DISCLAIMER:
I own nothing. All rights remain with ABC Studios, CBS Television Studios and The Mark Gordon Company. Neither I, nor this story, are affiliated with above mentioned companies or any of their associates or subsidiaries, nor do I receive any monetary compensation from the publication of this narrative.
A/N: I noticed the chapter did something weird when I posted it so I removed and reposted. I'm sorry for the false expectations, but hope you enjoy… Also:
Deosil - (pronounced Jess-el)
Samhain - (pronounced Sow-in)
._.._._..~~~**~~~.._._.._.
Witch Hunt
Chapter 3: Drawing Circles
Madison stands in the hot running water of the shower, her mind a flurry of activity and her emotions conflicted. The front half of her grandmother's home is completely destroyed by the fire, she thinks she should be grief stricken, or at the very least upset; however she feels nothing. She has no childhood memories of the house, and no emotional attachment to the house once so ever. She did have some personal items that were destroyed, but nothing she was especially attached to, the important and cherished items are safe in the back half of the house.
Maybe she's in shock and that's why she can't feel anything.
It suddenly occurs to her that it is well past two in the morning, almost three and she needs to calm her mind if was going to get any sleep. She tries focusing on the next book in her Grave Dancer series, a supernatural mystery series based in an alternate reality. The vampire and werewolf had finally come to terms with being partners within the police department. There would still have to be some witty snipes between the two, the fans seem to like that…maybe hint at a dark secret in one of their pasts. This book has to do with some disappearances, perhaps a murder in this one yes that would be good. Perhaps a witch is murdered during her ritual, while in her circle.
Then a thought strikes her like a bolt of lightning, on the fogged glass she makes one dot near the top for Ashley Bradford, then straight down from that dot she makes one for Kimberly Webster and finally one to the right she makes one last dot for Spring Fitzgerald. That is the order the ME said the women died, but not the order in which they were found…north, west and south…earth, water, fire…all they need is east for air, and then seal the circle. This will be finished on the 31st, Samhain. She has to tell someone. She turns off the water, wraps a towel about her dripping wet body and goes in search on someone … anyone who might be awake.
She follows the sounds of a running shower, and knocks quietly, but frantically on the bathroom door until a confused and sopping wet Reid opens the door.
"I figured it out." She blurts out as she steps into the steam filled bathroom. "I know why pattern of bodies didn't make any sense." She continues, rapidly pacing back and forth, clutching her towel tightly.
"Umm…Madison…" Reid starts, securing his towel around his waist, feeling very exposed.
"If you're looking at them in the order they died it makes no sense, but in the order they were found…" she continues, speaking quickly.
"Uh…what…"
"What is the first you do when casting a spell?" she continues, oblivious to Reid's discomfort.
"Gather…supplies?" he answers uncertainly, pushing his wet hair out of his face.
"No…well, yes that too, but you draw a circle. Look…" on the mirror she placed three dots, one of each girl. "When drawing a circle your use the cardinal directions and elements and always Deosil."
"Deosil?"
"Clockwise. You move north, west, south, east and return to north to seal the circle." To prove her point she creates a forth dot and draws a circle connecting all four dots calling out the elements "Air, water, fire and earth."
"Your killer is going to leave one more body and then return to the first dump site…that same night to seal the circle."
"where will; this site be?" he asks pointing to the fourth dot.
"It will directly across from this one. Same distance, otherwise it's not a circle."
"And then what?" Reid asks, keenly interested in her theory and forgetting that they were both nearly naked.
"Then they are going to try and raise the dead. But to do that, they need to sacrifice a life, and this specific spell. Any life will work, but your killer will probably opt for a human life. I mean, they've killed four, what's one more murder?"
"Do you know where the ritual will be preformed?"
Madison draws two line, one connecting north to south and second connecting west to east. She points as the intersecting point in the middle explaining that this area would be best but anywhere in the circle is acceptable.
"When will they try this spell?" Reid asks staring at the circle she drew in the mirror.
"Samhain…the 31st…when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest. For the spell these lunatics want to try, nighttime would be best."
"That's tomorrow."
The sound of a woman quietly clearing her throat catches their attention. They turn to see Prentiss leaning in the doorway.
"Madison figured out where the next the body will be and maybe even how we can catch this guy." Reid explains.
"And the two of you figured this out while in the shower?" she asks, raising an accusing eyebrow.
"Yes." Madison answers, before realizing that both she and Reid were in nothing more that towels and how Prentiss was taking this situation. "Wait…not like that…we were in the shower…I mean separate showers…I was over ….and he was…is it getting hot in here?"
"Your towel is slipping." Prentiss teases pointing to Reid.
Madison glances over, then immediately pulls her eyes away. "Oh, Gods…I never…I didn't…Um…" she trips over her words as a bright red blush rushes over her cheeks. "I..uh…I think I'll just be running away now." She says, and bolts down the hallway towards her room.
..~~~**~~~..
Hotch wakes to the sound of his cell phone ringing for his attention. With a bleary eye he looks at the clock before answering the phone. The Sheriff was on the other end with bad news. The only thing worse than getting a 'we found another body' call, is getting it 10 minutes before the alarm is set to go off. Not the best way to start the day. He sighs, dresses and proceeds to wake the rest of his team.
Breakfast was skipped in favor of coffee and getting to the latest crime scene. The sheriff was there with even more bad news.
"On a hunch I checked out the Church's Blog, before heading out here. I think Madison is in danger." He says somberly, handing Hotch a print out of the latest posting. He reads only a few lines before sighing heavily and handing the packet to JJ.
"What?" Reid asks, seeing JJ's frustration and Hotch's contained anger.
"We need to get Madison somewhere safe." JJ says, handing the pages to Reid who reads the words in mere seconds.
"This is turning into a literal witch hunt." The Sheriff says, placing his hands on his hips.
"Madison thinks this will be over on Halloween." Reid says.
"That's today, kid. After what happened at her house…" Morgan sighs, then lightly smacks Reid's arm. "Reid and I can protect her. We'll take her someplace else and call you when we get there." Morgan says.
"Sounds good." Hotch says with a nod.
..~~~**~~~..
A good portion of the drive was in silence, Reid lost in his own mind until a question popped up that he couldn't answer.
"Um…Morgan, have you…ever been attracted to someone you shouldn't be?"
"You're sweet on Madison, aren't you?" Morgan asks with a broad grin.
"What? NO…no...that would be…no…there are regulations about….no…"
Morgan stares at the young genius, who finally caves in with a small yes. "I knew it!" he says with a laugh.
"This isn't funny. What am I suppose to do?" Reid asks.
"The only thing I really recommend is to not start a relationship with her until after this case is closed." Morgan says. "If you start something now it could compromise the case."
"But how do I stop these…feelings?"
"You can't control what you feel, all you can do is control what you do with these feelings."
..~~~**~~~..
Madison finally got to sleep as the team was leaving. She welcomes sleep dreamless embrace like a long lost lover. She doesn't know how much time has passed before a small sound pulls her from her slumber, she forces open one bleary and listens again for the sound again. Her heavy eyelid has just closed when she hears the small sound again, now she's fully awake, her mind finally labeling the sound. Footsteps and they were approaching the room she shares with Prentiss.
Maybe it's one of the BAU members, perhaps they forgot something. She thinks, but still finds herself slipping into the jeans and sweater she wore last night. She just throws her feet into her sneakers when she hears a couple of doors opening further down the hall. Someone is searching the house; she holds her breath and looks around the small room. Her mind is torn between hiding and escaping through the window. Given the only two hiding places are in the closet or under one of the two beds, she heads for the window.
As she climbs out the window the thought strikes her that if it is one the BAU team she will very foolish, especially if she is found dangling from the second story window. The next thought that occurs to her is that she is now dangling from a second story window. If she lets go she stands a chance of twisting her ankle or breaking her leg. She curses softly as her mind races on how to get out of this predicament.
"I found her!" a male voice cries, as strong hands grip her wrists. She shrieks as she feels herself being pulled back into the house. She kicks the air before planting her feet against the side of the house and pulling against her assailant. He cries out in surprise as he begins falling out the window. His friends were quick to respond, grabbing onto his belt to prevent him from falling out of the house. Madison could hear the grunts of effort as they try to pull him and quarry back into the room. She manages to pull herself up just enough to bite the man's wrist.
"Bitch!" He says with a yelp, dropping her in his surprise. She lands on her rump in the flower bed sending shockwave through her body, and knocking the wind from her lungs. She sits there in the cold dirt for a moment, desperate for a breath of air. With a grateful gasp she gulps down several panting breaths as she leaps to her feet planning on running to the road in front of the house. She makes it to the side of the house when she hears the front door open and a voice telling others to split up. Cursing under her breath she turns and runs into the woods for a couple of yards before turning to run parallel to the road. Unfortunately she doesn't get very far before one of her hunters launches himself grabbing her about her waist and taking her to the ground. She brings her hands up to break her fall she feels something pop in her left wrist and cries out in pain.
"I got her!" he cries out to his friends, hauling her to her feet. She screams her protests and flails about in an attempt to escape.
She was spun about and pushed into the arms of a dark haired man who roughly pushed into a third man with bright blonde hair. Her back almost collides with his chest, but he grabs her arms with bruising force before she pushes her face first into a fourth man who back hands her driving her to the ground. On her hands and knees with her wrist screaming someone kicked her ribs. She curls up on the ground desperate to catch her breath. There was another kick to her back before someone grabs her hair and hauls her to her feet. She starts screaming for help only to receive a fist to the gut, effectively silencing her cries. Coughing and desperate to breath two of the men haul her to her feet and begin dragging her through the wooded area.
"No. Please. Let me go." Madison pleads.
"We're going to have a good old fashion witch burning."
"No, please. I didn't do anything." She begs, her legs buckling at the thought of being burnt alive.
"FBI! Let her go!" a man shouted behind the group. When Madison was released out of surprise she collapses the ground. She looks back and sees Reid with his weapon drawn aimed at the group. She scrambles over to Reid, careful to remain out of his line of fire. She cowers behind the tall lanky man, clutching the back of his jacket.
"Please." she frantically whispers. "Please don't let them take me." She whispers, clinging to the young genius.
"I won't." he assures quietly.
"Spencer." Madison gasps, he turns in head in time to see a fifth man approaching from his blind side, leveling a shotgun at Reid. Reid spins, aiming his weapon at this new threat while still able to keep the gang in his peripheral vision.
"Put the gun down." Reid orders.
"Back off G-man, this doesn't concern you." The fifth man said.
"You're trying to kidnap and murder an innocent woman. How does this not concern me?" Reid says in a tone reserved for pointing out the incredibly obvious to the incredibly dense.
"Innocent is a relative term. The Bible says 'Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.' And we've suffered enough."
"That's from the King James Bible. King James was notorious for being paranoid about witches, and spells, and is suspected of being misogynic. The King James Bible was translated to keep him happy, so they changed the word chasaph to mean 'witch'. The original Biblical passage was about the crime of poisoning in the Jewish community and says 'though shalt not suffer a poisoner to live'."
"She killed all those girls." The blonde man said, pointing an accusing finger at Madison.
"She's not the killer." Reid protests, keeping himself between Madison and angry mob.
"She's bewitched him." The dark haired man whispers. From the corner of his eye he can see the small group take a hesitant steps towards him.
"Don't move!" he orders, keeping his attention focused on the main threat. "Put the gun down. Put the gun down!" Reid repeats loudly as the man with the shotgun spouts more biblical quotes regarding witches and false gods.
"I'd put the gun down if I were you." Morgan says, "We may not be able to take all of you down, but we can start with you."
..~~~**~~~..
Morgan paces in the waiting room as reports to Hotch about the attempted kidnapping of Madison on his cell phone while Reid keeps her company as she gets her wrist examined. She sit on the doctor's examination table, her incredibly long red hair falling freely about her shoulders; she's flinching and gasping as an elderly man carefully inspect her wrist. His small wire frame glasses are resting low on his beak shaped nose as his cold bony hands turn Madison's hand palm up. She yelps loudly and tried to pull her hand back, but the doctor does not surrender the appendage.
"Does that hurt?" he asks.
"No, not at all. I'm just wincing and making these sounds for my own amusement." She says in a cheery yet sarcastic tone. The old doctor just rolls his eyes to look at Madison over his glasses.
"Yes it flippin' hurts, OK." She answers with a tired sigh.
"You sit tight, I'm going to get some x-rays ordered for you." The doctor says, gingerly patting her shoulder.
"I'm going to check on Morgan."
"Please don't leave me!" she says suddenly grabbing Reid and then gasping in pain as she had grabbed him with her injured arm.
"I don't think you need protection anymore."
"In the past 36 hours I have been fire bombed, dropped from a second story window, chased through the woods, and have had my life threatened." She counters.
"But you're in a hospital now, surrounded by doctors, nurses, patients and two Federal Agents."
"Two Federal Agents were in my house when it was fire bombed, and six were known to be residing in the house I was taken from." She countered. Reid opened his mouth to argue, but promptly shut it when he couldn't find a logical argument. "It's not paranoia if they really are out to get you." She adds, then yawns heavily as the adrenaline finally wore off leaving her exhausted and in pain. In an effort to keep awake she began pressing Reid for details on the case, doing her best to pay attention especially when he starts to describe their potential unsubs.
"I think I know someone like that." she says, her words slurring and finding it increasingly difficult for keep her eyes open.
"Really?"
She hums in affirmative and leans back on the table. "The um…Emerson's they're an older couple…who lost their toddler a last year….I think they both work at a hospital." She says, closing her eyes, but refusing to release Reid.
"They both work in a hospital?" He asks, looking around for Morgan, trying to flag him over.
"Yeah, she's a nurse…I think, and he works in the morgue…maybe."
"Can you describe them?"
"No, I read about them in the church's blog and sent some money to the church for them. It's hard to think, I'm getting tired."
"That makes sense the adrenaline must have worn off by now." Reid says, and then begins to over-explain the body's need for adrenaline and sleep. After a moment he realizes that Madison is staring at him. He is use to people looking at him as if he were some type of freak, but the look in her eyes is sheer awe.
"What?' he asks.
"Watching your mind work. The way you move from point A to point B to point C. It's like watching a dance. It's beautiful."
Reid has been called many things in his life. He's been ridiculed, tormented and misunderstood because of his IQ and memory, but never has anyone used the word beautiful in reference to him. He stammers, unable to find the words.
"Can I eat your brain?" she asks, ruining the mood.
"What? No. I'm still using it!" He exclaims, to which she breaks out into a fit of giggles.
"What's so funny?" Morgan asks. Madison shakes her head and waves Morgan off, refusing to answer.
"What did the doctor have to say?" Morgan asks.
"He doesn't think it's broken, but wants to x-ray it anyway. I was telling Madison our profile and she thinks she might know someone."
"Who?"
"David and Margaret Emerson." Madison volunteers, snuggling down and getting as comfy as possible on the rock hard surface.
"She says they both work in a hospital." Reid offers.
"You stay with her and I'll start asking around." Morgan orders, as he heads out of the room before Reid can protest. Madison sits up suddenly, crying out as she puts weight on her injured wrist. Reid reaches out suddenly to helps her sit up, she rests her hands on his shoulders for balance. She mumbles an apology and looks up at him, bringing him within inches of her lovely face. Those incredibly beautiful honey brown eyes are searching his face, the barest hint of smile on her delicate lips.
"If you're wondering if the girl wants you to kiss her…she does." She says in a soft alluring voice, her finger tightening on his shoulder.
"I…I don't think…"
"Don't think." She whispers, pressing her soft lips to his. Her kiss is soft and sweet, making no demands, but promising the world. Reid allows himself only the briefest of moments to enjoy her kiss before self doubt and FBI regulations creep into his mind.
"No, I shouldn't take advantage." Reid says pulling away.
"Spencer…" she says his name softly "…you're not taking advantage." She assures, moving in to kiss him again when a nurse steps into the room.
"I'm here to take Ms. Wilcox to X-ray." The older woman says, offering to help Madison into a wheelchair.
"The doctor also ordered a shot for the pain."
"You'll stay?" she asks Reid, her eyes holding a touch of fear.
"I'll stay with you." He affirmed, watching the nurse administer the shot. Silently he follows the grayed haired nurse and drugged Madison out of the room and down the hall.
..~~~**~~~..
The sudden bustle of activity and excited murmurings lure Morgan down the hall and into a small room filled with X-ray equipment, medical personnel and one Dr. Spencer Reid sitting on an x-ray table, holding a bloodied towel to the back of his head.
"Reid! What happened? Where's Madison?" Morgan asks, pushing his way through the crowd.
"I don't know. A nurse brought Madison the x-ray room, I was waiting outside when I was attacked. When I woke up I was surrounded by doctors and Madison was gone." Reid explains as a young nurse carefully pulls away the bloodied towel to inspect the wound.
"Morgan, we have to find her!"
"I know."
"Madison said that the spell requires a life and she thinks they'll sacrifice a human."
"Yeah, I think they just got their sacrifice. Hotch isn't going to like this." Morgan says, pulling out his cell phone to inform their boss that they just lost Madison.