"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The doors of the elevator slid open, allowing its lone occupant to exit swiftly, adjusting his hold on the brown paper bag in his arms as he made his way through the glass doors into the FBI's Behavioural Analysis Unit.
Derek Morgan glanced up from his paperwork and immediately wished he hadn't as fellow FBI profiler, Spencer Reid, entered the bullpen, a large paper bag in his hands and a Santa hat atop his head. Morgan sighed, shaking his head in a disbelieving fashion as his friend spotted him.
"You do know you're a federal agent, right?"
Spencer smiled as he placed a candy cane on his partner's desk.
"Happy holidays to you, too, Morgan."
Morgan picked up the candy cane, eyeing it with some amount of distrust.
"No offense, kid, but I think you're a little tall for the elf gig."
"Are those candy canes?" JJ asked, walking down the steps from her office, a smile on her face as she studied the package in Reid's hands.
Reid speedily fished another treat from the bag, holding it out for the media liaison. JJ accepted the candy cane gratefully, her smile growing. "Thank you, Spence." She grinned. "Nice Santa hat."
The young genius' hand raised self-consciously to the red and white cap on his head as Morgan smirked.
"Did you know most people contribute the modern image of Santa Claus to the Coca-Cola Company and their portrayal of him in a 1931 ad campaign?" Spencer remarked, his grip on the paper bag tightening as his voice squeaked with enthusiasm. "But the artist, Haddon Sundblom, actually based it on a pre-existing image of St. Nicholas set down over the previous century by a multitude of writers and artists."
JJ chuckled, by now quite used to the young profiler's impromptu lectures.
"I take it you're excited for Christmas?" she queried, leaning against Spencer's desk as she unwrapped the holiday treat.
Reid nodded, the Santa hat slipping forward on his head.
"Christmas was always my mom's favorite time of year. She used to say that you could feel a change in the air that just made the world seem happier. I guess I adopted the same point of view."
Morgan shook his head.
"Christmas is for kids who don't know any better. Now, I know you're too old to believe in Santa Claus, Reid."
"You're never too old for such a thing, Derek Morgan," Penelope Garcia reproached as she and Gideon neared the trio. Her eyes immediately landed on the bag in Spencer's hands and narrowed jokingly. "Dr. Reid, are those candy canes? You know better than to withhold tribute from your computer goddess."
"Sorry." Reid's face flushed as he quickly extracted a treat for the blonde-haired tech. He held a second one out to Gideon who politely refused.
"Oh, you know I could never stay mad at that face," Garcia grinned, slowly unwrapping her candy cane. "Now, what's all this about Santa Claus?"
Morgan smirked, and gestured towards Spencer. "I was just explaining to the genius here that we're all a little old for the whole 'Christmas magic' thing. I mean, it's all fine and good for kids, but eventually you realize it's just a story."
"How can you not enjoy Christmas?" Reid asked, frowning. "It's the time of year when anything's possible."
"You don't really strike me as the religious type, Reid," Morgan commented.
"I may not celebrate Christmas in the religious sense," the younger profiler countered, "but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the spirit of it. I don't believe in a magical man who goes around leaving presents under trees, either, but I do believe that something about Christmas brings out the best in people."
Morgan gave a small laugh. "Don't be getting all 'real meaning of Christmas' on us, Linus. I'm just saying most people grow out of all of that."
"I think it's sweet," JJ defended, pretending not to notice the small blush on Spencer's face at her words. "There's nothing wrong with believing in the spirit of the season."
Derek eyed her with a small air of incredulity, turning his gaze to the rest of the group. "You guys can't tell me you actually believe in all of that 'holiday special' stuff."
Gideon shrugged, his eyes half-lidded. "Everyone has their own beliefs and traditions about the season, religious or not. For me, Christmas is a fireplace, a warm cup of cocoa, and a good friend."
JJ nodded. "Yeah, my aunt always said that everyone should be free to celebrate the season in their own way." She smirked. "Of course, that didn't stop her from dragging me to midnight mass every Christmas Eve.
Morgan's pleading eyes landed on his last potential ally. "Baby Girl, you too?"
"Afraid so, my Chocolate Grinch." Penelope's cheeky grin held only a glimmer of an apology as she waved her candy cane about like a wand. "The holidays have become overly commercialized, but that doesn't mean there isn't still good in the air."
Agent Morgan heaved a sigh, "Believing in Christmas magic is like believing in the Tooth Fairy - sooner or later, you realize it was all a lie your parents told you."
The media liaison smiled jokingly.
"Jeez, lighten up, Morgan. How do you spend your Christmas - knocking down snowmen and trashing lights displays?"
The team's chuckles died off as Hotch approached, the grim look on his face squelching all feelings of merriment.
"I need to see all of you in the conference room in two minutes."
"Groverton, Pennsylvania. Two boys, Dillon Mackelray and Jason Daley, ages six and eight, kidnapped within the last six weeks."
Hotch pressed a button on the remote, and the two children appeared onscreen. He pressed another button, and two more photos appeared, this time of their corpses lying in bloodstained snow. "Their bodies were found one week after each abduction, in a public park near the middle of the city. They'd been dead less than three hours. No signs of sexual assault. Cause of death was exsanguination."
"A week?" Reid frowned, looking up from his case file. "That's unusual. Most child abduction murders occur within the first twenty-four hours."
Morgan nodded, turning to Hotch. "If there's no sexual assault, what was the unsub doing with them all that time?"
"There were indications of minor physical abuse," Hotch replied. "And both bodies showed signs of exposure prior to death. Marks on their wrists indicate that they were restrained."
He clicked the button and the photos vanished, a new one taking their place, portraying a smiling sandy-haired youth.
"A third boy, Tyler Fibbs, age 7, went missing from a Groverton shopping mall at nine o'clock this morning local time."
"So, assuming it's the same unsub, we've got seven days to find him," JJ commented, her face grim as she perused the details of the file.
There was a short moment of silence, each of them glancing at each other as they counted the days. They had only until Christmas Eve to find Tyler Fibbs alive.
Hotch paused, taking a moment to look at each of them in turn, ensuring he had their full attention.
"I know that we're supposed to have Christmas off this year, but this case is the priority. I want each of you giving this your full attention. It's going to be a rough one." He nodded, an air of finality about him as he began to gather his files. "Wheels up in thirty minutes."
The atmosphere on the plane was muted, each of them absorbed in the details of the case files before them. Gideon glanced up at Hotch, who sat across from him wearing a troubled expression upon his face as he stared at the photos of the victims.
"You spending Christmas with Haley's folks?" He questioned, momentarily drawing Aaron's thought away from the brutal images.
Hotch looked up, temporarily confused, before shaking his head.
"Haley's parents are in Florida this year, so Christmas is at our house. Her sister is coming on Friday, and Sean's going to spend the day with us. Haley's been going crazy with preparations - the house is a disaster zone. I'm actually a bit relieved not to be there at the moment."
It was a lie, and they both knew it – there was no place Hotch would rather be than amidst all that chaos, decorating a Christmas tree with his family – but Gideon simply nodded, his eyes returning to the reports in his hands.
"All three of the boys were abducted from public places," Morgan commented, taking a sip of his coffee as he sat on the armrest of one of the chairs. "Each of them was with one or more family members, but there were no witnesses. Whatever the unsub is doing to lure them, he's doing it quietly."
Reid shrugged from his seat across the aisle.
"It's the holiday shopping season. No one's going to notice a boy wandering around by himself or with an adult."
JJ sifted through the papers in front of her, her tone calm and professional.
"There's been a lot of media attention with the first two murders. It won’t be long before the press gets a hold of the third kidnapping."
"I only turned my back for a second, and he was gone."
Moira Fibbs bit her lip, attempting to control the emotion in her voice.
Reid and Morgan sat in the Fibbs' living room across from the worried parents. Cody, the couple's younger son, was on the floor nearby, playing quietly with his Tonka Trucks, seemingly oblivious to his parents' dismay. The room was already brightly decorated for the holidays. Strings of red and silver garland lined the papered walls and a large pine tree sat in the corner, swathed entirely in handmade ornaments, most of which appeared to be the work of the two sons.
"When did you first notice Tyler was missing?" Morgan questioned, leaning forward to rest his forearms on his knees.
"I got to the cash register and he wasn't next to me," Mrs. Fibbs' eyes filled with unshed tears as she recounted the experience. "I- I thought he'd stopped to look at the toys...But I couldn't see him anywhere. I called his name--"
She stopped, her head falling as she struggled not to cry. Her husband put his hand on hers, offering her a comforting expression before turning his gaze to the profilers.
"The news said something about other boys," he stated. "Do you think the man who has Tyler is the same one who took those other kids?"
Morgan and Reid shared a brief uncomfortable glance, neither wanting to worry the parents further.
"It's possible," Derek conceded. "The other kidnappings were similar and Tyler does fit the description."
Jeff's grip on his wife's hand intensified as the two parents exchanged grief struck expressions. Cody looked up at his parents, confusion evident on his young face as he gripped his toy truck to his chest.
"When's Tyler coming home?"
This time, Mrs. Fibbs couldn't hold back the rush of tears, her hands covering her mouth in an attempt to stifle her strangled sobs. Jeff squeezed her hand one last time before rushing to pick Cody up.
"Hey, Sport, why don't we let Mommy finish talking to these nice men? We'll go play with the trucks in your room."
The pair disappeared from sight and the profilers returned their attention to the weeping mother. Over her shoulder, Spencer spotted a line of stockings hanging over the nearby fireplace. Tyler's name was stitched neatly on a green and red one, in between his brother and father's. A small lump formed in the young genius' throat as he forced himself to look away, Moira Fibbs' breath hitching once more.
Compassion filled Morgan's eyes as he reluctantly attempted to restart the conversation.
"Mrs. Fibbs, I know this is difficult, but can you remember seeing anyone strange hanging around you? Maybe someone who was paying special attention to Tyler?"
She shook her head; her tears subsided for the moment.
"No, no one." She locked eyes with Reid, her expression full of confusion and pain. "Who would do this to a little boy? What kind of person does something like this?"
Spencer was at a loss for words, but was thankfully saved from responding.
"Mrs. Fibbs, I promise you, we're going to do everything in our power to find Tyler."
Moira nodded at Morgan's soft but determined words, her lips set in a firm line.
A few minutes later, the pair of profilers found themselves walking down the front steps of the house, each of them braced against the biting winter cold. They made their way to the SUV, Reid wrapping his arms more tightly around himself as the wind intensified. Morgan stalked angrily towards the rental, tearing the door open, stopping only briefly to glance up at his partner.
"Still think Christmas brings out the best in people?" He questioned, his fury at the injustice of the crime radiating from him in droves. Spencer had no reply, his eyes on the ground, and his thoughts still on the empty stocking. They got into the car, neither caring to say another word. The rest of the trip was made in silence, each man lost in a sea of his own reflections.
"What do we have so far?"
Hotch brushed into the room local police had given them to work out of the past two days, Reid and Morgan not far behind him. JJ looked up from the press reports she'd been reading to glance back at Gideon, who was studying a map of the abduction and dumpsites.
"We know he's not asking for a ransom," Morgan commented, sitting across the table from JJ as Reid silently made his way over to the map without looking at anyone. "That implies that there's some sort of personal reason for the kidnappings."
"He has a victim type," Gideon mused, his arms folded across his chest. "He takes boys with blonde hair and brown eyes, six to eight years old, who're with their families."
Officer Martin frowned, eyeing the profilers. "That mean something?"
Hotch glanced at him.
"If we know what type of victim he looks for, it may give us a clue as to why he's kidnapping them in the first place."
"What's this district right here?" Reid interrupted, a curious expression on his face as he pointed to an area on the map. The officer moved closer, following the profiler's gaze to a region of downtown Groverton.
"An old commercial development," he replied. "The city bought up all of the business down there a year ago. There were plans to build a new shopping center, but negotiations fell through. Most of the buildings are abandoned now."
"Are we certain the latest kidnapping is connected?" JJ questioned, bringing things back on track.
Gideon turned from the map to glance at her. "Tyler Fibbs fits the victim profile. He was taken in a similar fashion. The odds of two kidnappers with nearly identical M.O.’s operating simultaneously in a town this size?" He shrugged, Reid giving a sign of agreement beside him.
Hotch nodded. "JJ - you help Reid with victimology. Morgan - call Garcia and see if she's gotten anything from the mall surveillance. Gideon and I will go talk to Jason Daley's family."
"34th Street - what's your miracle?"
Morgan allowed himself a small chuckle as he adjusted his grip on the phone.
"Princess, you know you're a miracle all on your own. Did you get anything off of the surveillance footage?"
He could hear her fingers clicking rapidly across the keyboard as she replied.
"I'm sending you the video right now. It looks like our scumbag approached Tyler when his mom's back was turned."
Derek turned to his laptop, which had begun playing the footage, the image of a busy department store appearing onscreen. He could see the boy lagging behind his mother in the crowd, wide-eyed at all of the busy excitement around him. A man in a dark colored jacket walked up to him, an action figure in his hand, and pointed to something off-screen. He handed Tyler the toy and guided him off into the crowd. The entire interaction took less than thirty seconds.
"What happened next?" He prompted the tech-goddess.
"He led our boy to the nearest parking lot exit. There aren't any cameras outside of the building, so no lucky shots of a vehicle. And he kept his head down the whole time, so I couldn't get a clear shot of his face, but I did manage to get a partial grab just as he was leaving."
A blurry new image filled the screen, depicting the unsub with his head turned back over his shoulder in the direction of Tyler's mother as he led the boy away. Morgan sighed, rubbing a hand across his eyes tiredly. It was an obstructed picture, not enough for a good identification, but they'd done more with less.
"Alright, Baby Girl. Stay beautiful."
"As if there's any doubt."
The town was bustling with people, colorful decorations coating every store window and streetlight as they drove along the snowy road. Morgan sighed as he stared out the window of the SUV, watching as a middle-aged couple bogged down with shopping bags greeted a Salvation Army Santa. It never failed to amaze him how life could continue on so normally during their cases. Young boys were being murdered, and the town hadn't changed a bit. Even after JJ's press briefing the previous day, calling for anyone with leads to come forward, the atmosphere of the medium-sized city had remained infused with holiday cheer. Children were running up and down the sidewalk, lobbing snowballs at each other, not a care in the world. How could they all act as if nothing was happening? How could they just ignore it?
That’s the holiday spirit at work, Morgan mused bitterly. Act like everything’s fine, no matter how messed-up the world really is.
It had never sat right with him how people treated the holiday like a fix-all. In his mind, it was naïve to act like one day could make the world a better place. Bad guys didn’t stop being bad just because people hung lights on their houses.
Derek's thoughts were interrupted as Gideon turned the car into a busy parking spot. The two profilers got out, making their way through the crowd of people. The park where the first abduction had taken place was near the middle of the city, and was filled with activity. A small ice rink had been set up on one end, children and couples gliding cheerfully across the shiny surface. Christmas light displays were set up throughout the area, unlit during the day. On the other side of the park were lines of horse-drawn carriages, waiting patiently for customers.
Jason led the way towards the scene of the abduction. Dillon Mackelray had been visiting the park with his parents six weeks ago when he was taken. According to the boy's mother, Dillon had shown an interest in the horses, and had gone for a closer look. His parents had been in discussions with a carriage driver about taking a tour of the city's decorations when Dillon's father had noticed he was missing.
Checking the file in his hand once more, Gideon led Morgan towards the furthest buggy to the right. The writing on the side of the carriage read 'Wilcox Horse & Buggy' - the buggy the Mackelray's had been soliciting. A stout man in a black winter jacket and top hat was checking the tacking on the gray mare when they approached.
"Excuse me, I'm Agent Gideon, this is Agent Morgan - we're with the FBI. Is this your carriage?"
The man turned, frowning. "Yeah, it's mine."
"You're Edward Ramsey?" Gideon questioned, consulting his file again. "You were working here the morning of November thirteenth?"
"Call me Ed," the man replied. "And if this is about that kid that went missing a couple weeks ago, I already talked to the police."
Derek met his gaze. "Do you remember seeing a man hanging around that day? Anyone that seemed to be paying a lot of attention to the kids here? Maybe standing around the carriages?"
Ramsey shrugged. "There're lots of people hanging around here. They're all skating and petting the pretty horses. It's a busy season."
Morgan held out the blurry printout Garcia had sent them.
"He look familiar to you?"
Ed took the picture from the agent, inspecting it briefly.
"Yeah, that's Lenny Hansen," he replied, handing the photo back.
Gideon and Morgan exchanged a glance.
"You know him?" Gideon pressed.
"Sure - he does odd-jobs around the city. Fixes the carriages for extra money. ‘Lotta breakdowns during this season, with the snow and all. He takes 'em and patches them up right again. Pretty cheap, too. Used to be a carpenter."
Morgan was already on the phone with Garcia, turning away from the other two as he gave her the name to run. Gideon turned his attention back to Ed.
"Do you happen to know where Lenny is right now?"
"Well, if he's not somewhere around here, he's at home," the carriage driver replied, turning back to his horse. "Between you and me, the guy doesn't have a whole lot going on in his life."
The police car pulled up behind their SUV just as Hotch was stepping out of it, Reid following suit on the other side. The driveway was long and winding, the house surrounded by a sparse forest of trees, neatly sprinkled with freshly fallen snow. Further up the driveway, a man in a red winter coat was loading firewood into the back of a pickup truck. He turned upon their approach, still some feet away as the police officers exited the patrol car behind them. Hotch stepped forward.
"Leonard Hansen?"
The man didn't wait for Aaron to pull out his badge - an instant later he was running towards the woods next to his house, Hotch in quick pursuit.
The inch of crunching snow beneath their feet did little to impede either man, merely accentuating their rapid footsteps as they raced through the cold winter afternoon. Hotch could hear Officer Martin not far behind him, while Reid and Officer Dubois brought up the rear, the latter radioing for backup as he followed.
Hansen knew the territory well, but Hotch was a fast and determined runner. He kept pace with him easily, darting around the occasional tree or snowdrift with practiced ease. They were nearing a rocky hill, and Aaron wondered whether there was a plan in mind or if this was simply panic running. The suspect began to climb, his pace slowing as he was forced to find footholds in the stony escarpment. Hotch reached the bottom, hesitating for only an instant before racing up the snow-covered hill. His foot slipped on an icy stone, causing him to lose his balance, but he quickly recovered, his hands groping in front of him as precaution.
Hansen was only a foot or two ahead of him now, having nearly reached the top of the mount. Turning quickly on heel to gauge the progress of his pursuers, Lenny lost his footing on an ice-coated rock. Hotch watched as he struggled for a moment to regain his balance before crying out as he vanished over the side. Mere seconds behind him, Aaron reached the top, ensuring he had a steady footing before peering over the edge.
Lenny Hansen was spread-eagled at the base of the hill some feet below, his head caved in from bashing against the rocks as he fell. Hotch could do little more than stare at the sight as Officer Martin came up next to him. After everything they'd gone through the past four days, their one lead to finding Tyler was gone.
Hotch turned and began making his way back down as Officer Martin radioed the status of their suspect. Reid and Officer Dubois were some feet away, their running slowing to a confused stop at his actions. Aaron numbly trekked past them, walking back in the direction of the house, ignoring Reid's inquiries as to what had happened as sirens wailed in the distance.