Yet Another Case (This One Will Be Weird) Masterlist
Summary: Henriksen got kicked off the Winchesters' case. Who better to take it over than the BAU?

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Yet Another Case (This One Will Be Weird) Masterlist
Summary: Henriksen got kicked off the Winchesters' case. Who better to take it over than the BAU?
Chapter One: Monday
Chapter Two: Friday - Adolescence
Chapter Three: Stanford Era
Chapter Four: His Brother's Keeper
Chapter Five: Murderer
Chapter Six: Dean's Heart
Chapter Seven: On a Bender

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Yet Another Case (This One Will Be Weird)
Chapter Three: Stanford Era
Summary: Prentiss presents her findings on what Sam's life looked like while he was at Stanford.
Based on the events of S01E01: Pilot
"I'm just going to get right into it," Prentiss said, coming to stand next to the projector. "Sam's time at Stanford was pretty normal. In his first year, Sam's roommate, Brady Thomas, introduced Sam to Jessica Moore, who later became Sam's girlfriend. They moved in together in Sam's third year, and based on all accounts, they were head over heels in love."
Garcia pressed a button on her computer, and an image of Sam, his hand holding the waist of a young, attractive blonde woman, appeared. Prentiss continued, "As we know, in November 2005, Jessica was killed in a house fire."
"Academically speaking, Sam was a model student. He participated in his classes, handed his work in on time, interacted well with his peers, and was all around well-liked." Prentiss said, images of Sam with his college friends popping up on screen. "He wasn't a party animal, but he was still quite socialable. What JJ presented about his childhood really throws me - Sam seemed perfectly adjusted during his time at Stanford; he just doesn't at all appear to be the victim of abuse and neglect he is."
"Well, I went through Sam's records for the time at Stanford - it looks like he didn't have any contact with his father or Dean." Garcia added, "But Sam's emergency contact for the first year and a half at Stanford was 'D. Winchester'. It was changed to 'J. Moore', Jessica."
"If Sam really didn't speak to his father or brother while he was at Stanford, it could explain why he seemed to be so well-adjusted." Reid spoke up, "Maybe he was away from the people who dragged him down."
"That's true," Prentiss shrugged, "Two days before Jessica died - October 31st, 2005 - Dean reportedly broke into Sam's home. Dean told Sam that their father was missing, and they left together. Sam didn't tell anyone where he went. Sam got back before 6 AM on November 2nd, apparently coming home to his apartment on fire, and Dean pulled him out. They stayed until after Jessica's funeral, and then they disappeared."
"Jesus." Rossi hummed.
"That's the basics of it - I did get recordings of my interviews with Sam's peers. Garcia, can you play the tape of my interview with Brady?" Prentiss asked.
"Your wish is my command, madam." Garcia smiled, pressing play on the audio.
-
PRENTISS: It is 12:45 pm on April 14th, 2007. I am Special Agent Emily Prentiss with Brady Thomas. Please state your name for the record.
THOMAS: Brady. Brady Thomas.
PRENTISS: Mr. Thomas, do you acknowledge that this interview is being recorded?
THOMAS: Just Brady, please. And yeah, I acknowledge this interview is being recorded.
PRENTISS: Do you consent for the audio of this recording to be shared with other law enforcement officers?
THOMAS: Yes, ma'am.
PRENTISS: Thank you. So, Brady, you were friends with Sam Winchester at Stanford, correct?
THOMAS: Yes. We were roommates during our freshman year. When I showed up, Sam was already unpacked and everything.
PRENTISS: What do you remember about the first time you met Sam?
THOMAS: He picked the bed closest to the door, which I thought was a little odd. He'd only brought one duffel bag with him, and it wasn't even full.
PRENTISS: And you are the one who introduced Sam to Jessica Moore, correct?
THOMAS: Yeah. Jess. God, she was so out of his league, but I guess she had a thing for tall guys. [LIGHT LAUGH] And Sam, well, he's huge. Guy's a giant; it's the first thing about him you notice. Yeah, I introduced them at some party, and they got along great. They started dating pretty quick.
PRENTISS: What was their relationship like?
THOMAS: It was great. It
was really great. I mean, I know college relationships don't really last, but Sam and Jess had something special. Sam was planning on proposing to her. I took the guy ring shopping, for crying out loud. He said that once he'd gotten into law school and knew he could give Jess a future, he'd propose.
PRENTISS: Did anyone else know that Sam was going to propose?
THOMAS: Oh, God, no. Sam was so scared that someone would tell Jess about it. I'm the only one he told, as far as I know. And, you know, he was super wasted when he told me. [LAUGHS] After that, he stopped getting drunk; he was too scared he'd get all sappy and tell Jess. It was a shame, really. Sam was a very happy drunk.
PRENTISS: Do you know if Sam and Jessica ever fought?
THOMAS: They had disagreements, of course. [PAUSES] I think the only thing that they ever actually fought about was Sam's family. Sam never wanted to talk about them, and Jess thought that he was ashamed of her or that he didn't trust her. [PAUSES] Like, they'd been dating for over a year when Jess found out Sam had a brother. He didn't even tell her outright. He had a nightmare and was screaming for him or something.
PRENTISS: Did Sam have nightmares often?
THOMAS: Yeah. When I was his roommate, he'd wake me up with his thrashing almost every single night. They always seemed really intense, too. He'd wake up sitting straight up in bed, like in the movies. It always kind of freaked me out.
PRENTISS: When Sam and Jessica fought, do you know if it ever got violent?
THOMAS: No, never! Sam would never lay a hand on Jess.
PRENTISS: Did Sam ever display any odd behaviour that stuck out to you?
THOMAS: Yeah, actually. He never made me uncomfortable or anything, but the guy could be weird. He totally had some major OCD. [PAUSES] It was always this weird thing with salt. He'd put it on the windowsills and by the doors. Whenever I asked him about it, he'd just say it was his OCD. [LAUGHS] I mean, it was weird, but harmless. It was just salt, y'know?
PRENTISS: What can you recall about the Halloween Weekend from 2005?
THOMAS: Uh, I was out at a big party Halloween night; I didn't get home till like, 3 AM. I didn't really see Sam or Jess, cause Sam was never big on Halloween, so they didn't stay out long. Listen, you'll probably get a better recollection of this from Amanda, Jess's best friend.
PRENTISS: I have an interview scheduled with Amanda later today. Is there anything else you remember?
THOMAS: I was Amanda's boyfriend at the time, so the two of us were at my place. We were like just getting to sleep when Amanda got a call. It was Jess, and she said that Sam had just taken off with his brother and was acting all weird. I shot Sam a text, but he never responded. Amanda and Jess stayed up on the phone for like, an hour, then we went to sleep. I feel like I wasn't as worried as I should've been. [LONG PAUSE] It's just, Sam always seemed like a sensible guy. I didn't really think of him as the type to do something stupid.
PRENTISS: Do you know why he left?
THOMAS: Something to do with rescuing his alcoholic, junkie father, apparently. I thought Sam was just on a quick trip and was busy with family stuff. I mean, the whole thing kind of shed light on why Sam never wanted to talk about his family. I mean, talking about your alcoholic, probably abusive dad isn't much of an icebreaker.
PRENTISS: What do you remember from November 2nd?
THOMAS: Not much, really. I didn't see the fire start, or anything. I saw it later, and the whole building was just engulfed in flames. Sam, he was sitting on the front lawn with this other guy - his brother, apparently - and he was just sobbing. His brother was holding him back. I think Sam wanted to run back in to try and save Jess. I didn't really talk to him much. Sam, he withdrew right when Jess died. He, like, clung to his brother. It was a little weird, really. I mean, I guess I talked to him a little bit at the funeral. Sam gave this beautiful speech. [LONG PAUSE] I tried to keep in contact, but... Sam dropped out. He said that he needed time. We emailed back and forth a couple of times, but his Stanford email got deleted, and I couldn't contact him after.
PRENTISS: Did he ever tell you where he was going? What he was doing?
THOMAS: He said he was going on a road trip with his brother. He never did say where, though.
PRENTISS: Alright, thank you, Brady. If you hear from Sam or remember anything else - don't be afraid to call.
-
"So, Sam was relatively normal while at Stanford," Rossi said once the recording ended. "Clearly had some issues, but seemed to be coping fine, and then, all of a sudden, he's on a crime spree with his brother? That's one hell of a switch-up."
Prentiss cut in, "I've got another tape, my interview with Amanda Bowman, Jessica Moore's best friend. Garcia?"
"Of course, my liege," Garcia said, playing the next tape.
-
PRENTISS: It is 3:34 PM on April 14th, 2007. I am Special Agent Emily Prentiss with Miss Amanda Bowman. Can you please state your name for the record?
BOWMAN: Amanda Bowman.
PRENTISS: Do you acknowledge that this interview is being recorded and consent for it to be shared with other law enforcement officers?
BOWMAN: Yes, I acknowledge that I'm being recorded.
PRENTISS: Thank you. To start, how well did you know Sam Winchester?
BOWMAN: Not that well, honestly. He was just dating Jess, my best friend, at the time. We never really hung out. We were more acquaintances than anything. He seemed nice, I guess. Sam was... a little shy. He was never big on going out or partying, so our paths never really crossed.
PRENTISS: What can you tell me about the events of October 31st, 2005? When Sam disappeared.
BOWMAN: I was pretty drunk, but sure.
PRENTISS: Just do your best, Miss.
BOWMAN: Okay, well, Brady Thomas, my boyfriend at the time, and I had just gotten back to his place after a Halloween party. It was like, 3:30 in the morning, and then my phone rang. Jess was calling me.
PRENTISS: What did she call about?
BOWMAN: She was freaking out. She told me that Sam was gone, and I thought she meant that they had broken up.
PRENTISS: What did Jessica tell you?
BOWMAN: She said that Sam's brother, some guy named Dean, or something, had literally broken in, like picked the lock and everything. Jess said that Dean attacked Sam, but then by the time Jess got downstairs, they were just standing in the kitchen, talking.
PRENTISS: Did Jessica tell you what they were talking about?
BOWMAN: I'm not sure. I remember Jess saying that Dean, like, hit on her when he first saw her, which is just gross, like that's your brother's girlfriend. [PAUSES] Sorry. I got a little off track. Jess said that Dean told Sam that their dad was missing, and then Sam said that he didn't care.
PRENTISS: I'm sorry, Jessica told you that Sam said he didn't care?
BOWMAN Yeah. Like, not at first. Then Dean said something about a hunting trip, and Sam got all tense, then left to talk with Dean outside. Jess said that she tried to listen in, but they went and stood way out by Dean's car.
PRENTISS: Did Jessica say how long they talked for?
BOWMAN: No. Jess said that Sam came back in and packed a bag. He apparently told Jess he'd be back in time for his interview on Monday, and then he just left.
PRENTISS: Now, I understand that this may be difficult, but can you tell me about the fire on November 2nd?
BOWMAN: [INHALES DEEPLY] It was horrible. [PAUSES] I saw Sam go inside before the fire started, and this other guy was waiting outside by this old black car; I think it was Sam's brother. All of a sudden, the guy just ran inside and dragged Sam out. I could hear him [SNIFFLES]; he was begging the man to let him go, to let him go save Jess. And like, a second later, the windows just exploded with flames. I saw Sam and his brother sitting out on the curb later. Sam, he's such a big guy, but the way that his brother was hugging him made him seem so tiny. [STIFLED SOB]
PRENTISS: Did you speak to Sam after the fire?
BOWMAN: [CLEARS THROAT] I talked to him a little bit at the funeral. He gave a beautiful speech about Jess. [PAUSE] It was kind of weird, though. He barely talked to anyone else, even Jess' parents. I mean, I could tell that he was upset, but it was so weird that Sam was like an inch from his brother the whole time. They were like, inseparable.
PRENTISS: Did you talk to Dean at any point?
BOWMAN: No. I don't think he talked to anyone other than Sam. Dean just stood behind Sam and was all broody. Scared a lot of people off, I think.
PRENTISS: Just to clarify, did Sam get back before or after the fire started?
BOWMAN: They pulled up just before it started, I think. Sam was only in there for like 30 seconds before his brother pulled him out.
PRENTISS: Thank you, Miss Bowman. If Sam contacts you, or if you remember anything else, please contact me.
-
The audio ended.
"Dean wasn't even inside when the fire started. Didn't Henriksen think that Dean started the fire? If the statement's true, it was something else completely." Morgan said.
JJ pursed her lips. "I know I'm not a profiler, but I don't think it was an accident. I mean, what are the chances that your mother and your girlfriend die the same way, on the same day? Don't answer that, Reid."
Reid started, "The chances of a house fire like that are already extremely low. I agree with Henriksen here. I think Dean started the fire. Maybe he had been at the house earlier, or he went in, and Amanda didn't see him-"
"Alright, let's not get caught up in the theorizing yet. Right now, we need to operate on facts only." Hotch interrupted, "What have we learned?"
"That Dean Winchester is misogynistic?" Morgan suggested, "It would make sense; there were no women consistently in his life."
Rossi nodded, agreeing with Morgan. "I wouldn't be surprised. We see it all the time - a boy grows up without a female role model, and he grows up with a skewed view of women. Was there anything else you found, Prentiss?"
"Nothing else on Stanford, but I did figure out where Sam went when he disappeared for two days," Prentiss said, the screen behind her showing a map. "He and his brother were in Jericho, California. Based on the police reports Garcia found for me, the two of them successfully impersonated US Marshals, but were caught for credit card fraud after their card was declined at a motel. Dean was caught, but Sam wasn't."
An image of Dean popped up on screen. He had a smug look on his face. Despite his attractiveness, he unsettled Garcia. Something about his eyes just...
"The more interesting thing about this is what the police found in the boys' motel room," Prentiss said, images popping up on the screen behind her, "In Jericho, there had been ten disappearances going back twenty years, all male, but different ages and ethnicities; no clear link. But the Winchesters had images of all ten missing men taped to the walls of their room. The locals also found some kind of journal, which they deemed Satanic, that belonged to John Winchester. A man matching John's description checked into the motel a week before the boys, under an alias. Interestingly, he checked in the day after the tenth man went missing."
"Do we still have that journal?" Morgan asked, hope daring to creep into his tone.
"Unfortunately, no. Dean escaped before it could be logged, but the locals did flag a number that was written in it." Prentiss responded, the image on the screen changing to a picture of a journal page. "It said, 35-111. Whole page, just for the number. Nobody's cracked it yet."
"If it's coordinates," Reid started, "It leads to somewhere in Colorado. I'd need a map to be more exact."
Hotch nodded, "Once we're done here, follow up on that."
Reid nodded, a slight smile on his face.
"Moving on. So, those ten missing people were never found. However, they all went missing on the same patch of road." Prentiss explained, a road map appearing on screen. "The victims' cars were recovered, but there were no bodies. Now, the first victims couldn't have been Dean or Sam. The first victim went missing when Dean was three. But I think that it's possible that John Winchester, their father, was responsible for the earlier disappearances, got into some trouble, and had his sons come finish the job. That could be why Sam got so tense when Dean said that John was on a 'hunting trip'."
"Either way, Dean escapes custody, and the two of them drop off the map in Jericho." Prentiss finished.
"Maybe they weren't involved in the disappearances at all," Reid suggested. "I know it would be a huge coincidence if they weren't, but what if Sam and Dean were just chasing down other killers, looking for inspiration. We already know that their MO is all over the place."
"That's not much of a stretch, really. We know that they're organized. Maybe they do their research beforehand, to know what not to do." Rossi added.
"Good work, Prentiss. We'll move on to your other findings in ten minutes." Hotch said.
Yet Another Case (This One Will Be Weird)
Chapter Two: Friday - Adolescence
Summary: JJ and Garcia did a deep dive into Sam and Dean Winchester's childhoods. Surprise, their childhoods were awful courtesy of John Winchester.
It was 8 AM on a Friday, and yet, Reid had never felt more awake. He'd always loved research and puzzles, and the Winchesters gave him plenty of both. The other members of his team didn't share the same sentiment. Morgan was nursing his fourth coffee. When Hotch entered the room, Reid perked up.
"Good morning, everyone. We'll start things off with Garcia and JJ." Hotch said, taking a seat. He had a large coffee mug in his hand. He wasn't the only one exhausted, clearly.
Garcia pressed a button, and the projector whirred to life. A family photo popped up on the screen. Mary and John Winchester, both with huge smiles as young Dean held baby Sam. The picture of the American Dream.
"Dean and Sam Winchester, born in 1979 and 1983, respectively, to Mary and John Winchester. Mary was a stay-at-home mom, and John worked as a mechanic. Now, before he was a mechanic, John was in the Marines. He served in Vietnam." JJ began explaining, "Their lives appeared relatively normal until Sam was exactly six months old, when Mary died in a house fire. Fire department records show that the fire had no clear cause, but the point of origin was Sam's nursery."
Reid felt the slightest pang of empathy for Dean. Four years old is old enough to be forming memories. That poor kid.
"Fire department records state that when they arrived on scene, Dean, who was four years old, was standing on the front lawn holding Sam. Their father was still inside, trying to save Mary." JJ continued, "Mary's body was so badly burned that they needed dental records to positively identify her. Now, I did manage to speak to an old co-worker of John's, a Mister Mike Guenther. He owned a car garage with John Winchester before Mary's death."
"When I talked to him, he said that the family was completely ordinary up until the fire," JJ explained, the screen now showing the driver's license of Guenther, "Just a month after the fire, John packed up Sam and Dean and left Lawerance."
"It's not unusual for a family to move after a tragedy; it's a classic trauma response," Reid added, resting his chin on his hand.
JJ nodded, pressing a button on the remote. Two academic transcripts popped up on screen. "Next, I looked into the boys' education. Based on their transcripts, Dean attended sixty-three schools from ages 6-17, when he dropped out. Sam attended a whopping sixty-eight schools from ages 6-18, then moving on to Stanford, with his full ride."
"Changing schools that often... it would certainly prevent them from being able to form friendships. That type of upbringing probably fostered intense codependence between Sam and Dean." Prentiss said, expression showing surprise at how many schools they went to. "What was it that made Dean drop out?"
"I managed to get a copy of an incident report from his last day before he dropped out; I'll put it up on the board..." JJ fiddled with the remote before an incident report popped up on screen. "Dean showed up to school with a deep cut on his inner forearm. It was stitched up, but the stitches broke open during a class. Dean didn't even say anything; one of his teachers caught him in the janitor's closet, sewing it back up himself. An ambulance was called, and Dean's father was informed."
"He didn't ask for help? He just tried to sew it back up himself?" Morgan asked, sounding almost disgusted. What kind of childhood produces a child who would rather bleed out than ask for help?
JJ sighed, nodding. "The incident report said that the teacher 'Found Mr. Winchester attempting to sew up a wound in his forearm with dental floss'. Three days after the incident, the teacher who found him tried to give Dean a card at the hospital, only to find out that Dean had been checked out AMA. Dean and Sam both never showed up at that school again."
Prentiss couldn't help feeling a little sick. "So we're looking at serious neglect on the part of John Winchester, probably abuse, too."
"Why was Child Protective Services never contacted?" Morgan asked, his tone starting to grow almost angry.
"CPS was contacted. I found thirty-three separate reports filed against John Winchester over the years." JJ answered, her voice a little bit smaller.
"Thirty-three?!" Morgan said, genuinely upset. "Why were Sam and Dean never removed from his care?"
Looking genuinely upset, JJ answered. "John always moved them before any formal investigations could happen. He would never tell anyone where he was going next, meaning that there was no way for the different PDs to be on the lookout for him."
A picture of two boys, aged around nine and five, appeared on the screen. Dean and Sam as kids.
JJ took a deep breath. She couldn't imagine what John had put his sons through, and she was the one who scoured the CPS reports. JJ couldn't help but think about what had happened to Sam and Dean that wasn't reported. JJ steeled herself, continuing. "One common theme among the reports is unexplained bruises on the boys. Another thing that was consistent in the reports was motels - it looks like they lived out of them. Based on some of the reports, it seems like John would leave Dean and Sam alone for days, or even weeks at a time. Some of the reports were filed by the motel workers themselves, which is saying something."
Hotch looked disgusted. How could a person do that to their children? Hotch wasn't the only one seething. Morgan looked ready to kill. Thirty-three times, someone reported those children as being in danger, and thirty-three times, nothing changed.
"One more thing in the reports that really stood out to me was this -" JJ said, changing the screen to show a specific CPS report. "- when Sam was in the ninth grade, he wrote a very graphic story about how he, his father, and his brother had hunted down and killed a werewolf. The writing was so graphic that the teacher, Mr. Wyatt, reported it. Multiple reports mention either Sam or Dean writing in extremely graphic detail about hunting or killing monsters."
Prentiss stared at the screen in abject horror.
"As we all know, at eighteen, Sam gets himself a full ride to Stanford and moves away." JJ finished, "Moving away from their education - Dean was actually arrested when he was sixteen."
A mugshot of a boy, about sixteen, and so obviously Dean Winchester, pops up on the screen.
"He was arrested after getting caught trying to steal peanut butter and bread from a convenience store," JJ stated. "The officers who arrested Dean contacted John, and John told them to quote, 'let him rot in jail'. So, Dean was taken to a boys' home, run by this man - Sonny Michaels."
An image of a man, his arm around Dean's shoulder, appears on screen. Dean actually looks happy.
"Dean was in Sonny's care for two months. During that time, Dean became a solid A and B student, he made friends, and he joined the wrestling team." JJ said. Another image, this one of a high school wrestling team, popped up on screen. "I actually managed to contact Sonny. He was surprisingly happy to talk about Dean. Sonny said that Dean was his greatest success story, and that he was incredibly proud of him. Sonny is actually the one who petitioned the court to drop the shoplifting charges against Dean."
"If his life with Sonny was this good, why would Dean leave?" Reid asked.
"I asked Sonny that same question. Sonny told me that Dean's father showed up one night, completely out of the blue, and told Dean he had a job to do. Sonny said that it seemed like Dean didn't want to go, but he went to be with his brother." JJ explained.
A few moments of silence passed before JJ said, "That's everything Garcia and I could dig up on their childhoods."
"Thank you, JJ. Anyone have anything else to add?" Hotch asked, glancing around the table.
Garcia shyly raised her hand, "I just want to say, these boys never had a chance."
The room quieted at that. Garcia wasn't wrong. Neither Sam nor Dean ever had the chance to learn to be normal.
Hotch nodded slightly. "Alright. Let's hand it over to Prentiss for Sam's time at Stanford."
Yet Another Case (This One Will Be Weird)
Chapter One: Monday
Summary: Hotch brings the BAU a new case, the Winchester brothers. What could possibly go wrong?
"Good morning, everyone," Hotch said, briskly walking into the briefing room. He looked unusually tense as he set down a large cardboard box in the center of the table. "Let's get started. I'm sure you've all heard of Sam and Dean Winchester."
Every person at the table tensed slightly. Nearly everyone in the FBI had heard of them. Just a few months ago, the brothers had escaped Green River County Detention Center.
Reid spoke up first, "I thought that was Henriksen's case?"
Hotch nodded, taking his seat. "It was. That is, until the Winchesters escaped Green River. Henricksen thought that Dean was responsible for the deaths of two inmates - but they were both heart attacks. There's no forensic evidence supporting his claims. Director Khan thinks Henriksen is compromised, too close to the case. He thinks that Henriksen is allowing personal bias to override fact."
Rossi hums. He's seen what happens when agents allow their own biases about a case to override facts and evidence firsthand. Hell, he's done it himself a few times.
"So, what's in the box?" Morgan asks, breaking the brief silence after Hotch finished speaking.
"During the three days the Winchesters were incarcerated, Henriksen had their vehicle. He seized everything inside. These -" Hotch says, beginning to spread the contents of the box across the table. It's dozens of passports, driver's licenses, and credit cards, "- are just some of what Henriksen found inside. There was also a massive collection of weapons and occult-type items."
Garcia silently stared at the pile in disdain. The paper trail on those would be insane. The others were similarly surprised at the sheer volume of false identification and credit cards. Reid's eyes flickered over them carefully, taking in the names, dates of birth, and pictures on them.
Hotch cleared his throat, drawing the room's attention away from the cards and back to him. "We all know that Henriksen fell into a bias. To avoid doing the same, I'm going to have us build up the profile on the Winchesters a little differently from usual. I'll give you all a basic briefing on the Winchesters. The very bare bones, the necessities to know about them. We're going to go through their lives chronologically and build the profile from there. I know that it's unorthodox, but we cannot afford to contradict ourselves over and over again. We'll look at independent events, then bring them all together to see the big picture. Understand?"
JJ and Prentiss share a look. Unorthodox indeed, but if that's what it'll take to catch a pair of murderers, that's what they'll do. The rest of the team appear to react similarly.
"Alright, go get some coffee. We'll meet back here in fifteen for the briefing." Hotch said firmly.
-
Reid already had a cup of coffee that morning, but another one couldn't hurt, especially with the case the team had now. Morgan was sitting on his left, nursing his own cup. The rest of the team looked similarly apprehensive. Who wouldn't be? These boys have made the FBI's Most Wanted List more than once.
Everyone could tell that this case had Hotch rattled; even JJ, who wasn't even a profiler, could tell that Hotch was unsettled. She couldn't help but worry, just a little. Hotch was one of the best profilers that JJ had ever known (other than Rossi or Gideon - not that she'd ever say that to either of them), and if this unsettled him... she didn't want to think about it.
When Hotch entered the room again, Garcia straightened up in her seat. She handed Hotch the remote to the projector. Hotch nodded at her, murmuring, "Thanks, Garcia."
Hotch pressed a button, and two mugshots appeared on the projector behind him. "These are our suspects. On the left, Dean Winchester, born January 24th, 1979. He was arrested for credit card fraud, grave desecration, armed robbery, kidnapping, and multiple counts of murder. And on the right, Samuel Winchester, born May 2nd, 1983. He was originally arrested in connection with his brother, but was later arrested on suspicion of armed robbery, kidnapping, grave desecration, and murder."
Prentiss raised her eyebrows, but didn't say a word.
"On November 2nd, 1983, the Winchester family's house burned down, killing Mary Winchester." Hotch continues. The images on the screen change to the burnt-out skeleton of a house next to an old family picture of a blonde woman with green eyes holding a baby. "After Mary's death, John Winchester - Sam and Dean's father- uprooted the family. John moved the boys around constantly for their entire youth, never staying anywhere longer than two months. Dean doesn't finish high school, dropping out at 17. However, Sam manages to get himself a full-ride at Stanford, where he studied pre-law."
The images change again, this time an image of the younger Winchesters' student ID from Stanford. Morgan can't help but whistle, muttering, "Where did it all go wrong for that kid? He had a full ride to Stanford."
"I'm getting to that," Hotch said, flipping the screen again. Another burnt-out building appears on screen. "By all accounts, during his years at Stanford, Sam was incredibly well-adjusted. He had excellent grades, he had friends, he was stable, and he had a girlfriend. Then, on November 2nd, 2005, his campus dorm burns down, killing his girlfriend, Jessica Moore."
Reid spoke up, "November 2nd? That's the exact same day that their mother died, isn't it?"
Hotch nodded, "The day before the fire, Dean was arrested for impersonation of a federal officer, but he escaped custody after a bogus 9-1-1 call that was most likely made by his brother. After the fire, Sam dropped out of Stanford. He told his friends he needed a break after Jessica's death."
JJ nodded along, feeling the slightest pang of sympathy for Sam.
"A few months after he dropped out, Sam and Dean are back on the radar again in St. Louis. Two women were raped, beaten, and killed," Hotch explained, the image on the screen flashing to crime scene photos, grisly and bloody, "Dean was caught torturing a third woman, Rebecca Warren. Dean managed to flee the scene after injuring two S.W.A.T. agents, but was later found shot in the chest, dead, at the crime scene. The body was identified as Dean Winchester and buried under that name."
"So, Dean... died?" Prentiss asked, tilting her head.
"Not quite," Hotch said, the mugshots flashing on the screen again. "About a year after the St. Louis murders, Dean is caught standing over the body of Karen Giles."
An image of a woman pops up on the screen, next to a picture from the medical examiner of her corpse.
"Wait, if Dean didn't die in St. Louis, who was buried there?" Morgan asked, sipping his coffee again.
"One of the many mysteries of the Winchester case," Hotch said flatly, continuing his briefing. "Sam was arrested shortly after Dean."
"Karen Giles' husband, Anthony, was killed in his office a few days before Karen." Hotch continued, "During the interrogation, against the advice of his lawyer, Dean chose to confess. During his filmed confession, he actually blamed the Giles murders on a 'vengeful spirit' and claimed that the St. Louis murders were committed by a 'shapeshifter who looked like him'. More importantly, while Dean was 'confessing', Sam managed to escape custody."
When Hotch mentioned Dean blaming the murders on supernatural creatures, Prentiss briefly thought that the boys may be delusional, but upon learning that Sam escaped during the confession, that thought disappeared. "So, most likely, they aren't delusional killers. They seem way too organized and strategic for those to be signs of a genuine delusion."
Reid nodded, "I agree. It's highly unusual for genuinely delusional killers to work in a team, let alone a team this organized."
"Yes, it's likely that Dean was saying that as a distraction for Sam to be able to escape." Hotch explained, "After Sam's escape, the details get a little hazy. Detective Pete Sheridan took Dean from the station without orders to transfer him. Somehow, there is an eventual altercation between Sheridan, the Winchester boys, and Diana Ballard, Sheridan's partner. During this altercation, Sheridan was shot and killed, and the Winchesters escape. It's still unclear how that situation unfolded."
Rossi's eyes narrow. As if Dean Winchester miraculously coming back from the dead wasn't enough, he and his brother were regular Houdinis.
"It's after Baltimore that Henriksen was initially brought in. He first made contact with them after they took control of a hostage situation in a Milwaukee bank. During this time, the Winchesters killed two people." Hotch said, changing the images to show the body of an African-American man and the body of a young caucasian woman. "The woman was found with part of her arm skinned. The coroner ruled that the skin was removed pre-mortem."
Garcia gasped, which Hotch ignored, continuing to speak. "SWAT was sent in, but the Winchesters managed to subdue two agents and steal their uniforms to flee undetected."
"I'm sorry, but they managed to subdue two fully armed SWAT agents?" Morgan asked, genuinely surprised at the level of combat skill the brothers seemed to have.
"Yes, they did. The agents were knocked unconscious and restrained, but were left alive." Hotch responded. "And finally, Sam and Dean Winchester were arrested after tripping a motion-sensor alarm at a museum in Little Rock. They were arrested and incarcerated in the Green River County Detention Center. Three days after their incarceration, they escaped. Any questions?"
"Yeah, a lot," Morgan said sarcastically, finishing off his cup of coffee.
"The identities on these cards are what you're all going to be responsible for. We need to figure out where they went and what they did under these names. I'll assign each of you a set to work through. Unfortunately, we aren't sure if all of these aliases were actually used, so some of these are basically useless. However, this is the best start we'll get. " Hotch explained, getting nods from those sat around the table, "Garcia will be there to help you with any tech support you'll need. Prentiss, can I get you to dive into Sam Winchester's time at Stanford? Thank you. I'll also need someone to work with Garcia on investigating their childhood more thoroughly. JJ, you'll work on their adolescence with Garcia."
The team steeled themselves for the hours and hours of research they were all sure to have.
"Alright. If anyone has questions, come see me. We'll reconvene with what we learn on Friday." Hotch finished.
One by one, the members of the BAU filed out of the conference room. This was just the beginning.
The full version on Ao3
