Alison: Hi guys! So Gothina234 and I have decided to write a story together for you lovelies and this is the result. Personally I'm super excited and can't wait to see what you guys think! Both of us will be working on every chapter so this is as much her baby as it is mine and I hope you like it all the more for the different styles of writing the two of us bring to the table. We're in this together =) (despite our 8 hour time difference) and I am honoured to be her partner.
Mistakes will hopefully be minimal as there is two of us checking this over and updates should be pretty regular. Other than that, bon chance and I hope you have as much fun reading this as we do writing it!
Gothina234: Hi everyone! I am very happy to be writing this with the ever awesome and talented Alison. I hope that you enjoy this and can't wait to write more. Enjoy.
Ps. we don't own Criminal minds but we REALLY REALLY wish we did! It would probably be pretty Reid centric, poor Matthew Gray Gubler wouldn't be able to handle everything we threw at him =P
Chapter 1
…and because we all know how much we love our danger magnet…
"I don't go looking for trouble. Trouble usually finds me."―J.K. Rowling (I think this should be Reid's mantra, he and Harry Potter need to get together and discuss their impressive ability to get themselves into dangerous or otherwise life threatening situations…)
"You have to master not only the art of listening to your head, you must also master listening to your heart and listening to your gut" ― Carly Fiorina
The soft darkness was peaceful to Reid, it blocked out the troubles of reality. Reid felt the
darkness shake before realising that reality was now leaking into his peaceful abyss.
"Reid wake up" a deep voice whispered in the distance. Reid groaned before the voice started to raise its voice.
"Pretty boy, wake up!" the voice ordered.
Reid instantly opened his eyes, his body shot up and he remembered what was going on.
He looked over at a disgruntled Morgan and smiled slightly. He wanted to laugh at Morgan's mood, but thought that would only end with him in trouble.
"You were sound asleep Reid. Can I ask what you were dreaming about?"
"I wasn't dreaming of anything." Reid lied.
"Reid you know that you can speak to me about anything. You were pleading in your sleep again," Morgan said with true compassion in his voice. He hated seeing Reid struggling or being hurt by anything. He'd thought of everything the young man had been through, and there were some things on that list that no man should ever have to endure.
"It's something that I have to deal with myself, it's just I'm struggling lately. But I need to concentrate on this case. I'll do you a deal. If you let me focus on this case and ask me no more questions till we finish it, I'll tell you what's bothering me. Just wait," Reid said trying to get Morgan away from the topic of his nightmares.
"Deal, but you know that's not healthy. Holding it all up inside will hurt." Morgan agreed before departing some advice that was personal. He knew what it was like to hold a secret so dark that it scratched and clawed your insides trying to get out.
"I know but after the case. I promise." Reid smiled at him.
Morgan simply nodded. Reid grabbed for his messenger bag and pulled out the small file they had on the case. This one was highly unusual to Reid and the team. The town they had been called to was a tiny blip compared to where they usually worked. The only reason they had been invited was due to some pleading by the sheriff.
"This case seems strange" Reid observed as he stared at the pictures of a dead woman and two men.
The way they had been killed was strange. They had been poisoned with an unknown substance that had killed them after repeated exposure. Reid could tell by the needle marks in their arms that they had been dosed with it multiple times. No signs of struggle were present though, none at all.
Why would they not fight back? Why would they inject themselves with poison over and over? Reid thought.
"What's strange?" Morgan asked as his fellow agent's mind buzzed with theories and ideas.
"It's like these people killed themselves, there are no signs of struggle present. No defensive wounds. It looks more like suicide," Reid said confused.
"Well the sheriff practically begged the bureau to accept the case. Do you know what poison killed them?"
"No but I have the wonderful job of identifying it hence all the equipment I had to drag along. I don't like small towns. They feel too confined," Reid said before he felt a shiver run down his spine.
"Don't worry kid. We'll be out of here in no time." Morgan and Reid stared at the sign that read 'Salvation'. Reid felt the shiver rear its way up his spine again.
This town gives me the creeps. Reid thought.
Morgan spotted his nervousness and patted him on the shoulder.
"Reid just stay out of trouble and you'll be fine," Morgan said confidently.
I'll try.
XXXXXXXXXXX.
The sheriff watched the black SUV park itself on the street next to the morgue he was standing beside and started forward. Two men, one muscular with dark skin the other tall and skinny, exited the SUV and started toward him the first locking it with the press of a button as he did so.
"Sheriff Anderson?" The muscular one held his hand out. "I'm Derek Morgan we're with the FBI's behavioural analysis unit."
The sheriff took his hand and shook it, trying not to laugh. It was all too easy. He turned to the man's partner who was looking nervous.
He'd have to watch out for that one, he might cause problems. "And you are..."
"Reid." The man held his hand out and they shook too. "Spencer Reid."
"Dr. Spencer Reid." The one who'd called himself Derek Morgan corrected. The sheriff felt his smile slide from his face and suddenly he didn't feel like laughing any longer.
A doctor, how dare they bring a doctor–he was very close to losing it until he realised that, in truth, this was a stroke of luck. It was a sign from God that he was pleased with the town's work. After all, wasn't a doctor exactly what they needed...
"Come inside gentleman," he gestured to the front of the morgue. "We have the victims here for you to examine."
"Great, do you have anywhere I can set up my equipment? I want to draw samples of their blood to see if I can figure out what poison killed them." The sheriff turned towards the morgue, walking in front so the two FBI agents couldn't see his clenched fists.
"Of course, doctor, I'll have someone help you carry everything inside." As the two FBI agents caught up with him the sheriff turned to look the demon who went by the name of Spencer Reid in the eyes. He could already see all the pain he was going to put him through, all the things he would make him do. Maybe, just for fun, he'd switch it up a little this time. Oh yes, he felt his good mood return as they entered the morgue and had to hide his smile, this was going to be fun.
XXXXXXXXXX
Sheriff Anderson watched carefully as the two FBI agents started to examine the bodies. SSA Morgan was looking almost sick, but his partner seemed more quizzical than anything.
Of course, it made perfect sense. Why would evil, a demon, worry about death? They wouldn't, they would embrace it.
Just like Doctor Reid was doing.
The more he watched him, the more sense it made.
"Find anything, doctor?" He had to put effort into his voice to keep the hate from seeping through, honest to God effort. Out of all the sinners he'd dealt with, this one was the worst. It seeped out of him, tainting the air, making it difficult to breathe. Before the ceremony he would have to confess his sins…
He would have to be cleansed.
"Nothing yet, I'm going to take some blood samples now." He rummaged through the kit he'd brought with him and so he missed as sheriff Anderson glanced down at his watch in impatience.
Why hadn't they called him yet? They were supposed to call by now. Maybe something had gone wrong. If it had, there was going to be hell to pay.
Dr. Reid stuck a syringe into the arm of the victim closest to him, the girl. He filled a tube three quarters of the way with blood then quickly added two drops of a blue liquid to the blood which changed the colour of the mixture to a bright yellow. The sheriff tensed.
He dares to bring that black magic in here.
"Morgan, I've got something kind of funny."
"What's up kid?"
"Her blood, I did a PH test with some bromothymol blue and it's much more acidic than it should be." Morgan's forehead creased.
"How acidic are we talking? Could it have been a factor?"
"Oh this wasn't a factor," Reid stated briskly, "This was what killed her. Now I just have to figure out what they were injected with to–" he stopped mid sentence as his phone began to ring. The sheriff sucked in a breath as he watched the FBI agent answer the call and saw his face grow pale.
This is it, show time.
"We'll be right there."A pause. "Hotch, Hotch!" He pressed end and shoved his phone into his pocket.
"Reid?"
"There's been an emergency, Hotch needs us at the police station now." Reid grabbed his satchel and half ran out the morgue door, leaving all his equipment sitting on the fold out table they'd so carefully set up for him.
The other agent gathered up his friend's stuff and turned to sheriff Anderson. "I'm sorry sir but that was our unit chief, we'll phone you when this is sorted out about coming back here tomorrow."
"Of course, I hope everything's alright."
How rude, the Sheriff thought as he followed Agent Morgan out of the morgue and locked the door behind them barely able to control the glee that bubbled up inside him. Soon, very soon, they would get what they deserved.
Especially Doctor Reid.
XXXXXXXXXXX
Reid was glad Morgan had forced him into the passenger seat, because he probably would have crashed the FBI issued hunk of metal by now. Hotch had sounded panicked, so something had to be wrong because Hotch didn't do panicked. Then there'd been a crash in the background and he'd cut out. Reid had tried calling him back and when Hotch hadn't picked up he'd tried the others.
No go.
What were the odds that they were all just not picking up their cell phones because each and every one of them had forgotten to charge their PDA that morning and so each and every one of them now had a dead phone and couldn't be contacted?
He'd calculated it was probably about as likely as Garcia wearing black...
Morgan parked the car in the small lot outside the main doors of police headquarters and Reid couldn't get his seat belt off fast enough. They rushed inside nearly barrelling into their unit chief who was standing by the door.
"Hotch?" Reid did a quick scan of the room and realised that everyone seemed to be there. They were all there, and they all seemed okay. "When you called I thought something was–" He trailed off has Hotch's face remained expressionless. "Is everything alright?" Hotch nodded and Reid suddenly found he could breathe again.
"Of course, there's just something I need to discuss with you." Hotch trained his deadpan stare on Reid and gestured to a smallish, empty office with its door ajar.
"Did I do something wrong?" Reid felt the panic start to come back. He'd been a little off lately because of the nightmares, what if Hotch had decided he'd had enough? What if he was firing him?"
"Of course not." Hotch laid a hand on Reid's shoulder guiding him away from the rest of the team whom he noticed were strangely quiet, not even talking amongst themselves. Half of them were staring at him, the other half at Morgan.
That bad huh?
"Let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure."―J.K. Rowling
Alison: what did you think? We'd love to know! I would also like to say what I forgot to say at the top, that although we are writing this together the original idea is Becky's (gothina234's) and that this story would not be possible without her. Please check out more of her amazing, crazy talented, unbelievable prose by checking out her profile and stories: .net/u/1725993/
Send her a message to let her know how absolutely maginifque she is =)