Thanks so much your reviews! And thanks for your responses to the question I asked. I was just curious. I have to say, this is where I started to get into the story. The other chapters were just getting the story started... now I'm going to (try) and have everything build up. See, I've planned this story out from the beginning to end before I started writing, so what I'm hoping is that all the little things will fall into place and make more sense at the end. Hopefully.
--Seven--
Chapter 7
When Reid finally woke, he realized that at least several hours had passed since Emily and his last conversation. He did not remember falling asleep, but he suspected that he only succumbed to pure exhaustion and the undying silence. His arms were wrapped around her and until now, he hadn't realized how deathly cold she was. With nothing to do or nothing to eat, their strength was slowly diminishing, and since Mills had beaten the crap out of her during his last visit, Reid feared for her will-being. He stayed still for a moment, listening to the active beating of her heart, which was a good sign.
Reid couldn't be sure how long they'd been in the cell for, but he knew it had been for quite sometime. Without any windows or a simple clock, Reid had already lost count of the days, as well as the hours, the minutes. It felt like ten years since they had last seen Mills, but Reid was pretty sure it had only been around six days. If he had to take a guess, Reid would have said that Mills would show up not a minute pass seven days, just like the man had said. So now, he was praying that the team was close to finding them before those seven days came to an end.
"Emily?" he whispered to see if she was awake.
If she was awake or not, he couldn't be sure, but it didn't quite matter, because at that moment, the door was thrown against the wall with a deafening bang. If she wasn't awake a moment ago, she was definitely awake now. As Reid had feared, their seven days were up.
"Wake up, Boy," Mills spat. "I had another dream from God. Apparently, you were telling the truth."
Reid blinked back the light that was now pouring into the room. It blinded him, so when Mills roughly grabbed him by the collar, pulling him to his feet, he was monetarily caught off guard. And only then did the words Mills had just spoke register in his brain.
"What?" Reid stuttered.
"We'll talk elsewhere," Mills whispered in his ear. "Not while there are demons around."
"I…Emily's not…"
"Leave him alone," Emily spoke up suddenly.
Reid glanced out of the corner of his eye. She was struggling to her feet and for a moment, anger swelled up inside of him. Hadn't she ever heard of the words 'back off' before? He could deal with this. He didn't need her getting more beat up than she already was. He could take it, just like the rest of his team, though apparently they thought otherwise. "Emily, it's fine…just stay –"
But his warning came too late, because at that moment, Mills swung his free hand back and whacked her across the face. She fell backwards and her head roughly hit the ground. With any other unsub, it would have been over, but because it was Mills, he hit her again. And again. And again. He hit her seven times until she was nearly knocked unconscious.
And Reid had to watch.
He tried to fight, tried to stop those punches destroying her face, her body, but the lack of food and water for the last few days had gotten to him. He couldn't think straight, couldn't seem to move his muscles, couldn't breathe. He was so weak. So utterly weak. And the more he tried, the more he failed. It was of no use, so he collapsed to the ground beside her and cried softly into her shoulder.
"Now," Mills spoke once he was done, "come on. We need to talk."
"No," Reid spat out, desperately clawing at the ground, at Emily, but she was losing herself to unconsciousness beside him.
"Boy, everything will be alright. I can promise you that," Mills spoke in a voice that was frighteningly sooth. "This demon can't brainwash you anymore." And with those words said, Mills grabbed Reid roughly by the collar and heaved him effortlessly out the door, leaving Emily completely and utterly alone.
7
Reid eyed Garcia and JJ suspiciously. Two days after their return to Quantico, Garcia had decided to throw a little bash at JJ's and Will's house (despite the fact that the smaller blond told her not to) and as a result, the entire team was seated in JJ's living room. However, despite the soft chatting and the forced laughter, it was an understatement to say things were running smoothly. From passing neighbors, it would have appeared and sounded just like any other happy family reunion, but it was far from it. Emily still hadn't said anything, though her gaze was now slightly more alert then it had been, and Reid just glared at everyone from where he sat. Subconsciously, they were all trying to act as if the kidnapping had never happened.
"I think it's time for a toast," Garcia piped up suddenly and everyone raised their beer, water, or whatever it was they were drinking. "To us, who never gave up. I'm so glad you guys are home." The last statement was directed at Emily and Reid, but they just dazed off into nothingness, seeming as if they could have cared less at what Garcia had just said. This reaction alone was enough for Garcia to tear up. Again.
"Baby-girl, give them some time," Morgan whispered into her ear. "They went through a lot."
Garcia nodded grimly. "Will everything go back to the way it was?" she asked him, tears glistening in her eyes.
Morgan squeezed her hand gently. "I hope so, baby-girl. I really do."
"Here, I'll take the plates," Rossi offered suddenly, wanting nothing more than a break from this so called 'party'.
Will stood up from his place beside JJ also and offered Rossi a smile and a thick accent. "Let me help you with those."
"Thanks," Rossi said as they disappeared into the kitchen.
JJ smiled weakly at everybody as she shifted Henry in her arms. He turned two months old yesterday and she was more than thrilled that Reid had lived to see his Godchild. "Reid," she spoke up softly, "do you want to hold him?"
Reid eyes widened as he glanced at the little ball of joy. To be perfectly honest, he didn't want to hold anything, nor did he want to be the Godfather of someone he hardly knew. And with everybody staring at him, waiting for a response, he didn't want to be there now. Maybe, six months ago he would have cared, but now all he believed in was hopelessness. "JJ…I don't think…"
But she was already shoving Henry into his arms and it wasn't as if he could drop the small boy, so unwilling he held the baby awkwardly in his arms. "Watch his head…watch…watch there." JJ smiled brightly, as did the others around them. It was the first time they really saw Reid connect to someone besides Emily.
Morgan nudged Garcia beside him. "See. I told you. It's a slow process, but they are recovering."
"Reid is, but what about Emily?"
"Emily will recover, Garcia. You'll see," he pressed, but he wasn't sure if he was trying to convince her or himself.
"They will be okay," Hotch said as he walked up behind them, making them both jump. "Morgan, I was going to call Emily's mother tonight," he stated bluntly, cutting straight to the point.
"What? Why?" Morgan asked.
"She can't stay by herself."
"That's why she's staying with me," Morgan told him, pointing out the obvious.
Hotch's brows fused together as he regarded his agent skeptically. "Reid's staying with you too, so I'm sure they're a lot to handle."
"She can stay with me," Garcia jumped in suddenly. "I don't mind."
"No," Morgan stepped in. "She's not going anywhere. Besides, do you want Reid to go into a catatonic state too? He hasn't left Emily's side since we found her, so what do you think would happen if we just took her away?"
"Morgan," Hotch huffed, annoyance creeping into the undertone of his voice. "It's not my idea. I have no power over this. You are not responsible for her medically. Her mother still has those rights. You don't."
"I don't care," Morgan snapped. By now, a silence had washed over the room and everyone was watching their argument intently. Even Emily, who had been utterly dejected from the world, was staring at them with wonderment in her eyes.
Hotch sighed, forcing himself not to raise his voice. He knew this would be hard on everybody, especially Morgan, which was why he had put this conversation off for three days now. "I know it's hard and I don't like it either, but her mother –"
Morgan lost it then, completely lost it. "Fuck her mother, Hotch."
"Okay," JJ stood up quickly at the sound of the curse word. "I think it's time for Henry to be changed."
"I'll help," Garcia offered, more than happy to let the conversation die.
"Morgan," Hotch warned once the two ladies had left, "perhaps we should talk about this another time…" His gazed shifted over to Emily and Reid, who were still seated in the room and hanging onto their every word, but apparently Morgan had forgotten that fact.
"And when's a good time, Hotch. Huh? When Emily's being shipped off to some fucking mental institution? Is that a good time for you?"
"Look, I know you're upset…"
"No," Morgan yelled, but his voice cracked then, making it clear to Hotch that Morgan wasn't angry because of Emily's mother, but because he couldn't lose her. Not again. "You know that's what she'll do, Hotch. She's going to take one look at Em and throw her into an institution. Do you want that?"
"You know I wouldn't."
Morgan bit his lip. "She's fine at my house. They both are. They're doing well there. They're recovering," Morgan told him softly, his voice considerably changing to a nicer tone.
Hotch sighed and nodded. "I'll talk to the Ambassador, but I don't know if it'll go over well. I'll try. I can promise you that."
"That's all I ask," Morgan whispered.
"You two done," a voice spoke from behind them, "or do you children need some more alone time?"
Hotch glared at his longtime friend who had just reentered the living room. He could have said a number of snappy remarks, but instead, he just went with, "We're done."
"Good." Rossi smiled weakly at them before peering around the living room. "I think you scared everybody off."
Morgan's face fell then. "Hey, where are Emily and Reid?"
Hotch's eyes darted around the room, but the duo was nowhere in sight. They hadn't followed Garcia and JJ upstairs, Hotch and Morgan both knew, they had been right there. He was sure of it. "I'm sure they're here somewhere," Hotch said, remaining hopeful.
"Damn it," Rossi cursed.
"What?"
Morgan's heart dropped inside of him when he saw the front door left wide open. "Shit," he cursed as he ran out the door, hoping that for once, everything would be okay.
7
Reid groaned as he was pushed inside another dark room. This was it. The torture was finally going to come. It was his turn and there was no doubt in his mind that it would be a thousand times worse than Emily's had been. After all, she hadn't been the one to patronize him. She hadn't been the one to make up those lies. However, whatever he had not been hoping for never came. Instead, Mills placed a soft hand on his should and gently pulled him to his feet. Reid trembled at the contact, preparing himself for what was sure to come.
A punch. A kick. Anything.
But nothing did.
Instead, Mills walked causally over to a table that Reid just now noticed. There was a full plate of food sitting there and the smell alone had his mouth watering for its taste. Never had he been so hungry in his life. He hadn't split the food Mills had given them evenly. He had gave most of it to Emily, though she thought otherwise, but it was dark, so thankfully she had no idea. However, living off a piece of bread and a block of cheese was not enough to live off of for seven days.
"Sit," Mills ordered. "Please."
And only because he was sure he'd collapse if he didn't, he took the seat. It was an understatement to say he was surprised when Mills pushed the plate of food towards him.
"Eat," Mills said, sensing his hesitation. "It's not poison. Trust me. If I was going to kill you, I'd take you out in a more sadistic way."
The man was telling the truth, Reid knew, so he took one look at the food before devouring it completely. He was starving, impossibly hungry. If he was skinny before, then he was anorexic looking now, he was sure of it. Then suddenly, he thought of Emily in that cell without any food at all and he had to fight the urge to gag.
"Slow down," Mills cut in. "You'll be sick if you don't."
Reid swallowed hard, then forcing himself to do so, he put his fork down. "Why?"
"What do you mean why? It's common sense. If you eat too fast, you'll eat to much and then get sick," Mills told him lightly, then after a moment of silence, he added, "I'm sorry I didn't believe you before…about the whole lightworker thing."
Reid nearly choked to death. "Really?" he squeaked out.
Mills glanced down, almost shyly. This wasn't the same man who had knocked them out and kidnapped them seven days ago. "I had a dream… a dream from God. He explained it to me. He told me that you are to be my replacement when I finish my seven sinners."
Suddenly, Reid lost his appetite. The man was insane. Completely and utterly insane. Why was he always the one who got stuck with the religious freaks? And if it wasn't for his weak state and lack of concentration, or the fact that Mills could snap him in two with just his fingers, Reid would have taken him right then and there. "W…what?"
"When I die, it'll be your job to find seven other demons," Mills told him as if it were obvious.
"I don't know how."
"I'll teach you everything you need to know about torturing and killing the demon inside. I'll show you how to do the tattoos. Everything."
"But…I don't believe in demons."
Mills eyed him suspiciously before a sadistic smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "You will in time, Boy. Trust me on that one."
Reid began to tremble. "I don't think I could replace you," he said, building a confidence he didn't know he had.
"You'll have to," Mills insisted. "There needs to be peace on earth again. You of all people should know this."
"But we don't kill people." Reid gulped then and forced himself to look Mills in the eye. "Lightworkers come together in order to restore Heaven and Earth, not to kill."
"We don't kill people. We kill demons. There's a difference." Mills stood then and began to pace around the table. "I've been thinking. You told me a couple of days ago that you didn't know your purpose as a lightworker… right?"
Reid hesitated. "Yes."
"Well, I think I know what it is," Mills said, excitement evident in his voice. "It's to carry on my job, just like I carried on my father's. God clearly sent you here for a reason. I should have known from the moment you stepped into my house that you weren't like that whore of a demon."
"Emily isn't –"
"My God," Mills cut him off, "this demon has brainwashed you far more than I originally thought. Don't worry, Boy, we will fix this. Trust me."
"I can't take over…" Reid whispered, but he couldn't quite bring those words to life. "I... I can't do that."
"We'll train every seven days for seven hours. I'll show you how the schedule works."
"But..."
"Now if you'll excuse me. Please eat while I'm gone. I'll be right back." And with those words said, Mills disappeared out the door, locking it behind him.
Reid listened to the heavy footsteps heading down the hall, and once they were out of ear shot, he scrambled to his feet and clawed at the door. But it was of no use. It was too heavy to kick down and the lock was too intricate to pick. Letting out a sigh of defeat, he slumped down on the dusty floor.
Only now did he really consider where he was being held. The hallway he had just came down had been dark, dusty, and nearly impossible to navigate without a map. They weaved in, out, and all around. It was an underground maze, a basement of some sort. It reminded him of the movie 'Kiss the Girls' or 'Silence of the Lambs', and he had to fight the urge to cry out. As much as he loved those movie, he vowed to never watch them again.
Suddenly, hope swelled inside of him and his FBI training kicked in. If he could just knock Mills out for a second, then maybe he could get Emily and himself out of here. So with that thought in his head, he stumbled to his feet and prepared to fight. The footsteps were back now and his heart started to beat erratically as someone fumbled with lock on the other side.
It was now or never. Live together, die alone, Reid thought as he prepared himself.
And the door was thrown open.
However, before Reid even had the chance to throw a punch, he was caught off guard. It wasn't Mills who had walked through the door, but Emily. Relief swelled up inside of him at the sight of her, but it was soon replaced with anger and frustration. She was thinner, just like him, but it wasn't the thinnest that got to him. It was the bruises and the scars that covered her body. Mills had done an excellent job at beating the shit out of her, and at that moment he vowed to kill the man… that is, if Emily hadn't beaten him to it.
"Emily, thank God." Reid ran to her, letting his defensive position drop.
"Reid," she rasped out.
"But how did you get out? I don't understand…"
She tripped then – no, someone pushed her – and she stumbled to the floor. Instinctively, he opened his arms and he caught her against his chest. If he wasn't so focused on her, he would have seen that Mills had reentered the room and was looming over them with an ironwood needle in his hand.
"Your training begins now, Boy," Mills spoke then. "Starting with her."
