Hello everyone. I know it's been a long time since I've posted anything. When I posted my previous stories, I got a fair response to one specific bit, called Lying From You. I have spent years trying to figure out how to put it in a full story. Here is my final attempt at doing so. My apologies if it is disjointed, seems rushed, or goes around in circles. This is also not beta'd.
I now present
Lying From You
This story takes place in season seven, a few episodes after Emily Prentiss' return.
(Break)
"Leave me alone, Hotch. Just go. I can't do this anymore."
"Spencer, talk to me. What's going on?"
"What's going on? What's going on is that I can't stand not being able to tell the world about us, and if I can't be open and honest with my family about my relationships, then there shouldn't be one. Now leave!"
Hotch stood there dumbfounded, staring at Reid in disbelief.
"Spencer, if that's what you want, we can tell everyone. I'll go back to being a lawyer, so you don't have to worry about losing your-"
"NO! Just go, Aaron. Just leave. I can't do this with you anymore." Reid picked up the closest thing to him, a candle stick, and threw it at Hotch's head.
Realizing he meant business, Aaron quickly retreated out the front door, closing it and swearing to be back in a couple of hours, after Reid calmed down.
As soon as the door closed, Reid turned around and collapsed onto the floor. Waiting a minute to make sure he heard Hotch leave, he called out, "You can come out now. He's gone."
A man stepped out of the shadows, pointing a gun at Reid's head.
(Break)
One week earlier, in Jackson, Michigan.
"We got him, Reid. He's going away for a long time," Derek Morgan said, clapping his hand on Reid's shoulder.
Reid looked up at him, a small smile that didn't meet his eyes stretching his lips. "We did, didn't we?" He looked across local Sherriff's office main floor toward the interrogation room to see Hotch telling the family of the kidnapped child that it was over. Their son was safe at the local hospital, and they were going to be given a police escort there to see him. Reid watched silently, his smile becoming more real, as the mother started crying in happiness, and the father whooped loudly, drawing eyes from all over the room toward him. They left hastily after that.
Reid was gathering up his things when Hotch approached him.
"You did good, Reid. Thanks to you, those parents will never have to worry about this guy again."
"I did what I always do. No need to point anything out. If you want to praise someone, go praise Emily for her takedown of the unsub. They should make a movie about it," Reid chuckled, earning himself a smile from his boss.
"That they should," Hotch snickered back.
It wasn't more than another fifteen minutes after that when they were headed back to the airport.
On the flight home, Reid and Hotch were sitting with their backs to each other, reading their respective reports, while everyone else caught up on a little sleep. There hadn't been much of that in the last week.
Hotch leaned back in his seat and stretched, his hands going to the front of Reid's headrest, his nails lightly scratching the back of the younger man's head. Reid smiled and reached up, pretending to scratch the back of his head, and laced his fingers through the senior profiler's for a moment before they went back reading their reports.
(Break)
Five Days after the Jackson case.
"Reid, can I see you in my office please?" Hotch asked, his face stern and emotionless.
For his part, Reid looked like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. As he got up, Morgan gave a low whistle.
"Good luck, Pretty Boy."
"Shut up, Morgan," Reid retorted, lightly slapping the back of Morgan's head as he passed him.
Once he crossed the bullpen and reached the top of the stairs, he followed Hotch into his office. The blinds were already closed, and once Reid was through the door, the older man closed and locked it.
As Reid turned around, Hotch wrapped his arms around the young man, pulling him in close, and burying his nose in the spot where Reid's neck and shoulder met, inhaling the spicy scent.
Reid, for his part, returned the gesture, placing his nose closer to Hotch's ear.
"What's going on, Aaron? You never call me in here for something like this during actual work hours," Reid questioned, concerned.
Pulling back, Hotch looked Reid in the eye, fear evident in his own. Reid gasped, and drew back a little further so he could see his lover better.
"Spencer, I don't have good news. We received a letter today, addressed to you, from Frank Hughes, Jonathon Hughes' brother."
"Jonathon Hughes? The Jackson Kidnapper?"
"Yes. We haven't opened it yet, but I don't like it. It feels wrong."
"Where is it?" Reid asked. He started shaking slightly, not enough for Hotch to notice, but the older man did anyway. Hotch started rubbing small circles on the younger man's sides, trying to calm his lover.
"On my desk. I didn't want you to be alone when you read it."
Reid and Hotch released each other, and the younger man walked around the desk, sitting himself in the boss's chair, and eyeing the envelope sitting in front of him. It had his first and last name, addressed to the Quantico building. There was no return address, just the man's name in the top left corner, a stamp in the right corner. Picking it up, Reid flipped it over, seeing nothing, before he grabbed Hotch's letter opener and slitting the top of the envelope.
Pulling out the paper, he looked at the older man's face once more, before unfolding it, and starting to read.
Dear Doctor Spencer Reid,
You know exactly who I am. What you don't know is what I am capable of. I have discovered your little secret. Which one, you ask?
Well, now, that would be telling. I just can't do that. Not yet, at least. You will know soon enough.
Until then, know this: My brother is innocent. You have arrested the wrong man. He took the fall for me. He has always been very overprotective of me, because I am the only family he has left. And you, my darling doctor, only have three days from the date you read this to have his name cleared. I will know when you recieve this letter, courtesy of a very good friend of mine at the United States Postal Service. If you do not, then you will regret it.
We shall see each other very soon, my dear Doctor. Very soon indeed.
Love causing you nightmares,
Frank Hughes
Reid dropped the letter on the desk, and fell back against the back of the chair, the gears in his mind going faster than they ever had before. Hotch, who had been reading over his shoulder, placed his hands next to the letter in an attempt to keeps his legs under him.
"We need to get the team in on this. We need to go back to Jackson. We need to figure out how he played us like that," Reid stated quietly.
Hotch looked at him.
"We got the right guy, Spencer. All the evidence pointed to Jonathon. There is nothing we are going to find that points to Frank."
"We have to try, Aaron. We have to make sure."
"Alright, tell everyone to meet in the round table room. I'm going to call the Jackson PD, and have them send us everything," Hotch said.
"OK," Reid replied, pushing himself to his feet. As he stood, Hotch pushed himself upright again, and pulled Reid into his arms.
"We will figure this out, Spencer. I will not let him do anything to you. I promise."
Reid returned the embrace, clinging to the back of the older man's shirt, and burying his face in Hotch's neck, taking any comfort he could get.
They both let go, and circled each other so Reid could go call everyone to the meeting, and Hotch took his place in his chair. Reid unlocked the door, and looked back once more at his lover, before opening it, and walking out.
"Everyone," he called from the walkway. He waited until he had everyone's attention. "Meeting in 5 minutes in the round table room."
"New case?" Emily asked.
Reid didn't answer. He just walked into the required room.
(Break)
Just as Rossi, the last agent to arrive for the meeting, sat down, Hotch blew into the room, the letter from Frank Hughes in his hand. He didn't say a word, only handed the letter to the closest person, Garcia, to read.
Garcia looked at the greeting, then looked at Reid for permission to read it.
The man in question nodded, stating, "Everyone read it, please."
Garcia nodded back, and began to read, face growing paler the further down she got. When she finished it, she passed it to Rossi, who also paled at the words. Next was Prentiss, then Morgan, then JJ. All of them were paler than when they entered the room, with varying degrees of anger on their faces.
"What the actual fuck, Hotch?" Morgan exploded. "I thought we got this guy! Now we have a letter stating that this guy is going to go after Reid if we don't prove his brother is innocent?"
Hotch glared back at Morgan. "This is what I called him into my office for, Morgan. We have only known ten minutes longer than you all have. And because we all worked this case, we all need to decide what we are going to do. It may have been addressed to Reid, but we were all part of it. Who's to say that Reid is the only target? It could be all of us for all we know."
"Hotch," Reid said quietly. "They need to know the probable secret he mentioned. Better they know now, than find out later."
Hotch shook his head. "No, Reid. Let's just figure this out, and get this guy behind bars where he belongs. No secrets need to be divulged in order for this to be solved."
Reid stared at Hotch. "Hotch, they need to know. You don't want to tell them? Tough shit! This is all of our lives that are at risk, and I will not have them put in danger for something they know nothing about!"
"Reid, no. We-"
"Hotch, either we tell them, or I go back to Jackson and deal with this on my own," Reid growled, standing and putting his hands on the table, glaring at the older man.
Hotch glared back. They remained like that for a full minute and 43 seconds before Hotch sighed, and slumped into the chair behind him. "Fine. You're right. They need to know."
"Know what?" Morgan asked, glare alternating between the two men, the question plain on his face.
Reid stood back up, and walked around the table to Hotch's side. The older man reached his arm up, and placed his hand on Reid's lower back as said man came to a stop beside him.
"Hotch and I have been in a relationship for eleven months, 14 days, and 19 hours."
At her gasp, everyone turned to Emily, who was looking at the table, her eyes bouncing left and right, though seeing nothing.
"That was two weeks after I left," she whispered.
"You were the catalyst, yes," Reid replied, expression softening a bit.
Her eyes flashed up to Reid, then to Hotch, her gaze bouncing between the men a few times more. Once the shock wore off a little more, she squared her shoulders, and stated clearly, "Well, then. Let's get this asshole. I will not have my family torn apart ever again. For any reason."
No noise emitted from anyone for a few moments, then it all erupted in agreements with the brunette's statement.
"Alright. What do we know?" Hotch asked. They stayed in the room for hours, throwing out facts and ideas, until the physical evidence was delivered. They poured over everything multiple times, each not seeing anything new.
"We can't find anything. What are we not seeing?" JJ asked.
As her voice faded, a female agent stuck her head in the door. She had short, reddish brown hair, green eyes, and an easy smile. "Agent Hotchner, the Director would like to see you."
"Thank you, Agent..."
"Cohen, sir. Stacy Cohen."
"Thank you, Agent Cohen. While you're here, could I ask a favor of you?" Hotch asked, an idea popping into his head.
"Yes, sir?"
"We are going through the evidence for a recent case, and are missing something. Would you be willing to go through everything, see if you see something that we can't? A fresh set of eyes, as it were?"
"Hotch, no!" Reid cried. "We cannot involve anyone else!"
"We do not have a choice, Reid. We can't see whatever it is that needs to be found. She could."
"I'll gladly have a look, sir. No need to tell me anything not pertinent to the case."
"Again, Thank you, Agent Cohen. I will return shortly," Hotch said as the agent took an empty seat. He got up then, and left the room.
"If someone doesn't mind, could one of you please stay, so I can throw out facts to see if it's something you all have already seen, or already know?" Stacy asked politely, pulling one of the files toward her.
"I'll stay," Reid replied. Morgan seconded, followed by JJ, Rossi, and Prentiss. "Garcia, can you go dig up everything you can on Frank Hughes for me, please? The more we know about him, the easier this might be."
"Sure thing, boy genius!" Garcia chirped as she rose and returned to her lair.
"Ok, so, first things first. Jackson, Michigan, December 10th, 2011. Is that the start date for the case?" Agent Cohen asked, looking around at everyone.
A chorus of yeses were her reply.
"You received an invite from the Jackson, Michigan Police Department to help with a serial kidnapper?"
Another chorus of yeses rose in the room.
On and on it went like that for over two hours, with Stacy throwing out facts, and getting affirmatives in response. About twenty minutes into her perusal of the case, Hotch reappeared to help. Just as they were reaching the end of the files and boxes, Hotch left again to get everyone something to eat. They continued on, just to finish getting through it.
"You arrested Jonathon Hughes on December 16th, at 8:54pm. Correct?"
"Yes," JJ replied.
"It says here that when searched, Mister Hughes had several items on his person: his wallet, a key ring with 9 different keys attached, a lighter, a pack of cigarettes, a tube of chap-stick, a cell phone, and a knife, is this all correct?"
A repeat chorus of yeses rose up. After a brief pause, Rossi stood abruptly from his chair and circled the table to where Stacy was sitting.
"Hold on, he had a knife on him? We were never told that. Let me see the list," he requested. He read it quickly once the agent handed him the paper. He place the paper on the table, and pulled the box with the Unsub's personal belongings closer to him, and started rifling through it, searching almost frantically.
As he pulled his arm out of the box, he stated, "There is no knife in the box."
"What?" Morgan asked, standing and pulling the box toward himself. He searched it item by item, pulling them out and placing them on the table. "No knife," he reiterated.
"Where the hell did it go? Morgan, go call the Jackson PD, ask them where it is. Prentiss, find out who delivered the evidence to us. JJ, go get Hotch. I'll go find out what, if anything, Garcia has dug up," Rossi ordered, before leaving the room, the others following suit, Reid and Stacy the only ones who remained in their seats.
"Thank you, Agent Cohen. We really appreciate the help. And thank you for spotting what we missed."
"No problem, Agent Reid. Let me know if you need anything else," she replied as she rose, and left the room as well.
Reid followed her out of the room, went through the bullpen to his desk. As he sat, he noticed another envelope sitting on his desk, this time with only his name. No address, no stamp, no return name or address. Lifting his head, he looked around the room, searching every face for one he didn't recognize. Seeing none, he returned his attention to the envelope, flipping it over, to see a small drawing of a smiley face where it sealed. Gripping it, he stood and headed for Garcia's lair.
Turning the corner into the hallway that had her office, Reid crashed into Rossi, who was headed back to the bullpen with all the information Garcia could get on Frank Hughes, Garcia beside him. Rossi grabbed the smaller man, steadying both of them, before either could hit the floor.
"Reid, what's wrong?" he asked.
"Garcia, I need to see security for the bullpen within the last half an hour. Now," Reid stated, brushing past both agents and continuing his heading. Garcia and Rossi looked at each other in question, before quickly following after the genius.
Once all three were around her computers, Garcia pulled up the surveillance videos for the bullpen, in the requested time-frame. As it played, the two other agents glanced questioningly at Reid, who's eyes never left the screens.
"There," Reid barked, pointing at screen. The other agents looked back to the screen, their eyes widening when they saw someone approaching Reid's desk. The man placed something on the desk, then turned, looking directly at the camera and smiling before walking out of frame again.
Garcia started typing frantically, following all the cameras, trying to locate the man as he supposedly left the building, but he never reappeared on the screen.
"He's still in the building. Garcia, lock the building down, and find him!" Reid ordered as he bolted from the room, the only thought in his mind getting to Hotch as quickly as possible.
(Break)
Rossi followed behind him, calling Morgan first, and telling him to get whoever was close and get to Garcia's office. Morgan told him Prentiss was closest, so he hung up, and called JJ to tell her the same. As he rounded the corner to the bullpen, he saw Agent Cohen, and called her to him.
"Agent Cohen, we may have an Unsub in the building. Garcia has already locked it down. Go around to every agent you personally know and tell them to be on alert. Do not tell anyone else, understood?"
"Yes, sir," she replied, then calmly walked off, eyes scanning everyone in the room.
Rossi picked up his phone and called Garcia. "Penelope, email that picture to everyone we know for sure are agents. We need him found, as soon as possible."
"Done and done, boss-man," Garcia replied, hanging up quickly to do as requested.
(Break)
Reid walked quickly through the building, straight up and into Hotch's office. Only, Hotch wasn't there. He turned and walked back out onto the walkway, scanning the room again, looking for his lover. He quickly spotted the man, coming through the doors with two bags of food in his arms, a glare on his face.
Hotch looked up, right into Reid's eyes, and he froze, for all of two seconds, before continuing on, a little faster than before. As he climbed the steps, Reid turned around and went back into Hotch's office, which drew a concerned look from the older man. He followed, entering his office, and heard the door closed, and locked behind him.
He place the food bags on his desk before turning around, only to be ambushed by Reid, who clung to him so tightly he had trouble breathing.
"Spencer, what is it?"
"There's another letter. He left it for me 17 minutes ago, on my desk. And he is still in the building," Reid replied, a little shaken.
"Another letter? And this guy is still in the building?" He asked, confused.
"Yes. I haven't opened it yet. Everyone is looking for him now."
"Ok. Then let's open it. The sooner we know what this man wants, the better," Hotch stated, releasing the younger man, then leading him to the couch opposite his desk.
As they sat down, Reid turned the envelope over so Hotch could see the doodle, then tore it open. He pulled out the single sheet of paper inside, opening it. They both read it simultaneously, Reid purposefully not just skimming it.
Dear Doctor,
Hello again. Yes, you did see me, and yes, I am still in the building. You will never guess where. You now have 18 hours. I decided to up my timeframe, seeing as you already found the knife missing. You won't find it, as I have it in my pocket.
Oh, how rude of me. Hello, Agent Hotchner. Wouldn't want to forget you, now would I? I know you are reading this along side our dear Doctor.
Now, down to business. I have changed my mind. I decided that I do not want my brother out. Now that he's no longer hovering over me, I have so much more freedom. I have also decided that there is no fun in kidnapping children any longer. They cry and ask for their parents over and over again, and they refuse to do anything you say. It gets very annoying.
No, my dear agents. I have a new target in mind. You have already figured it out, Doctor Reid. Yes, my dear boy, it's you. The time frame is no longer for you to prove my brother's innocence. It is for you to find me before I take you.
Believe me, Agent Hotchner, if I take your dear lover, you will never see him again.
Good luck, boys. I look forward to seeing you, my dear Doctor.
Very soon Spencer,
Frank Hughes
As he read, Reid started trembling, and by the end, the tremor was so bad, both men had trouble finishing reading. The paper fluttered to the floor, the fingers holding it having gone numb, no longer able to hold it.
Hotch's mind was whirling, trying to come up with plans, back up plans, back up plans for the back up plans, anything and everything he could think of.
A knock sounded. Neither man moved. The person who knocked tried the handle to no avail, then knocked again. This got Hotch's attention, and he stood to answer the door. On the other side, stood Morgan, Agent Cohen next to him.
"Hotch, Agent Cohen found something."
"What is it, Agent?" Hotch asked, his attention going from Morgan to her.
"I found a picture in the women's bathroom," she stated, holding out a hand encased in a rubber glove, the picture extended to where he can see. It was a picture of Jonathon Hughes and another man, arms on each others shoulders, smiling. Jonathon held a shovel, while the other man held an axe.
"It's Frank Hughes," came a soft voice from behind Hotch. The older agent turned around to see Reid behind his shoulder, looking at the picture. "That's the same man I saw on the security footage."
"Are you certain, Reid?" Hotch asked.
"I'm 100% sure."
Turning back to the other two agents, Hotch stated, "He won't be found. Agent Cohen, get that picture in an evidence bag, and into Garcia's office. Morgan, get the rest of the team in here. Now."
Morgan and Stacy both nodded at Hotch, then left to do as requested.
Hotch turned back to Reid, who was still standing just behind him, and closed the door again, pulling the smaller man back into his arms. "We will get him, Spencer."
"And I know how," Reid stated, pulling back a bit and looking his lover in the eyes. Hotch was relieved to see anger and determination staring back at him. An evil smile pulled on the corner of Reid's lips, and Hotch mirrored the look, loving when his man's dark side came out. It had never showed during a case before, but with how imaginative Reid could be, he was looking forward to the look on Frank Hughes face when it went down.
(Break)
Present time.
As soon as the door closed, Reid turned around and collapsed onto the floor. Waiting a minute to make sure he heard Hotch leave, he called out, "You can come out now. He's gone."
A man stepped out of the shadows, pointing a gun at Reid's head.
Reid kept his eyes on the floor, his hands on his legs.
"About time you realized he wasn't right for you," Frank said, chuckling a little bit. "I knew you would make it easy for me. Now we have a couple of hours before he returns, so I want you to go pack a couple of things so we can leave. We will be long gone before he comes back."
Reid slowly rose to his feet and headed for his bedroom, hearing footfalls behind him. Once he walked into his room, he grabbed his go-bag, and dumped it on his bed. He then went to his dresser, and began pulling clean underwear and socks out of it and putting them in the bag. Once done, he went to the closet, and began pulling shirts, pants, and sweaters off of their hangers and putting them in the bag as well.
He then went into the bathroom, and grabbed his razor, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, and body wash, placing them in his toiletry bag, then placed it in the go-bag. He returned to his bedroom, looked at Frank, and said, "I'm done," then dropped his head, chin to chest, in defeat.
Frank chuckled to himself, gun still trained on Reid, and backed up toward the bedroom doorway. "Then, let's get out of here," he said.
Reid followed. Out of the bedroom, through the living room, and out the front door. Reid turned as they exited his home, and reached back in, flipping the lock on the door handle, before pulling it closed. Frank just chuckled.
Reid started walking toward the staircase, away from the elevator.
"What do you think you are doing, my dear Doctor?" Frank asked, an edge of anger in his voice.
"The elevator has cameras, Frank. It's not the first time I've been kidnapped, though hopefully it will be the last. If you want to take the elevator, we can, but most kidnappers do not want video proof of their crime."
Frank snickered, gesturing with the gun for Reid to continue toward the stairs, and followed closely, gun pressing into Reid's side.
Reid was looking back and forth, praying no neighbors poked their head out of their doors. He was relieved when none did.
As they reached the parking lot, Frank started giving directions on which way to go. Reid followed them without comment.
They reached a street two blocks from Reid's apartment, when Frank told him to cross, then turn right into the next alley. Reid obeyed.
Once he turned, he noticed a federal vehicle parked in the alley, then turned a questioning glance on Frank. The man just gave Reid a smirk, and nudged him with the gun to keep moving and get into the SUV. So Reid did.
Frank closed the door, started the vehicle, and drove off into the night.
(Break)
After an hour of driving, Frank asked the question that had been plaguing him since Hotch had left the young genius's apartment.
"Why didn't you fight more? You're a trained FBI agent. You could have tried to take me down, or fight me at any given point, and made a scene. Why didn't you fight more?"
Reid, who was looking out the window, hummed in response. He thought for a moment, then turned and looked at Frank.
"I didn't fight because I have no fight left in me. My fight left with Hotch. When I got home and found you in my apartment, I knew I couldn't let anything happen to the man I love. So I gave up. You won, Frank," Reid said quietly, then turned back to the window.
"No, no way. It was too easy. You're planning something!"
"What could I be planning, Frank?" Reid snapped, turning to look at the man again. "Hmm? What could I possibly be planning that wouldn't end up with someone I love being hurt or killed? Answer me that! I have enough blood on my hands. I won't let my family coat them as well."
Looking around, Frank pulled to the side of the road they were on, brandishing the gun at Reid. "You're up to something, and I know it." He sat there, studying Reid for a few minutes.
When he said nothing more, Reid looked around at where they were at. "If you wait too much longer, the bureau will realize there is a vehicle missing, and trace the Lo-Jack. We need to get rid of this SUV," Reid stated, then sat back in his seat, gaze returning to the window.
Frank sat there for a few more minutes, mind turning, before he turned forward again and got back on the road. "Let them. We're already out of the state, they won't get to us before we ditch it."
Reid just shrugged, his gaze staying outside the window.
(Break)
Hotch waited an hour, then returned to Reid's apartment. He tried the handle, but it was locked. Fishing out his keys from his pocket, he found the one for Reid's door, and unlocked it. As he entered the apartment, he noticed it was empty.
"Spencer?" he called. He received no answer. "So it's on, then," he muttered, pulling his phone out of his pocket, and dialing Morgan as he retraced his steps out the door.
(Break)
Frank decided to find a new set of wheels after another 2 hours of driving following their conversation. They stopped at a truck stop and went in. Frank had the gun in his back waistband, so as not to alert anyone inside. Reid just kept his head down, go-bag in hand, and asked for the shower room. They followed the directions the clerk gave them, and soon enough, they found the large room.
Reid dropped down to sit on one of the benches, and pulled his spare handcuffs out of one of the side pockets of his go-bag. Frank's eyes went large at seeing them.
"You've had those the whole time?" he asked, incredulous.
"We always have at least one spare pair, just in case we have to use ours, or they get taken from us," replied Reid, cuffing one of his wrists. He hooked the other cuff to the bench from the back, then leaned back against the wall and put his free hand behind the bench as well. "The keys are in the same pocket of the bag. Feel free to search the rest of the bag so you know I don't have a gun or anything hidden as well."
Frank grabbed the bag, took the key from the pocket, and searched the entire bag. Once he was certain the bag held nothing else but clothes, he dropped it next to Reid's feet. He checked the bench, finding it bolted to the floor, double checked the cuffs to make sure they were closed properly, and then searched Reid, to be sure he didn't have a hidden key.
"I'll be back in minute," he stated as he turned his back on Reid.
"Well, can you make it as quick as possible? I have to pee like you wouldn't believe," Reid quipped. Frank half turned, a laugh bubbling up from his belly, before continuing on his way.
As soon as Reid was sure Frank was out of earshot, he murmured, "Can you hear me Penelope?"
"I hear you, boy wonder. Where are you?"
"Truck stop outside of Atlanta, I think."
"Got it. Keep me posted."
Reid didn't reply. Just sat there, and waited for Frank to return.
Almost ten minutes later, the man wandered back into the room, tossing the handcuff key into Reid's lap. "Time go to, Doctor."
Reid picked up the key, undid the cuff from the bench, then the one on his wrist, and stuffed them both back into the pocket on his bag. He picked up the bag, handing it to Frank, before crossing the room to the urinals. After he finished, he crossed to the sinks, washed and dried his hands, then retrieved his bag, and led the way back out of the room toward the door they entered the building from. Halfway there, a woman walked in the door, and asked for the shower room. Her pixie cut hair bobbed in thanks to the clerk as she walked past Reid and Frank to the back.
Neither man paid her much attention. As they left the building, Reid halfway turned back, thanked the man again, then continued on.
Frank led Reid to a black truck on the opposite side of the parking lot from the SUV, and told him to get in. Reid did so, placing his bag between his feet, and buckling his seat belt before training his gaze out the window. Frank started the truck, and drove away.
(Break)
Several hours, one stop for gas, a sunrise, and two more states between them and Quantico, Frank pulled the truck into another rest stop, and told Reid to get out. Reid grabbed his back from the floor as Frank reached behind the seat and produced a backpack. Once on solid ground, Frank ordered Reid into the building. Reid headed straight for the bathroom. Once they were both inside, Reid dropped his bag by the door, and went to relieve himself. Frank followed suit. Once both had washed and dried their hands, and Reid had retrieved his bag again, Frank led them back outside.
Instead of heading back toward the truck, though, Frank pushed Reid toward the treeline on the edge of the rest stop. Reid sent him a questioning look, but did not argue, and went the direction indicated.
As Reid entered the woods, he noticed there was a cleared path. He stuck to it and walked until Frank told him to stop, some 30 minutes later. Just ahead of where they stopped, no more than another 50 feet up the path, was a clearing, that had a steady glow coming from it. Through the tree trunks and bushes surrounding the clearing, it was hard to tell how many people were there, or see anyone's faces. They did hear several men and women talking and laughing, and the sound of glass clinking could be heard a few times.
Frank glanced around, the light about as bright as a cloudy day, and tried to find another way to go. There didn't seem to be one.
"I noticed another path, back about a quarter mile. We could try that," Reid suggested. Frank looked at him, considering for a few moments, then nodded and motioned for Reid to take the lead.
Reid backtracked to the path, and took it, leading the way as much as he could without tripping over things. The path was less traveled than the one they had been on before, more overgrown.
They continued walking for near an hour, when Frank called Reid to a halt. He motioned for Reid to sit on a log that was a few feet off to the right side of the path, and Reid sank on to it gratefully, dropping his bag next to him. The other man produced a couple of bottles of water from the backpack he carried, and tossed one in Reid's direction. Reid opened and drank about half of it in one go.
"Thank you," Reid said.
"Meh," Frank replied. "I have no intention of killing you yet, and letting you die of dehydration isn't an option."
"Still, thank you."
Frank didn't reply.
Reid sat there, gathering as much energy as he could before Frank decided to head off again. In his ear, he heard, "We got you, Reid. Just keep it up. We all love you." He fought a smile at Garcia's words.
Frank stood there, staring at Reid. He continued to stare until Reid started shifting in his spot, glancing up at Frank, trying to figure out why he was staring.
"What? Do I have something on my face?" he asked, running his hand around his mouth, cheeks and chin.
"Get up," Frank said instead of replying.
Reid stood, picked his bag back up, and returned to the path, turning to continue in the direction he had been going before their break.
"Stop right there, Doctor." Reid froze. "I didn't say we were going any further."
"I just thought that you wanted to continue on." Reid shrugged. He stood there, bag in one hand, bottle of water in the other, waiting for Frank to tell him to do something. Only, Frank wasn't talking. He was just standing there, having gone back to staring at Reid.
After five minutes of standing there, looking around, the silence was suddenly broken by, "Why are you being so cooperative?"
Reid looked at Frank. "Why wouldn't I be? I kind of want to come out of this alive, I don't want you trying to go after my family, and I don't want you dead. Tell me what reason I have to fight."
Frank just stared at him again, slack-jawed, his mind turning. As he thought, he started shifting his weight from foot to foot. After what seemed like an hour, Reid saw a look cross the man's face, apparently having made a decision.
"Back the way we came, Doctor." Reid looked at him quizzically, then shrugged, and started back the direction they had come. He paused briefly, long enough to slip the water bottle into a side pocket of his go-bag before continuing on again.
Once they reached the original path, Reid looked behind him at Frank, a question visible on his face. "Back to the truck" was his only response, so that's which direction he headed.
Two hours had passed by the time they got pack to the parking lot, and Frank stopped at the building to get them something to eat, since it was just past noon. Reid stood off to one side, waiting for him to finish his purchase.
"ETA, two minutes, Boy Wonder. Can you stall him that long?" Penelope asked.
"I'll try," he murmured back, coughing a half a second later. He crouched down, placing his bag on the ground, and grabbing out the water bottle, just as Frank turned around to look at him. He opened it, took a few swallows, then recapped it and put it back in the pocket.
Reid stood back up as Frank turned back to the machine, and glanced around, noticing movement behind the trees closest to the truck they had arrived in. He pretended to scratch his ear, and held up three fingers briefly, before he noticed Frank turning back to him again, and went back to the pretend scratch. Just as Frank closed the distance, he heard a crow call out three times. He bent down to grab up his bag again, and as he straightened, Frank inclined his head toward the truck to indicate for him to go that way.
Reid turned on the ball of his right foot toward the truck and headed that direction. When he was within ten feet of the truck, he heard the crow call three times again, and glanced up and he pretended to trip over his own feet. Just as he hit the ground, the area surrounding the truck was filled with 20 bodies, all holding automatic rifles and shouting, "FBI."
Reid turned his head to look at Frank as Frank looked around at all the people there, stunned. One voice rang out clear above the others.
"Frank Hughes, drop the gun and put your hands behind your head. You're under arrest." Reid glanced toward the voice, surprised to not hear Hotch's voice, but Agent Cohen's. As Reid turned his head, he noticed that not a single member of his team was with the group. Shocked, Reid got back to his feet and darted behind Agent Cohen.
"Drop the gun and put your hands behind your head! I will not tell you again," She shouted.
Reid felt something pressed against his back, and turned his head slightly to see JJ, a small smile on her face. She gently reached out and pulled the back of Reid's pants out, pushing his gun into the small of his back before fading back into the treeline.
Facing back toward Frank, Reid put a hand on Stacy's shoulder. When she glanced back, he nodded, which she returned. He stepped out from behind her, and started toward Frank, hands raised up enough to show he had nothing in his hands.
"It's over Frank. Just slowly put the gun on the ground, and put your hands behind your back, and I will take you in personally so no one hurts you," Reid said calmly.
Frank reached behind him and grabbed the gun out of his pants, his arm falling to his side. He stared at Reid. "I knew you were planning something, Doctor."
"I planned nothing, Frank. As you see, none of my team are here. I don't plan anything without them. Drop the gun, and this will end without anyone being hurt."
"Not willing to let me be more blood on your hands, Doctor? Don't want to have one more death on your conscience?"
"Your death will do nothing to me or for me, Frank. Your blood will not be on my hands, but your own, and your brother's."
"As you wish, Doctor."
"NO!" Reid shouted as Frank raised his gun, pointing it directly at Reid. Already reaching for his own gun, Reid was shocked, when he heard one single shot fired, and a red dot appeared in the middle of Frank's forehead as he fell backwards.
Reid turned to see the barrel of Stacy's gun slightly smoking, her eyes still trained on Frank. He heard another agent run forward to remove the gun from his hand, and check his pulse.
"He's still alive!" the agent exclaimed.
"Call a bus!" Stacy barked as Reid darted forward, using a finger to try to plug the hole in Frank's head.
(Break)
"The bullet passed right between the lobes. Damage was very minimal, just a few abrasions. He will survive," JJ told Reid as the entered the bullpen. Two days had passed since Frank was shot.
"Have you told Agent Cohen?" Reid asked her as they walked to his desk. He took a sip of his coffee, sighing happily as it burned a path down his throat.
"She's the one who told me." JJ smiled, ruffling Reid's hair as she walked away.
Reid looked around, and spotted Stacy, talking to another agent. He walked over to her, as she wrapped up her conversation.
"JJ just told me. Nice shot, Stacy."
She smiled at him. "Thank you, Doctor Reid."
"Please, call me Spencer."
"Spencer, then. I was nice working with you. See you around."
"See you around," he parroted as she walked away, him watching her disappear down the hallway, a small smile on his face. Once he could no longer see her, he turned toward his desk, intent on getting his paperwork done sooner rather than later. Just as he was about to sit, he heard his name called.
"Reid." He looked up, and saw Hotch standing on the walkway outside of his office. "My office. Now."
He nodded, heading that direction. As soon as the door was closed, Hotch locked it, and grabbed Reid into his arms, hold him so tight, Reid could barely breathe. He just wrapped his arms around the older man, clinging on just as tightly.
Hotch pulled away first, not letting go, and looked Reid in the eyes. His left hand came up, cupping Reid's right cheek, as his eyes roamed over the smaller man's face.
"Promise me one thing, Spencer."
"What?"
"Never do that again. Never go off with anyone who wants to take you like that again. My heart won't be able to handle it."
Reid looked into his lover's eyes, seeing several emotions passing through them. "I'll do my best," he promised, his hands tightening around Hotch's back.
"Thank you."
Hotch just stood there, holding Reid, one hand on his back, the other on his cheek, staring into the younger man's eyes. Reid stared right back, not letting go.
After a few minutes of silence, Hotch cleared his throat.
"I know I have never said it before, because I didn't want anything to happen to you. Now I see that not saying it was worse than thinking that if I did, something bad would happen."
"What are you talking about, Aaron?"
"I love you, Spencer. I have for years. I don't want to lose you."
"I love you, Aaron. I always have. And I will do everything I can to make sure we don't lose each other."
Hotch leaned forward and kissed Reid soundly. Reid returned it wholeheartedly, deepening it by slightly opening his mouth. Hotch took the invitation for what it was, his tongue sweeping into Reid's mouth, mapping it like it was the first time. Reid moaned, twining his tongue with Hotch's.
They broke the kiss simultaneously when the need for air became a problem, both panting heavily.
"Marry me," Hotch said, pressing his forehead against Reid's.
"Only because you beat me in the asking," Reid chuckled. He lifted his chin up, placing a chaste kiss on Hotch's lips before pulling away slightly.
The End