Perhaps the greatest social service that can be rendered by anybody to the country and to mankind is to bring up a family.

- George Bernard Shaw

Chapter one

Union Station
Washington DC

Hotch

"They found JJ's car." Morgan told him as he hung up the phone. "It's in a lot about five miles from here. Forensics is on their way now."

"Go." Hotch told him. "I want everything." He didn't have to tell him the details, Morgan knew.

"See." Rossi told him, "I told you they didn't disappear into thin air. There will be something. We'll find them."

Hotch looked around the busy station. Reid and JJ had not shown up for work this morning. No calls, no e-mail, nothing, very much unlike them. When he became impatient he'd asked Garcia to track Reid's phone, only to find it here, buried in a dumpster, with his gun and ID. And in the same pile were JJ"s things. Not a good sign, not at all. "We'd better."

Somewhere Else
Spencer

Spencer Reid opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. He hurt. It seemed like every part of him was some sharp sort of ache, a not unfamiliar ache, just sharper than normal. He closed his eyes and tried to get his muscles to relax again.

A moment later he opened his eyes. That was not the right ceiling.

Slowly he sat up and looked around. The room he was in looked to be in was small, concrete all around, even the ceiling. Light was coming from industrial style fixtures places around the edges of the room, the kind in wire cages designed not to be broken. From here he could see that the room was L-shaped. He was sitting on the floor close to the corner. Looking down the long axis he could see what looked like a kind of a stove, just past it a small treadmill and some kind of shelves. On the other side three small doors fitted into one of the walls and three bags resting side by side on the floor. Looking down the short axis he could see a tiny, self-contained, railroad style bathroom with a shower right above the toilet. In the wall just outside the bath was a sink that could be rotated into the wall. Behind him was a bed, frame, mattress, no bedding.

He could sense there was a figure on it.

He rolled about, bracing himself against the wall until he could make it to his feet. The ache shifted and increased, and he realized that it was not unfamiliar because he'd felt it before. He'd been developing a bit of arthritis in the knee that had been shot a handful of years before, and it had been throwing his muscles off. This muscle tightens to protect the joint, then that tightens in response then another set of muscles tightens in response to that and soon enough you just ache all over. This particular ache spoke of too much time on a cold, concrete floor covered with a thin layer of glued on carpeting. The spinning in his head and the clench in his stomach spoke of some kind of drug. Realizing that, he was grateful for the ache, it meant whatever the drug was it wasn't narcotics.

When he realized who was on the bed he dropped to the edge of it and let the spinning pass a bit.

When the world stopped moving he reached over and brushed the long, sunlight gold strands of hair away from her lovely face, before checking her pulse. Yes, JJ was still alive, only still out cold. For all that he was not heavy she was lighter and would take longer to process out the drug. Why was she here? Why had she been taken? He remembered heading for the bus stop, crossing an alley, the crunch of a footstep on snow, some movement then…. Must have jumped me, he thought, some kind of injection, quick-acting sedative maybe, he thought, that would explain a bit of amnesia. His attention was pulled back when she shifted a little, clearly starting to come out of it. They were both still fully dressed, thank God, having only lost coats and scarves, that sort of thing, all of which were gone.

When she shifted again he saw the bit of cotton taped to the inside of her elbow. That was disquieting. He eased it off gently, knowing what he would find; a small puncture mark over a vein, a droplet of dried blood on the cotton. Given or taken, he wondered?

He finally thought to look at his watch. He'd been out very nearly 24 hours.

We could be anywhere, he realized.

He had been working his knee as he sat there, and had finally gotten it to stretch enough to let him rise and head to the small washroom. He did what wanted doing, used the cup chained to the wall to drink deeply, and then headed back to the main room. A quick inspection revealed that the small pile of luggage was indeed their go-bags, as well as his satchel. No cell phone, of course, no gun and no penknife, but at first glance everything else looked to be there. He took his contact lens things to the washroom, switched to his glasses, and then put the kit away before going to sit by JJ again I should check out the room, he thought, I will in a moment. But, for now, he just wanted to watch her a moment more.

A loud whack from the far end of the room made him jump. It made JJ jump as well. She looked around, blinking, confusion clear on her face. "Spence. Whzzit…?"

"Shh. Just stay here. Don't move." The small doors in the wall further down had revealed themselves to be a very small washer and dryer, mounted in the wall, and a third that had no way of opening. It now revealed itself to be a drawer much like the ones in a secure prison cell. A secure pass, and a fairly large one. It appeared to only be able to be opened and closed from the other side. Spencer eased over, gave it a good look, and then looked inside.

The only thing in there was a note.

Give me what I want.

.

Notes: Yes, it's a new story. Yes, I am continuing my LJ story, but this one wants out right now.

Yes, it's a JJ/Reid story. What can I say, it wants out. Cannon to 07:02 "Proof" but not beyond that, and set about 16-18 months after that episode.

Rated M for graphic sex scenes. Het, consensual and non-violent, but still sex scenes. If you've read my earlier work it's about like that.

There will be a song that goes along with this one, but it's too soon to put the link on my profile. When we get to that point I'll leave a note.

I hope you enjoy. Reviews always welcome.

- TKL