Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters.
This is the sequel to my story "Simon Says" - so I suggest you read that first. Yup. I'm already posting it. Apparently, I just can't stay away very long...
I appreciate reviews and comments!
The members of the BAU Team entered the house quietly, weapons drawn, in search of their latest unsub. As they found more hallways and rooms, they began to split up. Hotch and Reid made their way up the set of stairs at the back of the house and found a long hallway at the top. Hotch decidedly took the rooms on the right, while Reid took the ones on the left. They cleared each room as they moved down the hallway, finding nothing in each one.
Reid reached the last doorway on his side. He entered the room and proceeded with his training. His eyes swept the room quickly and effectively. The room was empty for the most part. A few boxes lay scattered throughout the room. There was another door on the other side of the room, this one closed, so he began to approach it.
His eyes caught movement underneath the doorway. His training told him he should wait for Hotch to catch up with him, but that option was taken away from him when the door was opened. A man was standing on the other side. It was not the man Reid had expected, though. It was not their presumed unsub, but that fact didn't exactly matter since he was wielding a gun. Reid didn't even have a chance to say anything to the man. His gun was already aiming for Reid, and his finger was reaching towards the trigger.
I just hope you think it through before you decide to take someone's life.
Reid couldn't stop those words from filling his mind. Simon's letter had been far from his thoughts for quite awhile. He didn't think it would affect him, but he had no way of realizing that it would until now. This was the first time this type of situation had occurred since he had returned to work. He pushed those thoughts away as he focused on the situation before him. He knew he didn't have any other option but to shoot the man before the man shot him.
But that was all it took. That small moment of hesitation was all that was needed for his reaction to be just a second too slow.
Both weapons were fired. At least one of the targets was hit. Reid felt the pain in his shoulder as he was flung backwards by the force of the bullet ripping through him. His gun fell from his hand as he hit hard on the floor. His wounded shoulder hit against the floor as well, causing him to see bursts of stars in front of his eyes. He thought that he might black out, but he was able to keep himself awake. And just as he would have expected, he heard quick footsteps beginning to approaching the room.
Hotch didn't bother to search his last remaining room and rushed into the room where he heard the gunshots come from. He rapidly scanned the area, and his eyes immediately fell upon Reid lying on the floor. He ignored his impending urge to help him and looked for the threat that he knew had to be there. But it wasn't. He felt it safe enough to holster his gun and knelt down next to Reid.
"Reid!" he called.
The bullet wound didn't look too bad. It wasn't bleeding very heavily, but it was still a bullet wound. It needed to be taken care of. Hotch used his hands to put pressure on Reid's shoulder. Reid groaned and scrunched his eyes shut in response.
"I'm sorry, Reid. I know it hurts, but I need to slow the bleeding." He knew Reid would already know this information, but he still felt the need to say it.
Hotch hadn't bothered to call for his team. They would have heard the gunshots and would be on their way up to investigate. For that reason, the footsteps he heard behind him didn't faze him the slightest.
It was the clicking sound of a safety being released that made him realize the footsteps he heard did not belong to any of his agents. Reid's injured shoulder was quickly forgotten as Hotch instinctively reached for the gun at his hip, but he froze as he felt a gun being pressed up against the back of his neck. He then felt his gun being removed from its holster.
Reid's eyes had popped open as soon as the sound reached his ears. He knew exactly what it was. A second man was standing behind Hotch with a gun. This time, Reid recognized him as their unsub, Jacob Matthews. Reid ignored the pained sensation in his shoulder as Hotch's hands left it. He could only watch as Jacob pressed the gun threateningly into Hotch's neck. Hotch knew better than to keep reaching for his gun, and his face remained emotionless as the man took his gun from him.
Reid glanced around for his own fallen gun, but it was lying a few feet away. He would never get the chance to reach it. The gun was lifted away from Hotch's neck, and Reid knew what was coming, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. The gun was slung hard against the side of Hotch's head, and he slumped sideways to the floor.
Reid nearly sighed in relief as he heard the approaching sounds of the rest of his team. That relief was short lived, however, when Jacob closed and locked the door behind him. He spouted out threats of hurting the two agents in the room with him if they didn't leave. Reid knew the team would have no choice but to recede. The two of them had now been thrust into a hostage situation. And Reid couldn't help but feel that if he hadn't hesitated to take the shot, this never would have happened.
A startling realization occurred to him. He was the only one that knew that there was a second man. They had not even profiled a second unsub, and Reid wasn't even sure where that second unsub was now.