Hello everyone! This is my first Criminal Minds fic. Well, first fic in general! So it's not going to be great and characters will probably be super OOC...I'd really like some constructive criticism if you have time! Thanks! :)
Also, I'm terrible at starting stories...I know this chapter sounds cheesy and predictable, but that character isn't a Mary-Sue and the story isn't predictable though it sounds like it is in this chapter..! xD
I don't own anything in this story except for the words themselves!
"Spencer."
Spencer paused and turned around to face his mom in the bright sunlit room.
"Did you get Vicki some food too?"
Spencer frowned, muttering, "Mom, please eat your supper..."
"Spence, she's your little sister. If you're making food for me you have to make some for her."
"Mom.."
"Don't 'mom' me. She's barely 5 years old, she looks up to you to take care of her. Ever since your dad left...She needs a father figure and right now you're the only male she sees. Show her they aren't all distrustful and weak.." Her stern tone vanished as Diane looked back to the books surrounding her on the bed. It was a complete mood change. "Now go get Vic some supper." She smiled up at him.
Apparently dismissed, Spencer sighed and walked out of the bedroom.
Spencer Reid watched tiredly as his computer shut down. It was late in the evening at the BAU. A few stragglers of employees still hung around, including Hotch. Reid glanced over his shoulder at the office of his team member. The regular pose of Hotch was silhouetted in a sepia tone underneath the lone lamp on Hotch. Reid knew Hotch would stay late tonight. Dual cases had just ended, both equally important. Their outcome reports had to be in by dawn.
Reid grabbed his coat and wrapped himself up. Cold January. It was barely a new year and already the dead and murder and mayhem had been imprinted on them here at the BAU. Every year it was the same.
Reid stepped out into the cold night, his breath coming out as heat left his body. He buttoned the last of his coat and headed to his car, snow crunching beneath his feet with hands shoved in his pockets, fumbling for keys as he neared his car in the ramp.
"S-sir?"
Reid stopped and turned around to where the meek voice had come from. A girl stood there, no older than 17 he guessed. She looked sick. Her hair was a mess and a thin nightgown was all she had. Her nose was red from cold and her chest heaving after running barefoot.
"...Can I help you?" Confusion was evident in Reid's voice. It's not every day he was approached by a teen.
"I-I need help..." Her voice faltered as did her footing. She left out a soft breath before collapsing to the snow had Reid not caught her. She was freezing. Wide-eyed, Reid took a moment's thought to hoist her in his arms and get to is car. He carefully set her in the backseat before blasting the heat and and driving quickly back to the BAU office to get Hotch.
"WHERE IS SHE?"
"Mom, please, calm down..."
"WHERE IS VICKI?"
"She's gone mom, she's not coming back..."
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?"
"Nothing! Mother, please!" Spencer exclaimed. He words of truth weren't enough. Diana slapped her ten year old son hard across the face, enough for him to stumble slightly. She hardly cared about the impact that would have. Her emotions were too much as she started sobbing before rushing into her bedroom. The door slammed enough to shake the walls of the living room Spencer was in.
He sat down on the sofa, his heart racing and adrenaline caging him. His pale hands shaking, the pill bottle fell from his fingers onto the floor.
"Hotch I'm glad you're still here!"
Hotch stared at Reid before ushering the person on the phone to a goodbye, hanging up and looking sternly at Reid. It was midnight. He knew Reid was here rather late tonight, but Hotch was sure he saw him pack up his stuff to leave."What's wrong?"
"A teen girl just came up to me, I think she may need help—She does need help. She's in my car now."
Hotch grabbed his coat and followed Reid down. "Was she hurt?"
"I couldn't tell."
"And she just came up to you?"
"She had been running." Hotch continued his interview until they were right outside the car. Reid sometimes tended to be an UnSub magnet. Hotch had no reason to doubt this wasn't a relation.
"I don't understand, she was just here..."
"You said she was breathless, it may be she was running from someone holding her captive."
Reid circled his car again, glancing up every now and then in other directions to look for retreating footprints in the snow. "My car was locked, it still is..."
"Then maybe she went of her own free will." Hotch leaned down and looked at the back window. "A gun could pierce this. Her attacker most likely threatened her with one ."
"She could have ducked.." Reid looked up at Hotch with a puzzled expression. "I should have just called you to come down."
"You didn't know she was being followed." Hotch opened the back doors and looked at the seats. No blood, no messages, no anything. The car was still blasting the heaters yet no warmed scent of another person was there. "Go home Reid, it's late. Rather, early. Get some rest, maybe more clues will come around in the morning."
"She could be dead by then..."
"We have no proof there even is a crime."
"Hotch, she was begging me for help before she fainted! I saw her, isn't that proof enough?"
"Reid." His stern tone calmed Reid from his panicking. "I know you saw someone. I'm not denying that. But don't make this personal—The truth is we have no evidence other than an eyewitness, that person being you. And now the girl is gone. I'll alert the DC police of what you saw, they'll keep their eyes and ears open tonight. If you really want to help her, go home and get some sleep to be alert tomorrow to solve this, if it becomes a BAU case. Otherwise it's in the hands of the DC police."
Reid looked from the trodden snowy sidewalk to Hotch. Silence passed, only distant sirens and horns blaring in the downtown district. Defeated, his didn't argue the case any more. Only spoke quietly, "Can you drop me off at home? I'm going to leave my car here, in case she comes back or if the police need it."
Hotch nodded and fetched his keys, waiting in thought as Reid leaned in to shut off his own car and dropped the keys in his coat pocket.
Reid quickly went down the few short steps, sufficiently covered by the shadows of trees over his apartment's front courtyard. He turned and watched Hotch pull away and drive off into the street, not surprised to see Hotch's car headed back to the BAU instead of home.
After a moment of silence Reid turned back around and headed down the narrow sidewalk.
"I knew you would live here.."
He stopped, heart skipping a beat at the familiar voice.
"In your car, there was an address so I came to it, to here. I didn't feel safe on those streets, I saw his car pass yours when you were inside. I'm sorry I ran.."
Reid's shoulder's visibly relaxed as he sighed in relief, his usual official FBI tone dimmed down with his nerves. "Hearing your reason, it's alright. I won't leave you alone like that again. My partner is calling the police about tonight, they'll want to talk to you in the morning."
"I don't want to talk to the police."
"They can help you, I promise. Whoever you're running from. It's my job to track down people who hurt others..and if you're in trouble..." He offered a slight smile.
"...I hate police..." Her voice had dropped volumes. She took a step back from Reid, afraid.
"Please, don't run again. Maybe whoever you're running from told you cops and FBI were the bad guys, but we're the opposite." His voice grew bolder and calmer at once when she drew a knife in her hand. He stared at it for a moment but his eyes trailed back to her face. Reid's hands came out from his pockets immediately, showing her he had nothing to harm her with. "Please, I'm not going to hurt you."
"You're lying to me.." If fear was with her now, she looked terrified next, staring over Reid's shoulder. "H-He's coming, he's right behin—NO!"
Everything happened at once. Reid smelled alcohol very close to himself, heard a man and felt body heat on his back. He was shoved to the ground, presumably by the girl and man's impact. He heard a yell and then gutterly noises, retching, coughing. There was liquid soaking Reid's leg. Reid blinked and stared at the man on the ground, wreathing in weak pain. The girl had the knife clutched in her palm, breathing quickly.
Slowly her glance moved to Reid, eyes bright and wild.
Reid looked equally as frightened before sitting up in a crouch and taking control. "It's okay, it's okay, put down the knife, you got him..."
The knife dropped and the girl curled into herself, sobbing.
Reid kneeled over the man as he gave his dying breaths. Reid dialed 911 and briefly explained the situation. "A middle aged man was stabbed outside of Preston apartments, upper abdomen..." He looked up and the girl was taking off down the street.
"Wait!" Reid hung up the phone, rushing after the girl.
