strange meetings

Disclaimer: I do not own criminal minds and no profit is being made.

The cold October air whipped around and the flurries of snow danced playfully in the moonlight.

Spencer Reid was unhappy. For one, he hated the cold; his frail body just couldn't handle it. And second, today had been the day. Today had been the day that Reid had told Hotch about his addiction to diladud. ….

"Reid, I'm sorry" Hotch said

"Hotch," Reid replied "You did nothing wrong, it was my fault alone"

And on that note, he placed his gun and badge alongside the liquid heroine and left the office.

Reid walked into the elevator and pressed 'lobby'. As the doors closed, he watched his family work, knowing that he was no longer with him

This was the day that Reid quit the BAU. He told Hotch that he didn't do drugs anymore, but Reid didn't want to endanger the team with investigations and lawsuits. So he turned in his badge and left.

Spencer Reid was truly unhappy, for he now left the place he could once call home.

At the BAU Offices

"

Guys" Hotch called to his team. He seemed helpless, something that usually didn't come with Aaron Hotchner. "Guys, Reid quit".

These words were followed by an uproar of reactions. JJ almost fell on her face, eyes widened with shock. Emily Prentiss simply gaped, and Morgan proceeded to punch a wall out of frustration. Gideon, however, nodded knowingly and said. "It's because of the drugs, isn't it?"

Hotch nodded, not knowing how the senior profiler got this information. Well, he was the senior profiler. Hotch did know that the office would be a lot different without the young genius in it.

3 MONTHS LATER

"Team, new case" Aaron Hotchner stated. Morgan, Garcia, And Emily looked up eagerly. (It had been a quiet week at the BAU). "JJ already has the photos".

The team went into the conference room and waited. JJ showed up five minutes later holding a stack of case files.

"Ok, 3 victims in Los Angeles. All three are African- American women in their late twenties to early thirties. They all have shoulder- length brown hair and chocolate eyes. They were found in alleyways in the heart of Los Angeles. They were all raped and beaten for at least 3 days before they were killed, and that not the worst part". JJ showed them a picture of one of the women. Carved into her back was a message….

Black and white don't mix

"

What does that mean?" asked Morgan, his curiosity aroused.

"

Well, it looks like racism," Emily said.

"The Profilers in Los Angeles contacted us yesterday. They found 3 victims in 9 days. They've agreed to let us help them out; apparently they are short- staffed over there."

"Wheels up in 20" Gideon said.

As the team left to get packed, Gideon approached Hotch. "Have you ever wondered where Reid went after he left us?" he asked the younger man.

"I have, but we will never find out, will we?" He stated simply.

"I guess not". And both men left, not knowing what was in store for them once they got to Los Angeles.

TBC