WRITTEN BY - Lip splittin' thirst makin' babe smashin' Aaron bashin' pill eatin' fic completin' Tommy dreamin' meet 'im schemin' on 'im jumpin' ever whumpin' AGGIE
With apologies to Pepsi

RETRIBUTION

Chapter 1
Freedom

"The only reason why we ask other people how their weekend was is so we can tell them about our own weekend." - Chuck Palahniuk

Doctor Spencer Reid put his pen down with a flourish, and looked around the deserted bullpen. Everyone else had gone to the pub (the girls and Morgan) or had gone to Aaron's to eat pizza, drink beer and watch the game (Dave, and Aaron). He had been invited, but one tooth cracking experience trying to eat a Hotchnerised pizza was enough, at least for this week. No, Spence had his free weekend planned down to the last minute – he was going to spend all of them reading graphic novels and scanning e-bay. He thought he might even go to bed.

He put the pen in the drawer of his desk on top of his laptop, and locked it, and dropped the key into his messenger bag. He realised that he was smiling.

"Two days to myself." he said out loud. He decided that on the Sunday afternoon he would call Aaron and ask him to come over. He had a new game, and the two player was much better then the one player version. He knew Aaron wouldn't have a clue, but that made it even more fun. Aaron knew how to laugh, even though many who thought they knew him would disagree.

As he got into the lift he was laughing out loud. Aaron couldn't even do Space Invaders! Computer games and pizza – not exactly Aaron's forté.

As the doors opened on the parking level, he had his head down, trying to find his car keys in the bottom of his bag. He was unconscious on the floor before his brain even registered the man by the lift doors with the baseball bat.

"You hit him too hard! That wasn't necessary."

"We have to knock him out. Otherwise he will remember. Stop moaning and help me lift him."

Completely out cold, he was unaware of the two men who lifted him up and dumped him in the boot of the car. The lid was slammed shut, and the car quickly drove away up the ramp. Reid's own car followed it out into the early evening traffic.

-0-0-0-

"So, JJ, you going to spend the weekend with Will?" Emily said, smiling at JJ's growing baby-bump.

"Of course!" She looked at her watch. "Plane leaves in three hours. I'll have to get going soon." She turned to Garcia. "What about you?"

"I'm off to Camelot for a romantic break." she said, also checking the time. "I have to go; he'll be waiting for me!" Morgan laughed. He was planning to gate crash the game soon. He was working on a character called the Dark Warrior. As soon as he was ready, 'watch out Lady Penelope'!

The other two grinned at her. "When are you going to meet him in the non-virtual world?" Emily said. "You've been adventuring with him for two years now."

"Oh, never!" Garcia said, determination in her voice. "There's no way I'm going to spoil what we have." She picked up her glass and drained the last inch of ale. "See you Monday, girls!"

"Yeah. And me." JJ said, picking up her bag. "Enjoy!"

Emily sat quietly with Morgan for a few minutes, before she followed them out. She was going to spend the weekend watching NCIS. A bit sad, really, but the thought of two days doing what she wanted was great. Although she was glad the other two didn't ask her what she was going to be doing.

Morgan was getting up, downing the last drop from his glass. "I'm going on to Night Owls." he said to Emily. "Do you wan to come along?"

Emily smiled at Morgan. "Thanks, Derek, but it's not for me. But you have fun now!"

"Sure will, Ems!"

She stood and swung her bag over her shoulder.

Two days! Wonderful.

-0-0-0-

Aaron took the pizzas out of the oven and scowled at them. Why couldn't he do it? Surely it wasn't that hard!

He put his foot on the pedal and opened the bin, depositing the black discs on top of the previous black discs.

"I give up." he said in exasperation. "I am going to starve to death at this rate!" He got out his mobile and called Domino's.

"Ah hello, Mr. Hotchner! Same as usual?"

Aaron frowned at the phone. "Erm...yes, only I'd like two this time, and can you leave the jalapeños off one of them please."

A chuckle. "Sure, Mr. Hotchner. Is an hour ok?"

Aaron checked the time. Dave was due round in fifty minutes. "Could you make it three quarters of an hour please. I'll pay extra."

"Ahh there's no need for that, Mr. Hotchner. You keep us in business as it is. Forty five minutes it is. Have a nice evening." And they hung up.

Aaron slumped down in his arm chair with a sigh. He thought of converting his kitchen into a study. He certainly couldn't cook in it! He got up and went to the fridge and helped himself to a beer; nice and cold – he at least got that right. He went back to the chair and started drinking it, wishing the time would go a bit faster. Just the one beer for now, he promised himself. It was a mistake to drink alone, and he knew it. He experimented with a smile, and found he still couldn't do one. He realised that it was a long time since he had been really happy.

He made a decision to call his old shrink friend Gerry Emerson in the morning, see if he could have an 'off the record' chat about things. He leaned back on the chair and tried to relax.

When the door was knocked a little while later, he hoped that it was the pizza guy and not Dave. He didn't want to admit to him that cooking a frozen pizza was beyond him. He opened the door.

"Hi Dave." He tried to smile again, but it looked more as if he was about to cry. "Come in. The ...uh...pizza hasn't arrived yet."

-0-0-0-

JJ had called Hotch to ask for some personal time, so she wasn't expected back in the BAU until Tuesday. Dave and Hotch arrived together at eight, and Morgan was already there. He was leaning his head on his hand, going through his paper work. He was nursing day two of a hangover, but he was sure he was not going to tell anyone. He looked down at the page in front of him, and wondered why Reid wasn't in doing it for him like he usually did. In fact where was he? He wasn't exactly late, but he was habitually early.

Dave and Aaron greeted him as they went to their respective offices. Morgan waved his hand, and opened his drawer to get two more pain killers.

Garcia bounced in in her usual indomitable way. "Hey! Gorgeous! Have a good break?" she trilled as she made for her bunker. "Mine was fab!"

Morgan grinned despite the ice pick in his eye socket. "Great, Princess!"

Just you wait, Baby Girl! Just you wait!

Hotch came out of his office again, and leaned on the rail around the walkway. "Ok team, debriefing in thirty minutes in the conference room." He glanced around the bullpen. "Where's Reid?"

"Not in yet, Boss." Morgan answered.

Hotch checked the time. "Well, he's not late yet. Let me know when he get's here."

-0-0-0-

Reid was in the driver's seat of his car, sleeping. The landlord of the pub whose car park he was sleeping in had noticed him late the previous evening. While he didn't want stray drunks using his car park as a free overnight stop, he understood, and it was better that they did that than drive after drinking. When he looked out the next morning and the car and occupant was still there he was a bit concerned, and he went out to check on him.

Reid jumped awake as the landlord opened the car door.

"Oh I'm sorry, mister. You have been here all night, and I was just checking that you were ok."

"I ...er...um..." Spencer stammered. "What day is it?"

"Woah! You have a wild weekend did you? It's Monday, eight fifteen am."

"Uh...th-thank you, and I'm sorry to have worried you." He gave the man a weak smile, and turned the key, which he was surprised to find in the ignition. "Was I drinking here last night?"

"Sorry I can't tell you that!" laughed the man. "We was busy last night!"

"I have to go. I'm late for work."

Spencer drove out of the pub car park and headed towards the FBI Office. But as soon as he was out of sight of the pub, he pulled over to the side of the road.

He tried to remember what he had been doing. He had been drinking, the splitting headache told him that. He put his hands on his forehead, as if this would make him remember.

It was a blank. He recalled leaving the office on Friday, going down in the lift. He could remember thinking he would ask Aaron over to play. But nothing else until now.

He stretched his arms in front of him on the steering wheel.

Oh god! No no no!

The track marks on his inner elbow were red and fresh. What the hell had he done?

No wonder he couldn't remember.

Oh please, surely not! No no no no!

Reid frantically rolled down his sleeves. No-one else could know. He felt thoroughly sick and ashamed. He needed to get home and shower and change, but he was already late.

With shaking hands he called Hotch.

"Yeah, Hotch. I slept through my alarm. I'll be in in half an hour."

With guilty tears running down his face, he turned the car around and headed for home.