The Failing

Chapter 1

A sound outside in the street woke Spencer Reid that Tuesday morning. He turned over in his bed and reached for his watch. He held the watch right up to his face, squinting in the darkness.

Eight thirty.

"Oh no!" He tried to get out of bed quickly, and got his leg caught in the quilt and fell on his face.

"Great start!" he muttered and he disentangled himself.

Her had a bit of a headache, so he grabbed his glasses, scooped up his clothes and ran for the shower.

The fastest shower on record! He didn't have time to dry his hair, so it would probably go all fluffy. And Morgan would say something about it. He pressed his lips together in resignation. He thought he ought to be over that by now, but Morgan still managed to get to him.

He rubbed his hair in a towel. He got his gun and put it in his messenger bag, and checked he had his ID. Biting on his bottom lip, he quickly got dressed, and ran downstairs.

Fumbling with his shirt buttons, left his building and went to his car.

"Keys! Keys! Keys!" He rummaged in his bag, to no avail. He tipped the contents of his bag onto the car park floor.

Dammit! He had left them in the apartment. He threw his things back in the bag, and ran up stairs again; promising himself he would get a decent clock.

Running back down, he got out his mobile and called Hotch.

"Aaron, I'm on my way in now………..yes I know, I'm sorry…………twenty minutes."

He snapped his mobile shut and unlocked the car. He threw his bag across onto the passenger seat. Sliding into his seat, he put the key in the ignition, and pulled the door shut.

Something cold on his neck. Spencer froze. A hand took hold of his hair and pulled his head back against the head rest.

Spencer lifted his hands. "Ok, w-what do you want me to d-do?"

The blade moved round to the front of his neck. Spencer pressed back into the seat, and the blade pressed into his neck. Very lightly, the blade cut into his skin. He tried to cry out, when the hand tugged at his hair viciously. He felt his blood run down onto his shirt collar.

The voice said, "Drive to work as you usually do, and I won't need to cut you again."

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"Is Reid here yet?" Aaron was getting concerned. Spencer had said twenty minutes, it was now thirty five. The drive shouldn't take that long.

He wanted to debrief the team after the last case, see what they had leaned, how the case had helped them grow as profilers. They couldn't start without Reid.

"He's not answering his cell." said JJ.

"He may be driving." offered Prentiss.

"He wouldn't still be driving." Aaron opened the door to Garcia's bunker. "Garcia, can you quickly check if there have been any accidents or hold ups between here and Reid's building this morning please."

"Why? Isn't he here yet?" Garcia looked concerned. "He was fine last night, Sir…..no, there aren't any holdups between here and his building."

"Someone check to see if his car is here yet." Aaron said.

"I'll go." Prentiss said.

Aaron paced the round table room, getting more worried by the minute.

Spencer had been through so much during his time at the BAU, starting when he had been held and tortured by Henkle. He and Spencer had built a special relationship, forged out of love and concern for each other.

Now Haley had made it clear that she wasn't coming back, Aaron had a hole in his life that Spencer was filling. Spencer seemed willing to do that, dividing his time between Aaron and Garcia.

Aaron felt, rightly or wrongly, that he had to watch out for him.

He had wanted Spence to move in with him permanently, and they had talked about it. But Spence had hung on to his freedom, and didn't want to give up his place.

Even so, they had spent many nights together at Aaron's place, and their friendship was becoming so much more now.

So where the hell was he?

His mobile rang. It was Prentiss.

"Get down here, Sir." she said. "I've found Reid's car."

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Aaron could see something was wrong as soon as he got out of the lift. As he hurried across the underground car park, he noted that although Spencer's car was parked in its usual place, it was at an angle, and the driver's door was open.

Then he saw the blood.

There was blood spray across the windscreen, and the door. The blood was running down the window onto the dash. There was a pool of blood in the foot well. Spencer's glasses were twisted and broken on the floor, and there was hair and blood on the head rest. There was blood on the ground by the open door.

"Arterial spray." said Prentiss. "There is a trail of blood leading this way."

The blood trail ended abruptly two spaces down.

"There are shoe prints in the blood."

"He's been put in another vehicle and driven away." said Aaron. "Get a CSU down here!"

"I've called them already, sir."

Aaron reached in the car and retrieved Spencer's messenger bag.

"His gun is in here." said Aaron. "He was late, so he didn't put it on his belt." He put the bag back on the seat.

Morgan and JJ came out of the lift, and ran across to them.

"What's happening?" asked Morgan. "Where's…….Oh my god!"

"Someone needs to tell Garcia." said JJ, going back to the lift.

"Morgan, wait here until the CSU gets here, Prentiss, get the security tapes, meet in the round table room."

Aaron was shaking. The only was he could handle this was to take control and detach himself. But he wasn't sure that he would be able to stay detached for long.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Garcia was sick with fear. She had run down to the car park as soon as JJ told her, but she wasn't prepared for the shock of all the blood.

Could anyone survive that amount of blood loss? Could Spencer?

When Spencer had finally been released from hospital after being on life support for three weeks, they had discussed leaving the BAU. But in the end, they had both decided to stay. Spencer had said he couldn't leave Aaron, and Garcia had said she needed to stay near Spence.

White faced and shaking with worry, she sat in the round table room with the others.

JJ was showing them the CCTV tapes.

They watched Spencer's car entering the car park.

Then they watched in horror as Spencer's door opened, and he fell sideways onto the ground. He had both hands at his throat.

Someone got out of the back of Spencer's car.

They watched as Spencer was dragged to another car, parked nearby.

He wasn't fighting.

As he was lying next to the second car, the UnSub placed some kind of dressing on his neck.

Then the UnSub opened the boot, lifted Spencer up, and dropped him in.

The boot was slammed shut, and the UnSub got in the car and drove away.

"The registration plates had been covered, and the UnSub was wearing a mask." said JJ.

"So we have nothing." said Morgan angrily. "Who the hell would do this to Reid?"

"Let's hope the CSU come up with something." said Aaron quietly, his calm belying the turmoil me felt inside.

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It was dark where Spencer woke up. He felt weak and light headed, and his neck hurt. He was glad to find that he wasn't restrained.

He felt panicky.

Dark, confined, with a near fatal neck wound.

He made an effort to control his breathing.

Think, Reid! Use your brain!

He was lying on plastic sheeting, in the boot of a car. He could feel that his blood had pooled onto the plastic.

He felt his neck, and discovered the bandage. It felt as if there was a lot of blood on it.

Come on, Reid. Remember…….

There had been someone in his car.

He remembered the knife, the feeling when it sliced across his throat.

He remembered seeing the spray hit the window.

And now he was here.

Breathe…breathe…don't lose control.

He curled up in a foetal position on the plastic, in his blood pool, and concentrated on staying alive