*Trigger warning*
Chapter Three: Who Is Keeping score

[Mercy  ~Angelina Jordan]

Aaron Hotchner, unit chief of Quantico's Behavioral Analysis Unit,  certified dilf, is the direct superior of all special agents. Former profiler in the field office in Seattle, before transferring to Quantico. Before that, he was a prosecutor. Earning his degree of Juris Doctor at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. in 1992. In other words, e was a badass, he seemed stone cold and yet he wasn't, he smiled and laughed and joked just like anyone else only outside of work.

He truly enjoyed his job, but for the most part, there were some things that he utterly couldnt wrap his mind around. While he did like helping people and getting to the bad guys a lot sooner. He didn't enjoy killing people or seeing people be killed or slaughtered. He had come to understand a lot of things about behaviors and how they worked and yet the thing he couldnt piece together was Anya fucking Holmes. She was like this constant throbbing pain in his side, that wouldn't go away no matter how many times she took pain meds and massaged at it. They argued so badly on the last case that he almost wanted to strangle her. She was pushing at his buttons constantly egging him on and it made his heart pound and his skin get all hot.

He thought he was over his hatred for the young woman, but then she did her usual Anya antics and it made his hatred return. They had gone almost an entire month without bickering and there was a running bet going between when they would start back up, Derek lost by three days and now Emily was eighty bucks richer. No one had talked about the case before, where Anya had spilled a bit of her past. They figured when she was ready she would spill more, for now, they let it go, well some of them did Derek, just watched her analyzing her. He had grown overprotective of the woman. He was going to protect her at all costs even if it meant from their boss.

Hotch had grown to accept Emily and he was leaning in that direction with Anya but Anya made it impossible for their personalities to mesh well. She was happy always dancing and singing, trying to cheer people up, she and Reid were the babies of the group. They acted like siblings, but not like regular siblings, like mildly annoying siblings who ninety percent of the time liked each other but there was that ten percent where they just really got under each other's skin sometimes. Nonetheless, Anya pissed off Hotch to no end. She was always so sunshine and rainbow even during cases and she made people laugh and didn't care about authority and he hated it, there were rules and structure which was Hotch and then there was throwing the rules out and following your instincts and gut and smiling and giggling and puppies bullshit. Which was Anya.

There were three things Anya loved, Candy, Movies, and annoying the living shit out of Derek, and she was excited Halloween was coming up, which was one of her favorite holidays. She enters the bullpen, her hair was half up and half down, there was a high ponytail bun with a few hairs sticking out of the bun and it was secured with two lime green chopsticks which also matched her shirt, a cute lime screen poncho over a simple black spaghetti strap T-shirt she had a skirt with pantyhose that had run only in the bottom to give off that grunge look and black boots with a million buckles. She figured she would change her clothes if a situation arises but to be quite honest, she could take down a serial killer wearing a lot less and a lot more.

When she worked for NCIS, everyone was nice except for a select few some called her probie, and constantly teased her. Truth be told she didn't look scary, she looked like someone you would see working behind the counter at the library or heading up a bake sale. She looked young and sweet, and not like someone who had taken down a man three times her size with her hands and feet tied to a chair. And yet she was lethal, a danger when put in the wrong situation. Especially if her fight or flight kicks in, then she was definitely a flight risk. She had more kills under her belt and she was twenty-six. It wasnt because she liked killing people either and ninety percent of them weren't with a gun.

Anya didn't feel the need to use a gun, sure it was a requirement and yes she knew how to use any kind of gun and any size of the gun. But she figured talking would be the best option if not talking then hand to hand, which was her specialty. Not that she didn't have any others but Hand to Hand she was very good at them, and it was because of her vulnerability and the way she looked, people would steer clear of her she looked scary but no matter how hard she tried, she couldnt look scary. She was like a Yorkie with the mind and skill set of a Doberman. No one had seen her get physical, her first three months on the job she would stay back when they made arrests. In month four she had gone on one arrest and stayed behind outside in the car.

She had two more months and she would get told whether she made the cut or if she needed to find new work. She was hoping she wouldn't she would hate to have to put an ex-FBI agent on her resume.

Erasmus wrote, what else is the whole life of mortals but a sort of comedy, in which the various actors, disguised by various costumes and masks, walk on and play each one his part until the manager waves them off the stage?

Reid was walking around in a Frankenstein monster's mask and a bucket full of Candy when Anya walked back to her desk her scared the shit out of Derek which made Anya and Emily laugh. She places a mug over the barricade, her desk Buddy was Derek. She didn't mind if he wasnt so much as a prankster the last few months she found multiple fake bugs in her chair or her drawers and he thought it was hilarious.

Reid pulls the mask upon his face, "Happy all hallows eve, folks. To paraphrase from Celtic mythology, tomorrow night all order is suspended, and the barriers between the natural and the supernatural are temporarily removed!" Anya was digging through Reid's candy bucket, which was a bad idea, she had issues with sugar and too much of it made her hyper.

"See, that right there is why Halloween creeps me out."

"You're scared of Halloween?" Anya furrows her brows. her mouth full of candy corn.

"I didn't say I was scared, I said I was creeped out. There's a difference there, youngster. You should look it up."

"What creeps you out about it?" Emily asks.

"I don't know. People wearing masks. I don't like folks in disguises."

Reid scoffs. "That's the best thing about Halloween. You can be anyone you want to be."

"Nah, I'm pretty good just being me."

This time Anya scoffs. "If I looked like you I would totally be okay with being me too."

"You know what, though? On the flip side, it does provide a pretty good reason to cozy up with a scary flick and a little Halloween honey."

Emily makes a face like she wants to gag. "Halloween honey. Now I'm creeped out." Anya laughs.

"Guys, he's here." They watch as Strauss brings in the new member of their Team, SSA David Rossi he was a legend, but Reid suddenly feels embarrassed and pulls the mask off his head quickly. Rossi just nods a few times walking through the bullpen, and suddenly everyone is insecure, except Anya she was just full of sugar and no fucks to give.

After a while, Hotch brings Rossi down the stairs into the bullpen

"Ssa David Rossi, this is SSA Emily Prentiss." she shakes his hand.

"SSA Derek Morgan."

"It's an honor, Agent Rossi," Derek says,

"Please, just Dave."

"PSSA Anya Holmes." He smiles at Anya she was truly a sight, pretty wasnt the words that came to mind either, Mysterious, intriguing, Wife number five possibly. Honestly, she was pretty, stunning even, but he felt she was more of someone else's cup of tea, he just didn't know who.

"PSSA?"

"Probationary, Supervisory Special Agent, I am official in a month," She smiles again as he nods.

"Dr. Spencer Reid."

"Sir, if I could talk to you later about your work with the Scarsdale skinner. Psycho-linguistics is an incredibly dynamic field, and the fact that your profile of his reading habits ultimately led to his capture is something I find so incredibly intri–" Reid was babbling and Anya was giggling she found it funny when he did it, she liked seeing talk fast like a robot.

" - Reid, slow down. He'll be here for a while. You can catch up with him later."

Reid blushes. "Sorry."

"No problem, doctor."

"Maybe you guys can talk on the jet," Hotch says as Reid smiles.

"Oh, yeah, that'd be great."

"The jet?" Rossi seems confused.

"We have a jet now."

"Are you serious? Yeah. It comes in pretty handy. Come on. J. J.'S waiting." They walk into the round table room and Rossi looks around he had to admit the BAU changed, Anya enters the round table room last and has no choice but to take a seat next to Hotch. JJ starts the debrief.

She explains how Carrollton, Texas, is a suburb just outside of Dallas. Four days ago, Michelle Colucci found a flier on her front door. It had her picture under the words "Have you seen Me?"

She found it? Meaning she wasn't actually missing? Yet. She took the flier to a friend's husband, detective Yarbrough, at the Carrollton P. D. Who told her it was probably just a Halloween prank, and he sent her home. Derek explains how Halloween brings out the fool in everyone. Anyways Yarbrough, stopped by Michelle's house later to check on her. The door was open, and when he went inside, he found the same flier, plastered all over her walls. He still thought maybe it could be some kind of a prank, until yesterday. Michelle was found floating in a small creek just outside of Carrollton. She had been sexually assaulted... And her face had been removed. And before you ask no it wasnt removed by animals or fish from the creek. The Dallas county M. E. Says that the edges of the wounds were smooth, not torn. A very sharp instrument had been used. He also found water in her lungs.

Garcia walked in mid-debrief and gasped at the sight of the photos she made J.J. remove the photos from the scene and handed Hotch a file embarrassingly before leaving. Hotch explains how they will head to Texas in the morning and how for now it's paperwork day and Anya feels so energized her heart was pounding in her chest. After a few hours, Anya deices to go for a pastry run.

"I am going for muffins, at Pike's does anyone want anything?"

"OOh, can you get me those Barclaws and a coffee," Emily asks as she nods,

"Anyone else wants anything?" they all start shouting out their Orders and she rolls her eyes, knowing they were doing it on purpose, she can retain a lot of information all at once. She goes to leave before sighing knowing it wouldn't be right if she didn't get Hotch's coffee order, Rossi was talking with him in his office before he was gonna go home. She knocks on the door and he asks for her to come in.

"I am going to Pike's you two want anything?" Rossi shakes his head with a smile. Anya just nods smiling back before turning to Hotch her smile fading. "You sir?"

Sir? She had never used that with him ever and maybe she was doing it to be polite in front of Rossi or maybe to push his buttons, who knew, all he knew was that it made him feel something. Hotch just stares at her blankly and she clears her throat trying to draw him back into reality. His mind was thinking of things it shouldn't especially when it came to Anya the woman who really entirely just made him so angry.

"Uh, No, No I am okay," he nods. "Thank you." she just smiles.

"Oh your tie is crooked," and he sighs, having an internal debate on if he should check, if his tie was actually crooked, he just looks down seeing that it wasnt and she smirks before closing the door.

"What was that?" Rossi asks he could sense the tension, it made him feel like he needed to undo his tie, like the air in the room was choking him.

"Huh?"

"You clearly have something going on with the Probationary Agent." Rossi has a smirk on his face as Hotch clears his throat straightening out his tie.

"No, I do not have anything going on with her. We just dont get along very well. Sometimes," he makes a tally mark on the calendar notebook she brought with him everywhere and covers it back up with the file.

"Mhmm," Rossi just sits there staring at Hotch,

"There is nothing going on between me and Agent Holmes." Oh please, we all know that was a fucking lie. But Rossi didn't need to know that.

Anya returned after thirty minutes and she got everyone everything they ordered and a cute cake pop for Hotch which she knew would piss him off to no end it was a cute little bat-themed one. She knocks on the door and opens it he looks up at her and she just smiles placing the pastry bag down on his desk, she was about to leave when she looked at him, his tie was crooked and it was pissing her off to no end.

"Your tie is uh...here let me...." she just walks over to his desk and leans forward, hands around his tie, Her poncho was hung on the back of her chair. As she leaned over her chest was on full display he could literally see down her shirt, which didn't help, he could see the color of her bra, lavender and he clears his throat averting his eyes, forgetting that her hands were literally around his neck right now. "Your tie was crooked... for real this time. " she chuckles and smiles which practically melts his heart. That and the fact she was sitting her ass on the edge of his desk "Enjoy your cake pop!" she just hops down from his desk and leaves.

He clears his throat and opens the bag seeing the bat-themed cake pop he just twirls it around, truthfully he hated it, but it was so cute, so unbelievably cute that he hated it even more. He just twirls it around a few more times before taking a bite, he had to admit it was a good pastry.

//

The jet ride was quiet at first, Anya had on black pants and a cute low-neck t-shirt, her hair was straightened and she had a few strands tucked behind her ears the rest was slicked back into a bun, she looked cute, adorable even, she takes a spot next to Emily who was complimenting her hair, she just tells Emily she loves her face which makes her laugh. Hotch makes a tally on the calender file with an X. there was a section next to each week that had a D or P and a litter of Xs and Ls next to them. If anyone looked in that book they would be confused. JJ made the mistake once of peaking into it ad she herself couldnt figure it out, she flipped every page and after every week was a tally mark and the days had either a D or p in them and some of the days even had two tally marks in the box of the day in the corner or three, some had only x's and others had only l's and she didn't know what it meant, in fact, she thinks about daily, how weird it is that her boss has all these tally's was he keep track of how many unsubs they took down. She didn't know. All she knew was that the planner had been with them since the team started the tally's well she couldnt place it, it was almost as if the tally marks started when Anya arrived.... Almost.

"Let's go over Victimology. Would you like to join us, Dave?" Rossi just quietly walks over. "Reid, what have you got?"

"Uh, Michelle Colucci was single, lived alone, had no boyfriend, and no ex-husband."

"Dating?" Emily asks.

"There's nothing in the reports. She was an architect. Friends and co-workers say she's a class workaholic. Basically, a loner who rarely went out of the house." JJ explains.

"So she's extremely low risk."

"If it wasn't someone she knew personally, it's possible she was being stalked," Anya says as everyone nods.

"Interesting."

"What's that?" Hotch asks.

"Oh, I'm just thinking out loud."

"Something to add?" He asks Rossi who just looks between everyone.

"No." he goes back to scribbling in his notepad."Sorry to interrupt."

"Well, she's pretty. It could be that the unsub met her casually and... Made her part of some kind of fantasy."

"And he tries to act on it and she rejects him? So he tortures her, out of anger?" Emily suggests.

"Masks often represent a state of mind. This one's blank, expressionless. Doesn't really coincide with anger."

"Reid, it's hard to imagine he did this out of anything less than rage." Derek holds up a crime scene photo. Rossi just continues to sit there writing Garcia sends them a list of Michelle's clients and they separated after that. Anya was too busy chatting with the girls and Reid and Derek, Hotch was just watching, he was looking at her intently one might call it stalking at how hard he was watching her. She just laughs at something JJ said and his frown quirks into a small smile.

When they arrived at the station, Detective explains how there were more fliers put up, for a woman named Enid White. The fliers were plastered within a two-block radius of her house, and now she was missing her roommate reported she never came back from walking her dog. Hotch assigned tasks for everyone and Anya was with him and JJ.

Aaron was a simple man, and he simply didn't feel the need to be this tense, the drive to Enid's house was nothing short of Anya being well Anya.

"Ooh I love this song." she turns up the radio and starts singing along which causes him to furrow his brows grimacing at how loud the volume was he turns the radio down and Anya crosses her arms over her chest. She was giving him her signature scowl. He just turns back to the road trying his best to ignore, her. "You know one of these days you are gonna get out of your rock-hard shell and when it comes you will thank me." JJ just chuckles knowing that would never happen and he seems slightly offended by it.

"That will never happen Tinkerbell,"

And JJ laughs this time knowing Anya hated that nickname, Derek brought it up one time and she said to never call her that, that she hated it beyond belief which was ammo for Hotch. Anya just rolls her eyes and turns the nob of the radio up more which annoys the man and he turns it completely off. She just rolls her eyes picturing her strangling him with her bare hands.

Enid's block was covered by reporters. And Hotch asks about where Enid's dog is. Which was a good question. If she was abducted while walking her dog where was her dog? They make it back to the station to see Rossi scribbling in his notepad and Reid babbling about how Rossi pointed out that since the victims were weighted down, it suggests the unsub didn't want them found. It suggests some sort of connection between them. Michelle was found on the fourth which meant she wasn't in the water long, then he held her for three. Garcia calls she said she had been running all of Enid White's credit cards. And that She made a purchase at 9 A. M. This morning at a sporting goods store in Dallas. She brought a gun.

Enid calls into the police station herself, she heard about Michelle and how no one believed her when she brought the fliers to the police and how she was armed with a gun. She talks about how she is so tired, how she doesn't think she can stay awake longer.

"Enid, this is agent Hotchner of the FBI. We believe you, and we want to help you. Can you tell us where you are?" Hotch leaned down infront of the phone.

"El Royale Motel in Dallas. It's room 6. I saw the fliers. Hurry, please. He's gonna kill me."

"Don't move, Enid. We're on our way."

When they arrive Enid is gone and the fliers are all over the motel room bed. A blank white mask was in the middle of the bed the word Two etched across the forehead in red ink. They gather around outside, bouncing more ideas off of each other, her dog was safe, in fact, he was unharmed which said a lot, either way, it was time to give the profile.

"He's a white male. His shoe prints have been examined and put him at about 5'11, 165." Derek starts off.

"So we've narrowed it down to anyone of average weight and height." Detective Yarbrough sasses. He was being really rude, only because he was stressed.

There's sophistication and patience in what this unsub does that suggests a level of maturity. The behavioral analysts believed that this puts his age in the mid-30s to 40s range. Michelle Colucci was taken from the primary crime scene and disposed of at the tertiary crime scene four days later. That means she was held somewhere for at least three days. You can't really just hold a victim anywhere for days on end, so he most likely has access to a house of some kind. And he's also fairly tech-savvy. The fliers were made on a computer. And it's probable that he used a device to intercept enid white's phone cal Witnesses in Enid White's neighborhood say they may have seen a white man putting up fliers, but none of them could describe him, even with all the media attention this case has received. Which tells them that there is absolutely nothing remarkable about this man. He is exceedingly average. It extends to his professional life as well.

He most likely works in a field where he doesn't stand out and doesn't really make a mark. His lack of distinction is part of his psychopathy. We as people have hundreds of interactions with people every day. Most of those involve someone overlooking someone else. Most of us don't pay any attention to being ignored, but to this kind of unsub, each oversight is intentional. Especially when it comes from his object of sexual desire. He begins to obsess over her until she's all he can think about. And the rage builds until he has to attack that person. The fliers are About him Have you seen me? The masks are about the women-- number one, number. Removing his victim's face transfers his feelings of being ignored into a mission and it gives him a sense of power. And the power can make him arrogant, but it doesn't make him notable.

Basically, this guy was a stalker who has severe pick-me energy and it wasnt at all a vibe. It was highly fucking annoying and total, B.S., and after he called into the station because Rossi released the mask info to the news without Hotch's permission and Honestly Anya liked this guy he was pissing off Hotch which made her royally happy. But then it took a left turn when Rossi was basically yelling at the unsub over the phone which was totally fucking weird and gave Anya the ick. But then the unsub says that Rossi signed Enid's death warrant. Garcia traced the call to the Techno building downtown Emily, Anya and Reid were in one car while Hotch, Dave, and Rossi were in the other, they were speeding to the building. Sirens blaring.

Who do you think is gonna piss Hotch off more me or Rossi?" Anya was holding onto the handle above her head.

"Rossi definitely."

Reid tilts his head a bit, " I dont know, Anya has been working with us longer and she pisses Hotch off more in a matter of seconds Than anyone I have ever met."

Emily makes a sharp turn and Anya almost slides to the other side of the car. "That's not true."

Emily scoffs. "JJ said that Hotch called you tinkerbell this morning and you looked like you wanted to strangle him."

"It's a stupid Nickname he knows I fucking hate it. And I wouldnt strangle him."

The two agents in the front both laugh as Anya rolls her eyes, they pull up at the techno building and hurry inside. Hotch had Garcia on the phone.

"Garcia, which floors did Michelle Carlucci remodel?"

"Got it--7, 8, 9." He hangs up. "Morgan, take 7. We're looking for a rank-and-file employee who made a scene in the last 20 minutes or was here and gone. Prentiss, 8, Reid, 9. Don't approach him. Just... Try to get a name, maybe a picture."

The agents leave and Anya can feel eyes on her like someone was watching her every move.

"He's somewhere in this lobby." She looks around it was a really gross feeling, but she could feel it, like it was intense, like they were enraged.

"Why?"

"Can't you feel it?" She asks bobbing through the crowd. She was off before the two men could get to her and somehow. She could still feel his eyes. She sees Rossi pull out his gun and then she watches, watching as the man's back is turned towards them as he is trying to leave.

"Max Pool" then he realizes he was mad and Anya is thinking of a way out of this, but Max is angry, Max is annoyed he feels like no one cares about him, so he isnt going to go quietly and certainly not with ease. Rossi tries to talk him down and the elevator opens just as Max turns around, Derek steps out and Anya tackles him to the floor just as Hotch was yelling for him to get down. In one swift motion, Morgan is shielding Anya all while having his gun out. Rossi shoots Max and he falls to the floor. Hotch walks over taking the gun from Max's hand.

"You OK?"

"Yeah." "No" Anya has both arms pressed against her side rocking back and forth and groaning. "Fuck I think you cracked a rib."

"It was your idea to tackle me."

He stands up as she lays there arms out at her sides again. "I couldnt let that pretty face get all mangled." she teases as he helps her up by her arm she winces before laughing. Max was dead and since they had his home address they figured that's most likely where Enid white was which was correct, she was alive and they got her just in time. At the crime scene trick or treaters came over to watch and Reid pulled out hand fulls of candy from his satchel, which he and Anya had been eating off of for the past fourth eight hours. Everyone decides to take part in passing out candy to the kids even Derek which surprised everyone.

The jet ride back home was full of Halloween stories and candy eating and just sharing memories and laughing. Hotch puts another tally in his book and X this time and he closes it watching his team interact they make it back to the bullpen just in time to do the case reports.

Everyone slowly piles out of the office leaving just Anya and Hotch, Anya's biggest flaw was the case reports she was always filling them out wrong. She was a mess of anxiety, and she didn't know how to ask for help, especially with someone she didn't like. She paced back and forth trying to decide how she was going to ask. Before long she sighs fist about to knock on the door when the voice inside tells her to come in before she can even get the knockout. She opens it meeting his brown eyes. With her own.

"I uh..." she steps into his office. "Help" she squeaks out and he chuckles at her nervousness, he hadn't seen that since the first day she started. He gestures for her to take a seat and she does, he then gives her an example of one of his to work from and she sits there working on it. Soon before long, the office is quiet, the two working diligently to finish the rest of their reports, Anya had graduated to the floor and was occupying it, pens riddled her hair and she just twirled one around through her fingers. Hotch glances at her, watching her moves, how fluttery her lashes looked, the way her lip curved around the pen in her mouth. He loosens his tie, there goes that tension again.

Anya's phone rings and she checks the caller ID. before looking at her boss. "Excuse me." she steps outside the door closing it, of course, it pushes back open a bit a Hotch can hear her conversation, "Why are you up? It's a school night....No, you cannot eat cereal for dinner...Did Maya not make you Dinner?....spaghetti is a meal.....It's like midnight why are even awake....oh you got hungry...she laughs, okay... Text me when you go to bed.....dont stay up too late....I love you too buddy..." she sneaks back into the office her phone in her hand, "Sorry important call,"

Hotch shakes his head. "No problem" they go back to work and ten minutes later they were both out the door, standing in the elevator was like waiting for paint to dry, it air was thick and even with her hair in a mess of a bun with a few pens in it she was still gorgeous. When they step outside there's a thick rainfall and Anya just groans having not brought a coat or an umbrella.

Hotch offers her his coat and she looks up a bit shocked, "I am fine, thank you." He just rolls his eyes knowing she was being stubborn. And shoves it in her direction again. "I dont need your jacket.."

"Would you stop being so stubborn, you are going to get sick if you run out there in just a thin t-shirt?"

Anya scoffs. "I am not being stubborn, I just dont need a man's help"

"Fine if you want to catch a cold be my guest."

"You are such an asshole, you always have to be right and if you are not right then no one is." she snatches the suit jacket from his hands and pulls it over her arms. "See I am wearing your stupid jacket happy?'

"Ecstatic." he humphs out and the two head into the rain storm heading to their separate cars, it was then that he realized truly what she did to him and he hated it.

Word count: 5400