30 minutes later
"How could I have let this happen?" Emily asks Morgan, as the nurse looks her over head injury.
"It isn't your fault Emily" Morgan said, "I should have gone in with you to get her" he continues, standing in the doorway.
"Do they have any idea who took her?" Emily asks wincing as the nurse wipes an alcohol pad over the wound.
"Penelope is checking out the cameras now but from the looks of it they can't get a clear shot of the UNSUB. Though from Harper's body language, they think she might have known who the UNSUB was" Morgan says.
"That might make it easier to find them then" Emily says. The nurse takes a moment and explains to Emily that she'll have to give her a few stiches in order to close the wound properly. Emily and Morgan finish up at the hospital as quickly as they can and jump in the SUV, driving towards Quantico in order to join the team. While driving, Morgan and Emily get to talking again.
"Yeah just to let you know, the kid is taking this pretty hard" Morgan says.
"Reid? Why would he be taking it hard?" Emily asks. Morgan looks at her as if she was crazy.
"You realize they both like each other right? They've gotten close these last five days and both have talked over the phone. Literally everyone has noticed and Spencer blushes every time I've teased him about Harper" Morgan says.
"What? I didn't realize they'd gotten so close in such a short amount of time" Emily says in awe.
"Yep. They might have actually considered going on a date if this situation wasn't for the UNSUB. However, to be fair without this UNSUB they might have not meet yet." Morgan says pulling into the parking lot of the FBI headquarters in Quantico.
"Wow. I'm just blind I guess" Emily says smiling. She liked the idea that Reid and her daughter might end up together. As Morgan and Emily walked up to the building, Morgan got a call on his cell phone.
"Hey Baby Girl, what's up?" he asks. Pausing to hear what Penelope had to say, his entire demeanor changed. "Are you sure?" he asks Penelope.
Emily stops walking and looks at Morgan, "What's going on?" she asks.
"Thanks Baby Girl" Morgan says hanging up the phone, "They figured out who the UNSUB is. It's the sheriff's deputy we've been working with" Morgan says.
Emily looks completely shocked, "What? I thought they were friends" Emily states.
"They were but it also explains why Harper is his primary target. He said they've known each other since he moved here, which means these women represent Harper" he says.
"We better hurry" Emily says as they both rush inside.
Alone in the dark, Harper tried struggling against the handcuffs but they weren't budging. Her kidnapper knew exactly what he was doing but she knew that it couldn't hurt to try. She knew that as soon as he came down here she'd have to think of some way to stall him, to give the BAU time to find them.
Even though she'd been forced to wear a blindfold, she knew a general location of where she was being held but she knew that she needed to try and get out of there soon. When she heard the fall of footsteps on the ceiling above her, Harper heard a door creak open, causing light to shine down the stairs. After a switch was flipped, Harper was temporarily blinded by the light and when she gain her vision, there he was.
Hank Torres, the deputy sheriff, someone she thought to have been her friend. Who she'd gone to for help, was actually the man that had been terrorizing her for weeks and from the look in his eyes, she knew that he'd enjoyed watching her suffer. She realized that by calling in her mother's team, only must have upset him more, especially by going over his head and straight to the BAU.
Harper remembered how he looked when Gideon declined his offer to help. Harper now hoped that the team had maybe seen the red flags and they would hopefully know right away who her kidnapper was. But as he descended the stairs, she knew that she might not make it out alive.
As he stood in front of her, he looked right at her and then down at her wrists and saw the red marks she had created.
"Ah, you know you aren't the first one I've had down here and you aren't the first one who has tried to escape" he says coming towards her and pulling a small table full of sharp knives and weapons to within him reach. Harper knew this is what he had used on the other victims, and in only a matter of time, herself.
"Hank why would do all this?" Harper asks, she didn't want to think to hard about the knives near her or what he'd soon be doing with them.
"I have my reasons, you. You were so easy to befriend, you looked down on me just like everyone else, just because you could save lives, but now you're going to pay. Now that I have you, I won't have as much time as I did with the others but I'll still enjoy it. Especially since your FBI friends are completely clueless as to what I've done" Hank says and grabbing one of the knives off the table.
"You don't have to do this" she says.
He walked closer and Harper was prepared for this but that didn't stop her from wincing and crying out when he cut her arm open. Hank took a few moments to admire his work, seeing her blood run down her arm and soak into her scrubs gave him a rush. He didn't wait long before he cut her again, this time on the leg.
"They know its you" Harper yelled out in pain.
Hank stops and looks at her surprised and angry, "How?" he yells holding the knife to her throat.
"They figured it out right away when you wanted to be apart of the investigation but didn't have the proof they needed until now. Plus since I went with you so easily and left my mother there, they know they only have to find me to prove everything" Harper says hoping that some of what she said was true because it might be the only way that she gets out of here alive.
Hank throws the knife down on the table and looks at Harper with such a rage that its hard for him to contain and not kill her on the spot.
"Well they'll never find you or myself" Hank says and then stalks up the stairs to check to see if Harper was in fact telling the truth. Once she hears the door slam shut. Harper tries again to get her hands free, rubbing them bloody if needed, praying that maybe she can get at least one hand free before he came back down.
The team had headed to the sheriff's office to inform him of what was going on, calling ahead just in case Torres had been there, which he wasn't. Hotch was trying to get Penelope to find his or Harper's location but no luck. Once they arrived at the police station Hotch received a call.
"Garcia, do you have a location on Torres?" he asks placing the phone on speaker.
"Not yet, but he has a million different areas for his personal killing chamber. I've looked into any properties with his or any of his family member's names on the lease and zip but then I realized that he is the sheriff's deputy..." Penelope tapered off.
"He'd have access to any property that the department had taken possession of" Spencer speaks up.
"Correct Junior G-man. So I looked at any properties that had electric or water turned on for the time frame of the murders and I've narrowed it down to 3...no make that 2...never mind I have where he is!" Penelope says happily.
"Send us the address. Let's go" Hotch says the last part to the rest of the team.
"Done and sent" Garcia says hanging up. The team races to the SUVs and breaks up Hotch, Gideon, and JJ get in one car while Spencer, Morgan, and Emily get in another. The sheriff follows with his men, keeping in radio contact between the two FBI SUVs, the team starts talking out a strategy.
"When we get there, we're going to need medical onsite. If he's already started then there's no idea of what condition Harper could be in" Gideon says.
"JJ I'll need you to control the media while were there. Emily I want you to stay out of the building" Hotch says.
"Aaron!" Emily says loudly, causing static over the radio.
"Emily I'll go in and get her" Spencer says reassuring his friend. Emily sighs knowing why they'd want her to stay out, which was because of her head injury. Though she didn't like it but if Spencer wanted to get to Harper as badly as she did so that would be fine if he went in for her.
"Ok" Emily says without much argument.
"Reid, I want you to focus on Harper. Morgan, Gideon and I will get the UNSUB. Sheriff I want you to speak with your men and tell them to keep all the exits guarded at all times" Hotch says. They pull up to the warehouse and get ready to enter.
Hank came back down the stairs and was just as angry, if not more so, then when he left.
He comes over to Harper and slams his hand down on the table, "They have no clue where we are!" he says smug, unsuspectingly just as the BAU team pulls up with the sheriff's department as they start to surround the warehouse.
"How can you be so sure?" Harper asks hoping he wasn't right and fear setting in, knowing they may never find her.
"They are stupid" Hank says picking up a different knife and holding it to her throat once again, Harper tenses slightly.
"They wouldn't even think of looking in a place like this and since they won't, I have more time to spend cutting you open" he says and moves the knife down and cuts part of Harper's abdomen. She cries out in pain, as the blood runs down from the wound.
"They'll never find you, like I said" he says and hits Harper with his fist several times in the abdomen, breaking a few ribs and bruising her severally. Harper lets her head fall, hoping that maybe Hank will think she's passed out but before he can check, they both hear the banging on the door that leads into the warehouse. Which was being kicked in and several people announcing FBI and police, most likely with guns drawn. Harper sees this as her only chance, getting her hand out from one of the cuffs she takes a knife and stabs Hank.
With one wrist bloody, she manages to free her other hand as quickly as possible. Hank stagers back looking down at the knife sticking out of his stomach.
Harper gets bindings undone and begins yelling "Down here!" Harper yells over and over just before Hank takes the knife out of his abdomen. He then take the knife and stabs Harper in the leg as she tries to escape up the stairs.
However, Hank doesn't hit anything vital, he cursed loudly as she cried out in pain. Hank then grabbed her and threw her back down the stairs, causing her to hit the brick wall at the bottom of the stairs. He wanted her to die just like the rest but he knew with the FBI here he'd never be able to get away with killing her. Harper slammed against the wall, hitting her head with the knife still sticking out of her leg, making her actually passout from the pain.
"Damn it" Hank says coming down the stairs. He watched as Harper's eyes roll back into her head and heard the officers above heading their way.
She needed to die but it'd have to be quick.
Hank went to grab his gun when he heard, "Don't even think about it" Hotch yelled at Hank, he still went for the gun when a shot rang out.
Turning just in time to see who fired the shot, Gideon lowered his gun slightly prepared to fire another shot if needed. Hank fell to the ground grabbing his chest, dying as the bullet entered his heart. Spencer came around both Hotch and Gideon, going immediately to Harper. Seeing her on the ground with blood everywhere, Spencer put his gun in its holster and knelt next to Harper, trying to wake her.
"Harper, wake up" Spencer says lightly hitting her face, as not to hurt her further. Especially after noticing a few different wounds on her, mainly her forehead where she must have hit the wall and the knife in her leg.
"We need a medic!" Morgan yells up the stairs.
After a few moments, Harper's eyes begin to open slightly, "Spencer" Harper says in pain.
"Its going to be ok, you're safe" Spencer says, noticing Harper trying to move into a sitting position, "Don't move, the paramedics are on the way" Spencer says.
Harper tries to lay still, "My mom, is she ok?" Harper asks.
"Emily is fine, she had to get a few stitches but she's more worried about you. Just like the kid here" Morgan says shadowing where Spencer was kneeling.
Harper nods and smiles at Spencer, "I knew you'd find me in time" Harper says and winces when she laughs at Spencer's blush and Morgan's smile at the two of them.
"Take it easy" Spencer says moving to let the paramedics through.
"Don't leave" Harper says grabbing his hand, causing herself pain in the process.
"I wouldn't dream of it but first I need you to stop moving or you'll hurt yourself more" Spencer says looking down at her. Harper nods as the paramedics wrap the cut on her arm, abdomen, and leg. Examining her head and the knife sticking out of her leg, they get her fixed up the best they can before moving her onto the stretcher. Spencer follows Harper and the paramedics and never lets go of her hand, not that she would let him.
Emily sees them come out, "Harper, Reid" Emily says running over with JJ. "Hey" Emily says.
"Hi mom" Harper says pain clearly present in her voice.
"Ma'am we need to get moving" The paramedics say to Emily.
Emily nods, "Spencer go with her" Emily says putting her hand on his shoulder.
"You sure Emily? You don't want to go with her?" Spencer asks concerned.
"Pretty sure she wouldn't let me with how she got a grip on your hand" Emily says smiling.
"Probably not" he says blushing.
"Keep an eye on her Spence" JJ says with a wink.
They load up in the ambulance and then drive off.
"I think you just gained a son in law" JJ says to Emily.
"I wouldn't doubt it but it might take a while for that to actually happen knowing them" Emily says.
A few hours later
Harper laid, asleep, in her hospital bed as the team wrapped everything up for the case. Spencer stayed with Harper on everyone's insistence, which he couldn't have been happier about. He knew that since the UNSUB was dead their case was finished and Harper was safe now.
Once they had reached the hospital, Harper had been rushed to surgery to remove the knife from her leg to prevent leaving any permanent damage. While they had her under they stitched up her arm, leg, and abdomen. Once they finished fixing her up, they brought her to the room where she was given plenty of painkillers in order to help with the pain.
Spencer stayed in the waiting room until they told him her room was ready and then he waited, reading one of his many technical books while waiting for her to wake up. Spencer looked up when he heard a knock at the door. Glancing up, he saw the entire team at the door minus Hotch and Gideon, waving them in Morgan, Emily, JJ and Penelope holding flowers, balloons, stuffed animal and a bag of clothes came walking into the room.
"Hi guys" Spencer says setting his book down.
"Hey, how is she?" Emily asks.
"Doing well. They gave her plenty of painkillers to help with everything but she's going to make a full recovery" Spencer says.
"Good. So Reid when are you going to ask her out?" Morgan asks setting the flowers he was carrying down on the table in the room.
Spencer blushes and coughs, "I'm not sure" he says.
"Hopefully soon, she's a great kid Emily" Gideon says walking into room with Hotch.
"Thank you" Emily says. Harper slowly starts waking up without the team noticing.
"Do you guys mind, someone's trying to sleep here" Harper says in a sluggish voice because of the painkillers.
"Hey there" Penelope says walking to Harper's bedside.
"Hi, what's everyone doing here?" Harper asks becoming slightly more alert but when she tries to move, she can feel her bruised ribs ache and winces.
"Ow that hurt" she mutters to herself and Spencer hands her the remote to the bed so she can move it and not move herself.
"Thank you Spencer" Harper says.
"When do you think you'll be out of here?" JJ asks.
"I'll probably be here for a few days but that's going to be for my head injury and my ribs" Harper says. The team all starts talking and without realizing it Harper starts to fall asleep again when Emily notices.
"We better get going, take care kids" Morgan says as he and most of the team trickle out.
"Harper I'll see you tomorrow" Emily says.
"Alright mom" she says and fades back into sleep but before that happens Harper can hear Spencer and Emily talking about something mentioning her name. Everything fades to black before she can hear what it's about.
A couple days later
Harper was sitting in her hospital bed after getting dressed, carefully, in a baggie t-shirt and sweatpants. She had just finished signing paper work for her release and was wondering who drew the short straw to come and pick her up.
Especially when knowing the BAU team would be taking on other cases soon and would be leaving the state any day now. Which meant less time with her mom and way less time with Spencer, especially if she was going to be moving across the country looking for a medical examiners job.
She wasn't looking forward to that but she knew that's what was going to happen once she got better and finished her residency. She'd only see where she ended up, hoping it would be closer to home. She and Spencer needed to talk but that would be for another day. Hearing a knock at the door, speak of the devil, the tall sandy brown hair man stood there smiling at her as the nurse brought the wheelchair into the room.
"Well hello there stranger, long time no see" Harper says to Spencer.
"Well I have the pleasure of taking you home" Spencer says.
"Don't you have work today?" Harper asks.
Spencer shakes his head, "Nope, I got the day off to spend with you and help you out at home" Spencer says.
"Well good, than we can talk sooner than I thought" Harper says aloud.
"Talk?" he asks.
"Spencer, we both really like each other and we need to talk about that, along with my possible relocation..." Harper trails off as Spencer comes over and sits in the chair next to her.
"I know you have to think about your future with working in the medical field especially if you want to be an ME, but I do like you and I want to explore this relationship, either a romantic one or just a friendship at first but any relationship with you would be wonderful" Spencer says. Harper looks at him and smiles. Today was a good day and now the future lay ahead of them, they some time to just be with each other.
Hi everyone, I hope you enjoy this chapter! I'll now be continuing on the timeline of Criminal Minds but I wanted everyone's opinion first. If they wanted a little fluff or for me to go straight into the next big chapter which is going to be Tobias Hankel! Let me know in the reviews and I can't wait to see what you all think of the story so far!