I just can't help myself with the Reid fics!
Prologue
Hotch sighed as he glanced at the photo of Spencer Reid. It had been three years since Tobias had taken Reid. The FBI had closed the case, and the police had officially named Reid dead.
But all of the believed that he was alive, or at least they tried too.
Gideon took it the hardest. A part of him died when Reid was taken. In fact, Hotch knew that was the main reason why Gideon left the force.
I just can't make sense of it anymore. How more criminals can go free and yet good kids like Spencer Reid get taken...I just don't understand it anymore Hotch. It just doesn't make sense anymore, maybe it never did. But if I couldn't find Reid I figure "What's the point?"
Morgan, JJ and Garcia also took it extremly hard. JJ never stopped blaming herself for splitting up and Morgan never stopped hating himself for not being able to be smart enough to find Reid. And well Garcia had always been a mother hen towards Reid.
Rossi knocked on the door. Hotch looked up.
"Come in."
"I was just wondering..."Rossi's voice trailed off. "What was going on today. JJ seems rather upset down there and so does Garcia and Morgan. They seem to be mourning or something, Emily and I are rather confused."
Hotch sighed.
"I had forgotten that you didn't know Reid."
"Who?"
"The pesron they are mourning. He was part of the team. A genuis. He was only 25 and had at least 3 different kinds of doctarates and 2 BA's"
Rossi whistled.
"When you said genuis you weren't lying."
"He didn't really brag about his brain either," Hotch said softly. "He was just more eager to share the information he knew, felt it was his responsiblity. I always thought that if it wasn't for his social awkwardness he'd make a great teacher. We all got used to him rambling about stuff that no one else would know about."
Rossi smiled as he sat down.
"Seems like an interesting kid."
"You have no idea," laughed Hotch. "Everyone liked him instantly, it's hard not too. He had that vulnerable 'I'm just a kid working for the FBI' look down without meaning too. Everyone felt responsible for his safety. Garcia was like a mother hen towards him."
"I can believe that," Rossi chuckled. "I would have liked to have met Spencer Reid."
"I wish you could have met him too," Hotch said quietly.
Rossi finally dared to ask the question that had been looming in the room.
"What happened?"
Hotch sighed and closed his eyes.
"I'm sorry, it's none of my buisness."
"No it is, since it involves the team," Hotch replied. "It's okay, it's just...hard to talk about it. We were dealing with an unsub who had split personalties. One of them was the Unsub's father who was a religious fanatic and so when that personality took over the unsub killed sinners. We found out that Tobias, the son of the father, the person really belonging to the body, had no memories of when the other personalities. JJ and Reid managed to find his house and tried to question him. When they walked to the car they saw a van leaving the house. So They decided to investegate, to see if they could find the missing victim. Reid suggested they split up. JJ thought that was a bad idea. He did so anyway. A few rabid dogs attacked JJ, she was forced to kill them. While that was happening it seemed that Tobias had taken Reid. When the father took over he linked a live video feed towards Garcia's computer so we were able to see what was happening to Reid, how he was being tortured. Finally the video was turned off. We never saw Reid again, and we could never find Tobias, but we did find the remains of the victim."
"Jesus," Rossi muttered closing his eyes after the story. "How long ago was this?"
"Three years ago. For a long time we all tried to believe Reid was alive. That he was brilliant enough to find a way to surive,but finally it became more and more realistic that he was probably...dead. Jason Gideon, the man you replaced, took it the hardest. Reid was like a son to him, he had a son Reid's age. He retired after a year of trying to track down Reid and being unsuccessful. JJ still blames herself for splitting up, and Morgan, well he and Reid were pratically best friends. He felt very protective of the kid-more so than most of us."
He closed his eyes and shook his head.
"I blame myself really."
Rossi looked up, surprised.
"Why is that?"
"I took advantage of Reid a lot, for his brain. His mind was brilliant and I used it to solve crimes. But I didn't spend more one on one time with him. I didn't train him to deal with these situations emotionally. As a boss I should have done that and I failed and because of that Reid's death is my fault."
"You don't know he's dead,there's no body is there?"
"No but Tobias never let his victims live."
Rossi glanced out the window and saw JJ sobbing onto Garcia's shoulder.
"I take it it's a the third year anniversry?"
Hotch nodded grimly.
"How could you tell?" Hotch stared at Reid's picture.
"I keep that there as a daily reminder of my failure to a member of my team, and to remind myself to never make that mistake again."
Rossi didn't know what to say to that.
"I am sorry," he said and quietly left Hotch still staring at Reid's picture.
The police kicked down the door of the cabin.
"Police! Come out with your hands in the air!" Nothing. They raised their guns as they edged their way into the other rooms. One of the officers frowned.
"Guys, I think I hear something!"
They hurried into another room that the whimpering noises was being made and stared in horror at the young naked man dangling from the cealing. That man was non other than Dr. Spencer Reid, or more so what was left of him...
Should I continue?
