A/N: GAH, I'm sorry that it took a bit longer than the last time, but my head's been acting up on me again. (rolls eyes at oneself)
FIRST OF ALL, though… Thank you so much for those absolutely amazing reviews! (GLOMPS) They're really, really precious to me, ya know? So THANK YOU! (hugs once more)
Awkay… (takes a deep breath) I suppose there's no avoiding it any longer, eh? I REALLY hope ya'll enjoy this piece of the ride!
Psychodrama
Despite that fact that he'd been a federal agent for quite some time Derek hated entering fresh crime scenes. Seeing the work of those maniacs, all the blood, the evidence of all those lives stolen… It always chilled him to the bone. That's why he was far from enthusiastic when the team was informed them that the unsub just struck again.
By the time he, Aaron, Emily and David made it to the scene a body was just removed from a car. He swallowed and shivered.
Aaron showed the young male police officer with shortcut black hair and sad blue eyes waiting for them his badge. "Are you sure it's the same killer?"
The officer who nodded didn't seem to be taking it all any better than Derek did. "All the signatures are there. The victims are Monica Ashton and Phill Dawson. Something made them pull over and the killer was on them in a flash. Phill put up a fight but it wasn't enough." The younger man's eyes hardened slightly. "This time he got a surprise, though. There's a witness. A man walked in on the killer, who hit him to the head with something. He was taken to the hospital."
Emily's eyes widened slightly. "Who was it?"
The officer hesitated for a while before answering. "Dr. Spencer Reid."
They all shuddered at the name.
"Reid?" David spoke out loud. "As in…?"
The officer nodded solemnly. "Chief's son." The man sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Chief went to the hospital as soon as he heard. I haven't heard any news."
"Morgan." There was a flame in Aaron's eyes. This could be a great chance for finding fresh clues. "Go to the hospital, find out if he's able to give any information."
Derek nodded. "I'll call you as soon as I know something." As he left the scene electricity filled him. It was like he was headed towards one of those fated moments Penelope Garcia talked about.
There was a frown on Aaron's face as he stared at the scene, furiously trying to catch the pieces of a puzzle scattered everywhere before him.
Who was this killer? How were they going to get close enough to understanding his mind to catch him?
"Hotch." The tone of Emily's voice caught his attention. There was a taut look on her face that brought him chills. "Aimee Hudson… Didn't the unsub take her earring?"
Aaron nodded, the frown on his face deepening. And then he noticed what lay on her glowed hand. It was a earring, a handmade butterfly with at least ten colors. Most definitely Aimee's.
It was a message.
Instantly his instincts kicked in and he took his cell phone, starting to make phone calls. He could only hope they weren't too late already.
When Derek reached the hospital the first person he ran into was William Reid. There was a somewhat bleak look on the man's face as he leaned heavily against the wall.
Derek felt a bang on sympathy. "Any news?"
William sighed, his shoulders slumping. "He woke up a while ago. They threw me out when he started getting anxious."
Derek frowned and was about to ask, but just then a female doctor in her late forties with shortcut blond hair and brown eyes emerged from a nearby room. She saw William and instantly walked up to them. "He's going to be just fine", she assured William. "He has a concussion and a small wound on his shoulder, but otherwise he seems physically fine, given the circumstances. We had to give him a little bit of mild sedative to help him calm down, though. We'd like to keep him here overnight for observation."
It was then Derek stepped in. He showed the doctor his badge. "I'd like to ask him some questions. Is he well enough to answer?"
The doctor nodded, appearing far from enthusiastic. "But try to keep it brief. He's rattled by this experience and needs rest."
"I will." He moved towards the room and frowned upon noticing that William didn't follow. "Aren't you coming?"
William responded with shaking his head. There was a haunted look in the man's eyes.
He nodded, confused, then entered the room. And this time he was the one left blinking owlishly.
Because there, sitting on the edge of the hospital bed looking fully ready to speed out of the entire place, was the exact brunet who hadn't stopped messing with his head since they first met.
The younger man lifted his gaze. Given the circumstances Derek wouldn't have been surprised if the brunet would've had absolutely no idea who he was. Instead those brown eyes widened ever so slightly, filled with recognition.
Derek took a step forward, coming to a conclusion that offering a hand to shake would've been a humiliating experience to them both. "I'm SSA Derek Morgan, I'm with the FBI's…"
"... BAU team, I know." Spencer's voice sounded slightly tight, guarded. It was impossible to tell if it was because of what'd just happened or something else entirely. The brunet licked his lips – a nervous habit, apparently. "William told me you'd come."
It took Derek a lot to hide his frown. 'William', huh? What kind of a father and son were these two? He forced himself to act like a professional even thought a huge part of him was far from content. He had absolutely no idea what it was he would've needed to be satisfied. "I understand if you're not ready for it yet, but I'd like to ask you some questions."
Spencer shook his head. Something in those eyes flashed in a way that allured him deeply. "I got a concussion, so I must've lost bits here and there. But…" The man frowned, looking like he'd wandered to some place else entirely. It was easy to tell that a flood of images flashed by his eyes that fluttered like he'd been about to fall asleep. "He… was well built, athletic. He was wearing black pants and a grey, hooded sweater. There was a black mask on his face, so I couldn't really see him. He didn't speak to me, didn't say a word. And his body language… He was stiff and awkward when he approached me, although he was comfortable with the couple. It was… like he was afraid of me." The man's hand shook when he revealed his shoulder. There was something a bandage hid. When the younger man removed the bandage Derek felt sick to his stomach. It was the Eye of Providence. "He… gave me this. I've heard rumors that he gives the similar to everyone he…" The brunet trailed off and gulped several times, appearing mildly nauseous, and shook his head. "I… I don't understand why he didn't kill me." It took a while before their eyes met, making him shiver. "I don't know if that was any help."
Derek nodded slowly, mystified. Had this man really been hit to the head? "Thank you", he stated, meaning it from the bottom of his heart. "I know it wasn't easy to relive all those memories, so I'm…"
To his surprise Spencer shook his head with a somewhat grim expression. "It's… not like I could forget, anyway." It wasn't until a split second before the brunet slammed a hand to his lips and dashed somewhat awkwardly towards the bathroom he noticed how pale the younger man had gone. "'Sorry…"
In all honesty Derek didn't really know what to do. He had a feeling that the brunet might've valued some privacy, but for some reason he was powerless to leave. And so he headed to the bathroom as well, rubbed soothing circles to the brunet's back as the man threw up. He tried to ignore how much Spencer stiffened to his touch, how his very presence seemed to upset the younger man. It seemed they were both bad at stuff like this.
"Better?" he inquired quietly, almost sure that Spencer had a headache.
Spencer nodded slowly, still very stiff but close to a wry smile of some sort. "Apart from humiliation, yeah", the brunet replied hoarsely.
Derek shrugged. And although it was possibly the most inappropriate place and time to feel so, he found himself close to emitting a laugh. Something bubbled inside him. "You know what they say", he said off-handedly. "Nothing breaks the ice like a bout of nausea."
He didn't think anything had ever made him feel quite the way the look Spencer darted his way did. The younger man wiped his mouth with his hand and swallowed, then winced. "Could you… give me a glass of water? This taste in my mouth may just make me feel sick again."
Derek complied quickly, taking a plastic mug he saw on the bathroom's shelve and filling it with cold water. He waited until the color on the brunet's face was a bit closer to what he considered healthy until he spoke. "It's good to finally know your name. But I really wish I'd learned it under different circumstances."
The look that appeared to Spencer's face was most likely the closest thing to a smile the man could manage considering what he'd been through. "That makes two of us."
So there they sat for a long time, on the floor of a hospital room's bathroom, in silence they both seemed to find comfortable. Derek didn't know how worried he should've been about the fact that he was enjoying himself more than he did on most of his dates.
In Aimee Hudson's apartment the only sound piercing the absolute silence was that of her cell phone ringing. After a while the call was directed to a voicemail, leaving everything suffocatingly quiet – dead – once more. Only shadows moved, gently making their way over the brutal sight unfolding.
On the floor splatters of blood were rapidly turning black. In the middle of the sickening pool lay Aimee's dog, half open lifeless eyes reflecting a forever image of the monster they'd last seen. The little steel visible from the knife plunged to the canine's side shone like silver.
On the other side of the room Aimee stood against the wall, only held up by the hand that'd thrust a long knife into her stomach. Cold sweat lingered on her contorted face like a field of diamonds, and her lips were open for a scream that'd never come. Her hand was covered in blood as she held it on the steel, almost touching her attacker.
She felt his warm breath as he leaned closer. "As soon as I pull out this knife you'll bleed to death. Do you understand?" She wasn't sure how she managed the feeble nod she gave. The man emitted a pleased sound. "Good, very good. You know, Aimee… You're a very intriguing person. Even now you don't know how to stop fighting, do you? It's a real pity I have to kill you." The knife was plunged just a little bit deeper but she couldn't feel the pain. "You really shouldn't have broken our deal. 'Keep your mouth shut, and I'll let you live.' That's all I asked of you. But now… You're going to help me deliver a message."
As Aimee gasped in her final, wet breath the tears on her cheeks were those of relief.
Night was turning into a morning and Derek was just taking down a yeat another mug of coffee, desperately trying to sort out his chaotic head, when William walked to him. There was a somewhat tense look on the man's face.
He frowned. "Is everything okay?"
"Can I ask you to do me a favor?" The older man sighed, appearing utterly exhausted. "Spencer… He wants to leave the hospital but he's going to need someone to take him home. Do you think you could give him a ride? I know your team is busy with the case, but…"
Derek couldn't understand the jolt those words caused inside him. He nodded without even thinking. He knew he should've been focusing on the case, that he should've been helping his team, but… "Yeah, of course." Besides, maybe Spencer would remember more about the attacker.
Relief made the lines on William's face ease slightly. "Thank you." The man looked away with a unreadable expression. "I… almost lost him last night. I want someone to make sure he's safe."
As he left ten minutes later Derek didn't know that Aaron and David observed his distancing back. The older men exchanged frown filled looks.
Entering Spencer's hospital room quite soon after Derek felt some heat on his cheeks as he realized that the younger man was just getting dressed to his own clothes. Despite the situation he just had to smile at the neat beige pants, white shirt and brown vest that looked so… Spencer that it was incredible. His smile widened still as he noticed that there were four books on the table beside the hospital bed and one more in the brunet's hold. "Did you really read those all while you've been here?" he asked with undisguised bafflement.
Spencer turned with a look of mild startle, dropping the book from his hands, then blinked with surprise. "Hey. I… wasn't expecting you."
He shrugged, unsure where the sizzle everywhere inside him had come from. "Well, you need a ride and I've got a car. Do we have a deal?"
Spencer seemed to relax slightly, even gave him a tiny smile. "Only if we can get coffee on the way." The brunet winced, appearing appalled. "What they call 'coffee' in this place tastes like it's been taken from sewer. My head is screaming for the real thing." Those eyes meeting his were nothing short of pleading, and Derek had hard time stiffling a laugh.
"Sure thing", he promised. He couldn't resist a cheeky grin. "Let's hope your coffee doesn't end up all over me this time."
Spencer just rolled his eyes and grabbed his bag.
The ride towards Spencer's apartment was quite pleasant, full of about a million jabs of facts and statics from Spencer that Derek secretly found endearing.
Perhaps it was the security that made Derek approach what should not have been touched. "Your dad… I noticed that you call him 'William'. Why?"
The way the younger man tensed up completely was a clear enough sign that he'd just pushed his luck too far. "Could you… please not profile me?"
"Okay", he murmured, giving himself a mental kick. "'Sorry. I know it's a nasty habit."
Spencer didn't speak. This time the quiet that came felt colder than ice.
The tension loaded silence lasted a lifetime until Spencer's voice drifted to his ears. "He left when I was ten." The brunet's tone was dramatically different from the one he'd heard in the hospital, and the younger man's eyes were nothing short of hostile as they stared at nothing in particular. "He came back two years ago, for work."
Derek frowned, feeling tingling under his skin for some reason. He was getting dangerously greedy, but his tongue was faster than his reason. "So it was just you and your mother?"
Spencer's expression reminded him chillingly of a trapped wild animal. The man's posture and breathing changed, to a point where he feared the brunet might simply jump out of the car and run. Instead, however, Spencer nodded forward with a stiff motion. "You… should get going, before those behind us get any more irritated than they already are. We've got a green light."
Derek nodded, irritation stinging him like a flame, and drove.
They were both deep in thought as they finished the journey to Spencer's apartment building, then made their way to the younger man's door.
They were already stood behind the door when Spencer looked at him with a innocently confused expression. "You wouldn't have needed to walk me all the way here."
"Sure I did", Derek responded faster than he'd known to expect, and felt a touch of embarrassment. "You heard the hospital policy. Someone had to make sure you get home safely."
Spencer looked at him for a moment and smiled. "I'll be perfectly safe in my own home", the brunet pointed out, with body language Derek would've desperately wanted to understand. Whoever said women were harder to read than men had clearly never met this particular doctor. "Statistically…"
Derek rolled his eyes. "You already fooled the statistics once, remember?"
Spencer opened his mouth, but whatever had been about to spill through became cut short. Instead the younger man licked his lips and ran a hand through his hair, shifting. "Thank you, for doing this."
Derek shrugged. At that point he couldn't suppress a grin of his own. "No problem." He gave a somewhat awkward wave. For some reason it seemed his feet were glued to the floor, and the tension rising inside him was becoming such that unnerved him. He hoped his hand was at least relatively steady when he handed the other man his card, feeling like a damn five-year-old. "Call me if there's anything wrong or if your head starts to act up."
Spencer's expression drifted between amusement and annoyance. "It's just a concussion." When the brunet accepted the card their hands brushed together, became dangerously close to tangling. "Thanks anyway."
Although absolutely everything inside him howled against the decision Derek took one step away, then another. "I'll see you later."
Spencer nodded. "Yeah. See you."
And so they parted ways, he disappearing into the hallway and Spencer into his apartment. Or parted in some ways.
Derek sat in his car for about ten minutes, going through a inner turmoil that terrified him more than anything he'd ever faced, until he managed to speed away. Spencer, on the other hand, leaned against his door with his hand on the doorhandle for those same endlessly long minutes until he decided that he needed a cold shower.
Both were blissfully unaware of the third figure that'd stood in the shadows, waiting. Soon after Derek had left the observer moved soundlessly towards Spencer's door.
Entering the apartment's kitchen, Spencer found a bouquet of red roses waiting for him.
As Derek entered Aimee Hudson's apartment half an hour later and faced the sight waiting for him he did the one thing that, despite being unprofessional, felt natural.
He swore, loudly.
Two forensics in their all-white uniforms were examining Aimee's corpse, going through her like she was nothing but a piece of evidence. There was blood everywhere, and he could see marks of tears on her cheeks. She looked painfully still and empty, like a puppet of some sort.
The killer hadn't failed this time.
That was when he noticed what'd been written to the wall behind her with her own blood. 'Fate, by The Reaper.' "The son of a bitch named himself this time", he hissed barely audibly, rage seeping from his very core.
Emily's voice managed to startle him a little. "The killer knew exactly where to strike." Her voice held a bitter overtone. "He stabbed her and let her bleed. It's possible that he stayed and watched."
His face felt painfully tight when he looked at her. "We can't let the press find out about this. If he gets all this publicity…"
Emily's face appeared stiffer than usual. "JJ won't be able to do a thing to stop this." The woman's eyes darkened when they swept over the desolate view. "This will be all over the newspapers. The Reaper is at large in Las Vegas."
Derek's chest felt painfully tight and his eyes narrowed.
At the moment all they had against this monster was a very vague profile, and Spencer. A breeze of cold brushed his skin.
"Spencer." He looked towards Aimee's dead body and felt sick to his stomach. "He needs to be protected."
"Hotch is already on the phone", Emily announced, making his stiff muscles ease ever so slightly. "We'll see what he manages."
He nodded, only marginally relieved. He wondered if any amount of protection was enough against this psychopath.
He jumped just a little bit when his cell phone bleeped demandingly in his pocket. He picked up instantly when discovering who the caller was. "Baby girl? What's going on?"
"I tried to call Hotch but his line was busy." She sounded agitated and he couldn't help wondering if it was a sign of good or bad. She gulped so loudly that he heard it. "I… I just found something I really think you guys should know."
His eyebrows knitted together as sizzling sped through his veins. "What is it?" His tone was sharper than it intended, but at the moment it failed to concern him.
"Spencer and Aimee aren't the only survivors."
There was a frown on Spencer's face as he stood before his bathroom's mirror without his shirt on. His eyes were glued to the Eye of Providence carved to the skin of his shoulder. He reached out his fingers towards the wound – until a foreign hand grabbed his wrist.
"Stop poking it", a deep male voice commanded from his behind. "It'll get infected."
The frown on Spencer's face deepened as he leaned closer to his lover. "I'm just trying to figure it out." He tilted his head and brought a hand to the mark, suddenly self-conscious. "The killer… He must've realized that I'm a witness, a threat. Why did he let me live?"
"Haven't you figured it out by now? And you're supposed to be the genius out of us two." Hot, demanding lips crashed against the tender skin of his neck, making him gasp. "You… are a very special case, doc."
Shivering from a mixture of emotions he couldn't quite name Spencer groaned when the other's curious wandering hands were once again all over him, screaming demands. Flashbacks of the masked attacker flooded into his vision and he let his fingernails sink into his lover's skin, squeezed his eyes shut as tightly as he could and growled.
He was not about to let his head get the better of him again.
The other chuckled. "Well… Someone's impatient today."
"Just do it", he hissed through tightly grit teeth, letting the aggression that usually slumbered deep inside him seep towards the surface. He wanted the burning under his skin to fucking stop. He wanted to stop feeling like he was about to explode.
His wish was granted. And the upcoming hours of sheer pleasure were almost enough to wipe away everything else.
He did notice, however, that his lover's hands were rougher than usual, that the kisses and tiny bites were harder. And a tiny part hiding in the back of his head was left wondering why.
Having suffered several sleepless nights, William Reid was almost falling asleep behind the steering wheel as he made his way towards home, a headache rising somewhere behind his eyes. He was so deep in thought that he practically jumped on his seat when his cell phone started ringing.
Taking a deep breath he pulled over and gave the cell phone a glance. He frowned upon noticing that there was no caller ID. He picked up after a second of hesitation. "Chief Reid."
"I want you to listen to me carefully", a smooth yet dangerous voice practically hissed at him. And in a icy flash he knew who the caller was. "I spared your son although he saw me. And now I want you to return the favor."
William's eyes narrowed. "I don't make deals with psychopaths", he hissed.
"Oh, but you will accept this deal. Believe me." There was a taunting pause. "If you stop hunting me I'll stop hunting them."
William's heart stopped for a couple of seconds and a foul taste rose into his mouth. It took a while before he managed to speak. "Like I said… I don't make deals with people like you. I make sure they get locked up."
"Well, if that is the case, let me assure you…" This pause was even more dangerous. "You'll regret this, William." With those words the killer hung up.
William could barely breathe as he stared at the phone in his hold. Somehow the air around him felt several degrees colder than before.
And the shadows dancing on his hands looked like dried blood.
TBC, no?
A/N: And so things get a bit more chilling. (shudders)
BUT, the important question is… Was that any good, at all? Or is it time to go back to drawing board? PLEASE, leave a review to let me know what you think! You can't even imagine how happy hearing from you guys would make me. (gives puppy's eyes)
In case you're curious to read more, HERE'S A TASTE OF THE NEXT ONE: The team is introduced to someone who helps them get closer to the Reaper. But is everything as it seems? Reid also finds himself unable to step away from the case, which leads to things heating up between him and Morgan… The next chappy would be called 'The Big Game'.
Until next time, folks, I hope!
Take care!
PodPeep: Ah, what a interesting idea! (grins) I'm a huge sucker for violins of all sorts, so we'll see.
Colossal thank yous for the review!
CCstudent: I'm REALLY glad to hear that.
Gigantic thank yous for the review!
Amanda: After such kind words I could never announce that the story's been buried, so… (grins) I hope you'll enjoy the next one as well.
Huge than yous for the review!
Hatsuharu M: I'm thrilled to hear that the story's wrapped you around its little finger so! (beams)
Heh, let's hope Morgan gets his turn soon. Those two are so cute together! And that they get an actual happy ending in this one…
Gigantic thank yous for the review!
Katsakura: Lots of questions, no? Let's hope they'll all be answered soon.
I really hope the update turns out worth the wait!
Monumental thank yous for the review!
nicolethecrazyone: You sure know how to appeal to me. (grins) I'm thrilled to hear you were so pleased with the previous chapter! I hope this one delivers as well.
Loads of thank yous for the review!
