"𝗙𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀"
- 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼 𝗚𝗼𝘆𝗮

-----

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘆 - 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗟𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘁

Valentina was on her way to work when Penelope's contact came up on the hands free which was weird because she didn't usually call her in the morning.

"Hey, everything okay?" She asked in concern but also curiosity.

"Everything is okay because I just met someone!"

"Someone as in you met a guy?" Valentina couldn't help but smile.

"Yes and Val let me tell you, he was so cute and he even asked me to lunch sometime and then I gave him my number"

"Wait backup, you gave a stranger your number?" Valentina didn't want to ruin the mood but the cases they've been on involving things like that. She had a right to be concerned.

"Val if you had seen how smoking hot he was you would've too!"

Valentina laughed "Okay Pen I believe you" They talked for a few more minutes before hanging up as Valentina was just pulling into the office.

Walking into the bullpen she saw Morgan and Garcia talking when JJ came rushing in with case files in her hand "Hey, we caught a bad one"

"How bad?" Valentina asked.

"Florida"

She groaned as did Derek before they made their way to the conference room where JJ was waiting for them "Bridgewater, Florida. Local girl, Abbey Kelton, 19, left her parents' home to go to the local junior college. She never came home. Three days later joggers found her, -part of her, in a nearby park"

JJ was right, this was a bad case. Half the girls' body was missing and what wasn't had been mutilated.

"What did that to her?" Emily asked.

"Bridgewater is off of 1-75, which is often referred to as Alligator Alley, for reasons that are now apparent. Everything below the waist has been eaten"

"Ah, the circle of life" Rossi commented.

"Suddenly, I don't feel so guilty about my alligator wallet" Emily added.

"Alligators didn't cut off her fingers, slit her throat or carve this into her chest" Hotch said, sliding a picture over to Morgan and Valentina.

"An inverted pentagram" Valentina pointed out.

"The locals believe the killing was committed by a satanic cult" JJ told them.

"I'd say" Val muttered.

"Some things never changed" Rossi mused.

"Killer satanic cults don't exist" Emily told Rossi "They were debunked as a suburban myth"

Rossi nodded as he looked at her while Hotch looked down at the case file with a smile "What?"

"Rossi's the one that debunked them"

Rossi then smiled at her "Oh, right. Thanks" She replied, quickly looking back down at the papers in front of her.

Rossi turned his head to look at the screen "Cult or not, the killing was ritualised. This will turn serial if it hasn't already"

"So, killer satanic cults don't exist, but satanic serial killers do?" JJ asked.

"Lasciate ogni speranza ch'entrate" Rossi said before walking out. Valentina and Derek raised their eyebrows and watched him leave.

"Well, thanks for clearing that up" JJ said sarcastically.

Spencer then went on to explain "It's from Dante's Inferno. 'Abandon hope, all ye who enter here' "

"So, that was a yes?" Which was all JJ wanted in the first place.

"A big yes" Hotch clarified.

-----

"So, when were you gonna tell me?" Before getting on the plane Valentina had stopped by Hotch's office.

"Going to tell you what?" Hotch asked while picking up his go bag.

"Don't give me that crap Aaron. You used to call Haley ten times a day and yet this whole week alone, I haven't seen you call her once. Haven't mentioned her and you're not calling her now"

"What's your point?" He asked, putting his bag down on the table and crossing his arms.

"My point is that you're not used to sharing and sometimes it's better to let people in than deal with it all on your own. I speak from experience"
She smiled at him "See you on the jet"

The team had headed on the jet with Valentina and Spencer sitting on the couch, Rossi sitting in the chair facing everyone and the rest of them were sat on the four seater with a table.

"We never found any evidence of a killer satanic cult" Rossi said "In reality, there are only two types of violent satanic criminals"

"Uh, type one teen satanists assume the satanic identity to rebel. Minor crimes, theft and vandalism to churches, schools, symbols of authority. When combined with drugs and alcohol, they may turn violent" Spencer explained.

"Yes, in extreme cases, deadly" Rossi nodded slowly "That was out of my book, word for word"

"Oh trust us, we know" Derek said as Hotch smiled at him and Rossi.

"Killings are accidental, usually resulting from their hobby getting out of control. Killings won't turn serial..."

"Hey, Reid" Derek cut him off and nodded in Rossi's direction before making a cut it out motion.

Spencer looked over at Rossi who was just staring at him "Sorry" He gave him a small apologetic smile as Valentina gently patted him on the shoulder.

"Okay, so that's one type. What's type two?" Emily asked Rossi.

"The adaptive satanist is the one you have to worry about" Rossi replied "A typical serial killer, rationalising his fantasies by blaming them on outside forces"

"Like Satan?"

"Yes. He adapts satanic beliefs to fit his specific homicidal drives. He doesn't kill because he believes in satan. He believes in satan because he kills" Rossi explained to JJ and everyone else.

"Well, let's hope it's the teenagers. Whether you're religious or not, the presence of satanic elements can affect even the most experienced investigations" Hotch spoke "And we're not immune, so keep an eye out on the locals and keep an eye on each other"

"Hey, I hear you. I saw The Exorcist" JJ mumbled.

"My mother took us to church every Sunday until I moved out. This whole Devil thing doesn't spook me at all" Derek said and Valentina nodded.

"Me neither" Valentina muttered, looking through the case file on her lap.

"Maybe that's because you two never truly bought the God part either" Spencer saw nothing wrong with what he said until he realised everyone was looking at him.

"Trust me I bought it" Valentina then went back to reading the case file.

Derek looked at him with raised eyebrows "No offence, kid, but you don't know what I believe"

"Well, I mean, logic dictates that if you believe in the one, you have to reconcile the existence of the other" Sometimes Spencer didn't know when to stop talking.

"People's reactions to Satan is what gives it appeal to these offenders. It has power, and it would be a mistake to underestimate it" Hotch finished.

-----

The team had landed and separated. Hotch, Spencer, and Emily had gone down to the medical examiner's office while Valentina, JJ, Derek and Rossi were just arriving at the church.

"Rossi, do me a favour. You talk to the priest, all right?"

"You'd rather interview the grieving parents on the worst day of their lives, than the priest?" Rossi frowned.

Valentina nodded "Even though it sounds crazy, yeah"

"If it's all right with you, yeah" Morgan said after.

The four agents then walked into the church and Derek took off his sunglasses while Valentina put her hands in her jacket pockets. Being inside the church made her feel uneasy, the same feeling she felt when she was a child. A feeling she never wanted to experience again.

"Good afternoon" The priest greeted as he came down the stairs only a few minutes after they came in.

"Hi, Father Marks. Agent Jareau" JJ smiled and shook his hand "These are Agents Rossi, Morgan and Ortiz"

"It's good of you to come" He said after shaking everyone else's hand.

"We're sorry we have to be here under these circumstances, Father" Rossi said sincerely while  Derek and Valentina were glancing around the church.

"Well, Abbey's parents, Bob and Lee-Ann, are in my office. We were discussing her service" Father Marks told them.

"Agents Morgan and Ortiz actually have some questions for you" Rossi said and Derek went to open his mouth to say something when Father Marks beat him to it.

"Well, they're upstairs. First door on the right, and they're expecting you" Rossi nodded and went upstairs with JJ behind him as the two glared holes into the back of him.

"So, how long has it been, Agent Morgan? Agent Ortiz?" That question caught them both off guard.

"I'm sorry?"

"Excuse me?" They both said at the same time.

"Well, since you've been in Gods house?" He smiled "Priests and dentists can spot an overdue customer a mile away. So, how long has it been?"

"We didn't come here to talk about ourselves" Derek took a few steps towards him so he wasn't just lingering in the doorway.

"Occupational hazard, my apologies"

Valentina nodded "Is this the biggest church in town?"

"Well, we're the only church in Bridgewater proper"

"And you're aware of the religious aspects of this crime? The pentagram?" She continued.

Father Marks sighed before answering "Yes, I am"

"Have there been any break-ins, thefts, threats towards the church?" Morgan asked.

He shook his head "No"

"Parishioners behaving strangely? Regulars who may have recently stopped coming?"

"No, not that I'm aware of"

"How about questions about satan from your young members? Possession, exorcisms, the occult?" Valentina questioned.

"Now, that I'm sure I would remember"

"Good. Thanks for you time"

"Thank you" Valentina nodded and the two were quick to leave. The two were silent as they walked to the SUV.

"So, why do you hate churches so much?" Derek put his sunglasses back on as the two leant against the car to wait for JJ and Rossi to finish talking with the parents.

"It's not necessarily the church it's the people inside I don't trust" She looked down at the floor and it was silent after that. Derek could tell she wasn't ready to talk about it yet and to be honest, neither was he.

-----

Detective Jordan ended up getting a call about the disappearance of a girl named Tracy Lambert who was last seen at the Inlet State Park restroom which was why Hotch, Valentina and Derek were searching her jeep while Rossi and Emily were in the restroom.

Derek looked up when he heard a car pull in "Hey, what's he doing here?" He asked once he realised it was Father Marks.

"I called him" Detective Jordan told him "State Search and Rescue's out of Tallahassee. It'd take at least four to five hours to set it up"

"So?" Derek questioned as JJ came walking up the hill and over to the two of them.

"Tracy is a member of the church choir, and my congregation is feeling helpless" Fathers Marks cut in "At least this way we'll feel like we're doing something"

Derek shook his head "It's not a good idea. The UnSub could be a member of your church"

"So?" Detective Jordan asked and that's when Hotch decided to step in.

"Serial killers like to insert themselves in these investigations"

"Look, Tracy is the second girl to go missing around here in a week, and we all know what happened to the first. Now, I am conducting this search"

"Sir, we're here to help" JJ spoke up "Okay, let us set it up. If we have to do a search, we can try to draw him out. A volunteer sign-in sheet should give us a good suspect list"

Detective Jordan finally agreed "All right. Let's do it"

Nothing ended up coming from the search party so now Valentina was back at the station talking with Morgan as he made them both a coffee when her phone started to ring.

She frowned, checking the caller ID before picking up "Garcia?" She asked.

"I'm still running the particulars of our homicides through vicap. Nothing so far"

"Okay, I think Emily just sent you the volunteer search list" Valentina said.

"Okay. And I'm cross-checking the names against mental institution records" Garcia told her "Pay attention to individuals who were involuntarily committed in Florida. Rossi's convinced our UnSub is the type that likes to stick close to home"

"Got it. Talk to you later" She went to hang up but Valentina had stopped her from doing so "Wait, hold on, Garcia you normally call Derek about these kinds of things. Is everything okay?"

"God, I hate profilers" Valentina could hear the frown on her face "Okay, come on, tell me"

"You know that smoking hot guy that I told you about? The one that I met at the coffee shop that I go to every day" Valentina nodded "Yeah I remember" So Penelope then went on to explain how she also told Derek and asked him for some advice and he told her to blow him off so she took his advice and now she's mad at him.

"Pen if you wanna go on a date with this guy and see were things go then do it, life's too short not too and if he doesn't like you then screw him! You hear me? Oh and leave me to deal with Derek all right?"

"God I love you" Penelope was back to smiling now and that was all that mattered "I love you too Garcia" And with that, she hung up and turned around to walk back over to where Derek was standing.

"What?" He asked, confused why she was glaring at him "When a woman tells a man about her feelings, she doesn't want him to fix her. She wants him to shut up and listen" She then her grabbed her cup of coffee that was on the table "Thanks for the coffee" She said and walked away.

-----

Because of Rossi, Derek had gone back to the church where another body was discovered and also in half like Abbey Kelton. Hotch had come to the conclusion that the body had been frozen and that the UnSub was a cannibal which turned out to be true after the doctor confirmed that she was frozen shortly after her death.

Garcia had called to tell them about the Hazelwood Mental Institution and that it was for 'Florida's most dangerous kinds of wackos' as Garcia said and that they had a fire in 1998 that destroyed all of their records.

Hotch took Spencer and Valentina with him to the institution for the criminally insane where they were greeted by quite an old man "As I told Agent Jareau on the phone, we have no existing record of that patient you've described" The man who they now know as Dr. Nash said as they followed him into his office.

"But your records only go back as far as 1998. We were hoping that perhaps you would remember him" Hotch said.

"I'm sorry. I don't" Dr. Nash replied "Jim Lorenz was in charge of the adolescents"

"Adolescents?" Valentina repeated after sharing a look with Hotch and Spencer.

"The only reason we release a patient this disturbed is if he had been admitted as a minor and turned eighteen" Dr. Nash explained.

"Can we speak to Dr Lorenz?" Hotch asked.

"He died in the fire. He was leaving when he heard the alarm. He came back inside and became trapped" He said with a sorrowful look on his face.

The three agents looked at each other once again "Why would he come back?" Hotch asked.

"He was a very dedicated man"

"Could it be because there was something in his office that he felt was worth risking his life for?" Spencer questioned and you could tell by the look on Dr. Nash's face that he wanted to say something but he didn't know whether to.

"Dr. Nash?"

"There is something" He nodded, leaning back in his chair to open a draw "The grounds people found it in a tree just below his office. Jim must have thrown it out his window just before he..." He handed a red leather book to Spencer "I started reading it. I had to stop"

"The uh, the patient's symptoms go far beyond normal psychosexual oral-biting fixation of a typical seven year old boy" Spencer read while Hotch dialled Rossi's number to let him know they had something.

"Rossi, we got something. I need a name, Reid"

"Admitted after biting a large piece of flesh of his nine month old sister" Spencer continued "A name" Hotch ignored what he was reading.

"Believes he is possessed by a flesh eating demon"

"Spencer!" Valentina said to get him to stop reading and give Hotch the name.

"Floyd Feylinn Ferrel" He stated and they ended up arrested him and putting him in custody but he wouldn't speak to anyone except Father Marks.

Derek had got Father Marks to come to the station and even shook his hand before going into the interrogation room "Thank you for coming, Father" Floyd said.

"Anything I can do to..." Derek put his hand up to tell Father Marks to stop talking "Floyd, I had to pull some serious strings to get him here. My bosses didn't like the idea at all of sending him in. Now they're going to allow him to sit right here and listen, but you're going to talk to me, all right?" Derek explained and surprisingly Floyd agreed.

"Okay. I've done some really bad things"

"Everybody's done things they're not proud of, Floyd. The only thing that helps is to talk about them. Tell other people. Things are always better after you talk about them"

"Not everything" Floyd shook his head and while Derek had been speaking to him, Valentina was looking at the sign-up sheet and noticed that Floyd's name was on the sheet but not as one of the searchers.

"This is strange" Valentina said and Hotch looked over at her "When he entered the park, Feylinn signed the volunteer sign-in sheet, but his name's not on the list of searchers"

"Come on, Floyd. I got him here, like you asked" Derek said "Now it's your turn. Tell us, where is Tracy Lambert?"

"Something's not right here" Valentina said and Rossi nodded "I agree"

"Father, I feel so alone. I feel like God has abandoned me" Floyd started mumbling and Father Marks got the go ahead from Derek to speak "Why?"

"You are not alone, my son. God is in all of us"

Valentina looked back down at the sign up sheet and saw that he had signed up to be the volunteer cook "Hotch, we need to stop the interview right now"

But it was too late "So is Tracey Lambert" Floyd smirked.

"Son of a bitch" Father Marks said once he realised "You son of a bitch" Valentina looked up to see Father Marks leaping across the table to try and grab Floyd as her, Hotch and Rossi ran in to help Derek escort Father Marks out of the room.

"He was feeding the volunteers"

After that, Floyd was put in a mental institution for the rest of his life and the meat from the chilli that he made with Tracy Lambert's body was taken in to be examined.

Even though the case was now over, Valentina still felt like something was wrong as she sat on her own looking out the window with her EarPods in, trying to somehow forget everything that had happened today but was it ever that easy?