[1.07]

APRIL GRIPPED THE FILE TIGHTLY IN HER FINGERS AS SHE WAITED FOR THE ELEVATOR DOORS TO OPEN,

In the lobby was Haley Hotchner, standing with the team with a baby in Aaron's arms,

"April, hi." Haley smiled as the blonde walked over,

"Haley, glowing as always." April grinned, standing next to her, "Is that who I think it is?"

"Jack Hotchner." Aaron said, looking over at his colleague, "Have the report for me?"

April held up the file, "Yes, sir."

"Want to hold him?" He asked her,

She glanced over at Haley, "If it's okay with the mother."

Haley waved her off, "Oh, go ahead, it's not issue."

Aaron carefully handed Jack off to her and April handed him the file. She gently rocked Jack back and forth while Aaron went to put the file in his office, "Oh, he's beautiful, Haley. Let's hope he grows up to look like his mother." April joked,

Haley leaned towards her, "I hope so, too." She joked back,

Aaron walked back over, "I should have that back to your supervisor by the end of the week."

April nodded, "No rush." She handed they baby back over to Haley, "You be good for your momma."

JJ walked over, "Sorry to break up the reunion."

Haley nodded, "Work awaits." She sighed, "We better get going."

"Good luck, guys." April told JJ and Aaron before walking down the hallway.

Jessi walked up behind her, "Lunch?"

April checked her watch, "Yeah, why not? It's gotta be quick though, I have a seminar to teach at 2:00."

April was only a half hour into her seminar when she received a call from Aaron. She quickly excused herself before answering her cell phone, "Hello?"

"You wrote a paper on family hostage situations." Aaron stated,

"Um... yes." April glanced back at the class she was speaking to, "Why?"

"I have a suspect in a family murder/suicide. He won't talk to anyone." Aaron informed her,

April sighed, "Where's the case?"

"Arlington."

She nodded, "Okay. Give me twenty minutes."

"Thank you."

April quickly hung up and turned back to the glass, "I'm so sorry, but I've been called in on a case." She glanced over at the professor, "I will call you and reschedule."

The blonde quickly gathered her things and rushed towards her car. She had Garcia send over the case file and read it over as she walked into the BAU level of the FBI building,

"Okay, where are we at?" April asked as she approached the team,

"He still won't speak." Aaron told her,

She nodded, "Okay, let's get this over with." She glanced over at Agent Hotchner, "You owe me." April turned to the youngest agent in the room, "Let's go, Spence."

"What?" He asked, glancing around,

"Come watch his behaviour for me." She smirked at him,

The two agents entered the interrogation room and April gave the prisoner a small smile, "Hello, I'm Agent Berry, and this is Dr. Spencer Reid. We're from the FBI and we'd like to ask you a few questions if you don't mind." She introduced as she walked over to the table and set her file down.

He met her eye before looking over at Spencer, "Got something you wanna ask me, boy? You look me in the eye, and you ask."

The two agents sat down and April looked over at the doctor, "Go ahead, Spence." She whispered,

"Me?" His eyes widened,

"It's the BAU's case, not mine. You ask the questions." April muttered, 

Spencer cleared his throat and reached for a case file, "3 days ago-" 

"You're not looking at me." Mr. Miller stated,

Dr. Reid corrected his gaze before continuing, "3 days ago, the Crawford family was murdered." Spencer stated,

"Is that right?"

"Did you know them?" Spencer asked,

Mr. Miller narrowed his eyes at him, "What are you getting at?" 

Dr. Reid took out a few crime scene photos to show Mr. Miller, "They were killed in the exact same way that your family was killed." Spencer explained,

"And? I've been slapped around all night by every cop in Virginia. What makes you think a damn photo is gonna scare me?" Mr. Miller questioned. April narrowed her eyes, watching his behaviour as his fingers moved towards the photo and he jerked in his chains, scaring Spencer,  "Is that what this is about, hmm? You think I'm crazy, man? You think I suddenly snapped and I slaughtered my own wife and kids?" She could see the tears in his eyes as he stood, "You think I did this? Huh? Is that what you think?!"

April stood as agents came in and restrained him, "Sit down, now." She ordered him,

Hotch and Greenway came in and Mr. Miller looked over at him, "Is this your daddy?! I'm done talking to you people!"

April placed her hands on the table and leaned forward, "You don't have to talk. Just listen." She told him, "On the occasions you assaulted your wife, you were intoxicated. Once the effects of alcohol wore off you were overcome by feelings of remorse."

"I'm gonna tell you this just one time, little girl. You shut your mouth!"

"Genetic factors contribute to alcohol stress interactions. Your mother was an alcoholic and she was often too drunk to stop the beatings that your father gave you." April continued,

"I think we should stop this." Elle told Hotch,

"She's not finished."

"Age 6, you were orphaned to a family where the abuse continued only this time," April paused and gave him a look of empathy, "it was sexual."

"You shut your mouth, or I'm gonna rip your face off." Mr. Miller growled,

"The abuse continued well into puberty but my one concern is, Mr. Miller, did you or did you not continue the cycle with your own children?" April asked,

He stared into her eyes and that's when she saw it. The pain. The sorrow. The mourning. She knew he would never hurt his children. 

"I never laid a hand on my children. You hear me?!" He yelled at her,

April nodded, "I hear you." She said low enough for him to hear her,

Tears streamed down Mr. Miller's face, "I found them like that. Dead. Bloodied. My babies. My sweet, little babies." He sobbed and the agents helped him back into his seat, "I was crazy out of my mind. I didn't know what to do. And I knew the cops were gonna blame me, and they have."

"So you ran?" Spencer asked,

"So what've I got now?" Mr. Miller questioned,

"You have your innocence." She placed her hand on top of his cuffed one, "For the sake of your children I believe that they, at the very least, deserve the truth."

April closed the file filled with photos of the Crawford family, not wanting to put Mr. Miller in any more stress, "I can't get the image of my dead children out of my mind. Ty, my little boy, he was clutching a... a piece of paper. I think it was a drawing. Maybe a painting. Please, Agent Berry, I'd love to know what he painted."

"I'll try my best to figure that out for you." She told him before leaving.

"Interesting interrogation technique. What did you hope to accomplish?" Elle asked as the four of them walked down the hallway,

"Well, he was closed off, defensive, hostile. I needed a way in." April glanced at the doctor, "Sorry, I let him yell at you. I needed a way in."

Spencer shrugged, "It's okay, I'm not traumatised."

April gave him a small smile before continuing, "He's suffered a breakdown but I don't think he killed his family and I know he still loved his wife."

"Why do you say that?" Agent Hotchner asked,

She glanced over at him, "Even though they were divorced he's still wore the wedding ring." April paused and turned to Elle, "So, let's see, what did I accomplish? An innocent man is going to be released from prison, Agent Greenway. I did that. Now, if you'll excuse me."

"Then why did he run? Why didn't he fight for his innocence?" Elle questioned,

April paused and turned back around, "Let's see, a black man with a history of drinking a childhood abuse found next to the bodies of his children and ex-wife. The prosecutors would've had a field day with that one, wouldn't they, Hotch?" April stepped back towards, "That man didn't have a chance."

April gave Hotch one last look before going towards the elevator. She needed a drink.