A/N: This is my first Criminal Minds story, though I have more in the works. Reid's my favorite, I love the BAU's resident genius :) I mostly prefer writing gen for this fandom, but this fic is Reid/Lila, so is on more of the romantic side. Still it's also a case-fic. I'm pretty sure it's going to focus more on the case than on the relationship between Reid and Lila, so if you're not a fan of that pairing you can probably still enjoy. It takes place in Season 7; no spoilers as of yet, though I will warn you ahead of time.

PREFACE

Amber yanked once again at her restraints. Metal clanked against metal, but nothing budged, and the chains that held her prisoner stayed nailed into the ground. A defeated sob made its way passed her lips, when all her attempt accomplished was nearly ripping her arms from their sockets and bruising her wrists more than they already were.

She scooted herself back against the dirty wall and pulled her legs up to her chest, muffling her crying in the top of her knees. Her face, once strikingly beautiful, was now grimy and tearstained. Her golden blond hair was now matted a redish-brown, and hung in her face a tangled mess. Manacles circled her wrists and ankles, the cold metal biting into her flesh; her wrists were rubbed raw and bruising from tugging at them to try and escape.

A head wound painted the side of her face with dried blood, though the searing pain in her scalp had long since faded to a dull throb. Her arm was bent at an unnatural angle, and the sharp pain in her chest when she breathed made her certain she'd broken a rib. Thankfully, it didn't seem to have punctured a lung.

She didn't know how long she sat there, her own pitiful sobs and ragged breathing filling up the silence. Minutes blurred into hours, hours blurred into days. Time was irrelevant when one had nothing to do but sit and feel sorry for yourself. The quiet of the room was thick and stifling, and all she knew of was the cold and the dark and the pain.

And she waited.

Waited for him to come back.

What seemed years later, though in reality wasn't a really long time at all, the stillness was broken by the now-familiar sound of a door creaking open above her. The sound was foreboding, spoke of the agony to come, and brought the conditioned response of fear in its wake. Amber's head snapped up from her knees, not bothering to wipe at the tears drying on her face, and her blue-green eyes were blown wide in terror.

The heavy thud of footsteps descending the stairs reached her ears, and she shrank further into herself, locking her arms around her knees as she waited with bated breath for him to appear.

The footsteps drew closer, and the smallest of whimpers escaped her. Amber immediately pressed her lips together, clamping a hand to her mouth to keep herself quiet.

He appeared from the darkness, like a specter from shadows. His heavy boots kicked up plumes of dust as he approached her, and Amber cowered away. He crouched down next to her, and her heart leaped into her throat, her pulse racing; he was so close they were sharing the same air.

The smile he directed her way sent shivers up her spine. It was sharp, predatory.

"How's my little pet doing today?" he purred. His voice was all suave and charm, but Amber wasn't fooled; she knew better now. It had been stupid of her to fall for the act the first time. A pretty face and the promise of a movie deal, and that was all it had taken to make her putty in his hands.

Stupid, she thought. How could she have been so naïve?

A smile playing around his lips, the man reached to examine a strand of her hair between his fingers. Amber flinched back. He chuckled lowly at the reaction, amused.

His fingers moved from her hair to her face, trailing down the path of her cheek until he was grasping her chin in his hand, yanking her head up harshly so she was forced to look him in the eyes. She tried to fight against it, but there was no point, and she went slack.

His eyes roamed her face, drinking in her features. "You are rather beautiful, you know." His words were contradicted by the expression of disgust his face was twisted into, as he looked upon her. While his voice was smooth as silk, his face was all hard-edges and cruelty. "I bet you have dozens of young men ensnared in your pretty little trap."

Amber's heart beat loudly against her ribs. The man's grip on her chin tightened, bruising in its intensity.

"It's a powerful feeling, isn't it?" he said. "To be able to flash a smile and flip your hair, and get whatever you want. Just because you're a pretty face." His jaw clenched. Nails dug into her skin, and she whimpered. "Well, you can't fool me. You're nothing but whores, the whole lot of you. And I see just how ugly you really are inside."

Amber whimpered again. "Please… Let me go…"

Anger sparked in his dark eyes. There was a blur of movement, too quick for her eyes to follow, and he back-handed her across the face, throwing her onto the dirty ground. Her cheek stung. Tears stung at her eyes, fell down her cheeks.

"Stupid bitch," he snarled. "You're not going anywhere."

Amber shook her head, gasping for breath. "Please," she begged. "I haven't done anything!"

The man's face darkened, before he took a deep breath, seeming to be trying to reign in his rage. "It's not what you did. It's what you are."

Amber slowly pushed herself back up, her chains clanking together as she did. She pressed a hand against her throbbing cheek, now a bright red. "But I don't understand."

"I know, I know." He stood up to look down at her, his smile cruel and mocking. "All you wanted was to be a star. To be recognized. For your face to be on everyone's television screen."

He turned and walked a few feet away, and for a moment, Amber allowed herself to hope he was going away. But he came back, pulling a rack with him, covered by a sheet. He stopped next to her.

"You wanted your face to be one that no one would ever forget," he told her.

He whipped the sheet of the rack, and Amber stared in horror. On the rack was a tray, and laid out on the tray were dozens of tiny instruments, like knives, and scalpels, and tiny blades.

Amber stopped breathing completely. The scream got stuck in her throat.

"Congratulations," said the man. His eyes glittered, and the grin he wore stretched his entire face. "I'm gonna give you a face no one will ever forget."

A/N: Please review. Any sort of feedback makes my day. I'm working on the next chapter now; it's much longer, and includes all of the team. We'll start to get the case rolling, so that should be more interesting. I hope.