Authenticator

A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

A day of settling in and getting to know the new guy. Everyone seemed a bit subdued today and that wasn't really surprising; replacing Reid wasn't something which was coming easy to any of them. The only even slightly good thing about all of this was that Reid wasn't dead. He was just too messed up to be employable by the FBI anymore.

The new guy would probably fit in eventually the way Prentiss did and then Rossi, but Reid would be missed. Well at work he would be missed by Hotch but actually he was seeing more of him now than he did when he worked here. Well having more contact with him. Not having to just look at his back through the window.

Today though the team were showing the new guy around and settling down to paper work and drinking coffee and thinking about how things should be. How Gideon should still be here, how Elle should be here as well as Prentiss. How Reid should still be here. Glances over to the desk they were so used to seeing him sit at knowing he hadn't been well for a long time now. And now he was gone.

……………………

Reid stood in front of an empty display cabinet and frowned. Tomorrow there was going to be a new display in here. Rare manuscripts and letters. They wanted him to supervise the moving of these priceless items into this area for the grand opening of the new wing. Why they chose him – the new guy he didn't know but he was nervously happy about it. He looked at the space he had to fill again and imagined where he was going to suggest the things be put. This wasn't really what he had been employed to do. He was here to check things for authenticity. Staring at papers for hour after hour looking for the smallest inconsistency. Not the most exciting job in the world and nothing compared to his last one, but it was a job, and it kept Floyd happy and Aaron was pleased so if they were both happy he supposed he should be too.

There were some things he needed to check out down in storage so he carefully closed the empty cabinet and keeping the dimensions in his mind he walked off down to the basement to look at the little extras he was thinking of adding.

………………..

Floyd had spent the morning scrubbing the floor. Hands and knees. Using the mob had become a thing of the past. Now he had to be there face inches away from the wood so he could see every grain. He hardly ever left the apartment. He stayed here and cleaned all morning and made dolls all afternoon. Aaron sometimes came by, and often Spencer worked late. He was getting bored all alone all day and was running out of raw materials for his dolls. Eventually he would have to go out. He frowned and scrubbed harder. The skin on his knuckles was cracked and bleeding but still he didn't seem to be able to get this damned floor clean enough. He had every intention of spending the afternoon sewing at his table but as the elevator rattled up and the door opened he realised it was early evening.

He looked up at Hotch then down at Hotch's feet then at the floor and up at Hotch again. He sighed and stood up. "At least take your shoes off."

"You've been doing this all day again?" Aaron slipped off his shoes and picked them up.

"Time ran away with me. Look I know you don't think I should but I really need to get out of this place for a while. I was thinking as Spence isn't coming back 'til late I could go pick him up. I just need to get out."

Aaron walked around the edges of the room and put his shoes just inside the bedroom door. "You are asking my permission to leave? I advise you don't during the day purely because I don't think it advisable to be seen by the locals. Take my car and go get Spence if you want. I will cook up something like a pizza."

Floyd picked up the cleaning stuff and looked at the floor. "Tomorrow I need to get the kitchen done."

Hotch looked at the spotless gleaming kitchen and just nodded. The elevator was rattling its way down leaving Hotch standing alone in the kitchen. He shrugged and opened the freezer door. Pizza.

………………………..

Reid was on his knees with his hands laced behind the back of his head. He had blood running down his chin from a hit in the mouth from a gun butt. He felt sick and woozy. A gun was pressed against the back of his head.

"Are you Dr Reid?" A snarl from the man in a plain white mask.

"I don't have anything." The gun pressed harder.

"Are you Dr Reid?!"

"Yes." Trying to sound like he wasn't terrified.

"Get up. Get on your feet."

He felt the gun moving down as he stood on groggy feet and pressing now into his kidneys.

"The vault." Pushing Spencer forward with the barrel of the shot gun.

He stepped over the mess which used to be the assistant curator. He knew that they weren't afraid to kill and he was a nothing. Just the authentication expert – nothing important enough to keep him alive for but they asked for him by name. What the hell did they need him for? It was a walk down a flight of stairs down into the bowels of the building. He didn't know what they wanted with him but they weren't going to be getting it by way of him.

……………………..

Floyd stood in front of the blue painted door and rang the bell. He stood just out of sight of the spy hole. It would be nice to enter without smashing down the door. He didn't have to wait long before the door opened and a pleasant looking young man stood there with wide open eyes.

"May I come in?" And Floyd was pushing his way into the room.

"Erm." The guy closed the door and stood staring at Floyd.

"I thought you were dead."

"Ditto."

"Pardon?" The young man was looking very worried.

"When I tore your friends apart and ate their hearts and livers. I thought I had all of you but I missed you didn't I?"

Floyd walked over to the terrified guy and ran fingers over his face.

"Please don't. Whatever I did I am sorry."

"Whatever you did? You beat my lover. You took advantage of his weakness and his sexuality and kicked the shit out of him. You touched my things and dirtied them with your filth. You dared to despoil that which belongs to me. That is what you did."

"It it wasn't me!"

"You are Marty?"

A slow nod.

"Then my friend it was you and to be totally honest even if it wasn't I would still skin you alive and eat parts of you because that is what I do."

Marty turned to run but Floyd had a hand on the back of his neck his nails digging in drawing blood. A hand on the back of the man's shirt ripped it off and it would have been now Marty would have started to scream if Floyd hadn't thrown him down to the couch and pushed his face into the soft leather seat. Again digging his fingernails into the back of Marty's neck he began with bare hands to tear the flesh from the man's back.

It was a messy bloody affair but Floyd was careful. He needed long strips of this pale skin for a doll he had planned. Once the back was completed he flipped Marty over. He had stopped breathing at some point but that didn't matter. In fact it was even more fun. He felt for a pulse and found non.

Floyd had fun with Marty.

When the fun was over he ripped off fingers and toes and put them in his pocket for later. He went to the kitchen and got plastic wrap and after carefully folding his fine new collection of skins he wrapped them in the wrap. He liked to keep it moist.

He looked down at the dead ripped up form and smiled. Bending down he gave him a kiss goodnight and left the way he came in. The stuff he put on the back seat of the car and smiling a tight smirk he left to collect Reid.

…………………………

"Open the fucking vault freak!" Reid stood and shook his head.

As Floyd was getting into the car Reid was getting his face smashed against the vault door.

"Open it!"

A small voice "No."

………………………

A/N: I hate first chapters of new fics….please R&R and tell me if this is worth continuing :c) thank you!!!