to get these girls? Little Rock isn't exactly near here."

The room was quiet as everyone thought to themselves about what could have happened. Then Derek's phone rang, "Tell me you've got something for me, Baby Girl." Everyone watched as his face lit up, "Now, I know you're going to email me this information, right? Alright, thanks Baby Girl, you're the best."

"What did she find," asked Hotch.

"Earl Switzer's address and phone number for both his residence and place of work."

Hotch nodded, "How long will it take us to get there?"

"Little Rock is approximately one hundred twelve point six nine miles from here, so about an hour and forty five minutes if you go the speed limit." Answered Spencer, not breaking a sweat, or looking up from the file.

I looked at him, amazed. Everyone else was moving, getting ready to leave, none phased by this at all. We were divided into teams. Morgan and Spencer were going to check out the good doctor, hopefully bringing him back here. Rossi and Hotch were going to the morgue to go over the coroner's reports and to call the other cities about their reports as well. JJ and I were to stay here and work on a time line, with the occasional help of Garcia.

JJ and I cleared a section of the board and started to work.

~Spencer's POV~

I studied a map of Little Rock while Morgan drove. I was looking for the best rout from the doctor's home to his office if we needed it. We were quiet for a few minutes before Morgan spoke.

"So... how are you feeling about Kelsie now?"

"How am I feeling?" I asked, looking at him.

"Yeah. Are you still nervous about your feelings for her?"

I didn't answered immediately, "I... I guess I'm still a little hesitant.... We've only known each other for five days. I don't really trust myself."

"Why?"

"Its been five days! No one knows how they feel about each other in five days."

"I don't know, man. What about love at first sight?"

I smiled, "I believe you're talking about lust, not love."

Morgan frowned, "Where's the romantic side in you?"

"I have a romantic side, it's just more logical than everyone else."

Morgan chuckled, "Oh so you're calling love illogical."

"No, just the idea that a person can find the one they love just by looking at them."

"It happened to Romeo and Juliet."

"Yeah, and look were they ended up... dead. Besides that story is way too irrational."

Morgan laughed, "I don't know about irrational, but it is one of the best romance stories I've ever heard."

"Okay, first of all, Shakespeare wrote is as a tragedy, not a romance. A romance would have ended with both characters living happily ever after, not dead in a tomb. And second, it's totally unoriginal, it's his retelling of The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet by Brooke with heavily borrowed aspects of Palace of Pleasure by Painter. The only original thing he wrote in that story was Mercutio and Paris, both supporting characters, and both died."

Morgan sighed, "Sometimes you're way too literal, you know that?"

I didn't reply and we were silent again.

My mind wanted to contemplate what we had just talked about, but I wouldn't let it. I was right. It was way too early to tell how I felt about Kelsie. Besides, these feelings would most likely fade anyway, never to come back again. So why waste time worrying over butterflies in my stomach if they weren't going to last.

And on an oher note, we're not really friends yet. I mean sure I asked her on a lunch date, and sure we had ice cream, but nothing really happened. Yes I held her hand, but only because she was scared. In other words, we're not doing anything friends wouldn't do.

Friends have lunch together.

Friends go over to each others houses.

Friends have ice cream.

Friends hold each others hands when they're sad or afraid, right?

Right?

"You're thinking about her, aren't you?" Morgan smiled.

I shook my head and said, "Nope. Just thinking about the case."

He smiled wider, "Sure."

"Morgan, believe me when I say this, the moment I decide how I feel about Kelsie, you'll be the second one to know."

He frowned, "Why second?"

It was my turn to smile, "I have to tell Kelsie first."

Morgan chuckled ad we entered Little Rock city limits.