A/N: Heh, I'm already back! (smirks) Hooray?
First of, THANK YOU so much you absolutely amazing reviews! (GLOMPS) You have no idea what miracles your love does to this story. So thank you! (offers some virtual special treats)
Awkay… (takes a deep breath) It's time to get this show back on the road, no? I truly hope that you'll enjoy the ride.
'Finish the job'
For JJ the world seemed to stop turning. People came and went. Nadia was taken away in handcuffs. A lot of people asked her if she was alright.
All she could see was the man who'd been brought back from the dead.
When they were finally alone Spencer Reid swallowed, taking a cautious step closer to her. A million things could be seen in his eyes. "JJ, I…" He took a breath, breathing like someone who'd finished a impossibly long dive. "I'm sorry. I never meant…"
His lips moved but she couldn't hear a world. All she could hear was the buzzing in her ears, all she felt was the fire and ache all over her body. Primal instincts taking the lead she closed the distance between them with narrowed eyes and slapped him, as hard as she possibly could. Then she wrapped her arms around him so tightly that it must've hurt and buried her face into his familiar shoulder. When she felt him hold her back the tears finally came.
"Shh…", Spencer soothed her in a bizarre, broken voice, stroking her hair gently. "Shh… It's gonna be okay."
It took a long moment before JJ realized that the strange, heartbreaking wails were coming from her. Finally all the pain she'd been blocking inside of her came flooding through, with such force that her mind and body could barely take it.
This was all too much.
She had no idea of how long they'd been there, simply holding on to each other as though for dear life, until she distinguished the sounds of approaching steps. Derek's familiar voice seemed to come through fog and static. "Reid?"
SSA Dr. Spencer Reid had been dead for over two years. Coming back to life, it seemed, was a extremely bizarre, uncomfortable experience. All he could do was hold still while a part of the family he'd been forced to leave behind stood there, staring at him. The silence was so loud that it hurt his ears.
He suspected that Derek, Aaron and David had come to check up on Emily. He was fairly sure that he was the last person they'd expected to meet. He'd never seen the kind of looks on their faces he did now.
Spencer gulped, then took just one cautious step forward. "I… I never wanted you to find out like this."
Out of the three David was the fastest to regain his ability to speak. In some other situation the man's impossibly wide eyes might've appeared comical. "Reid?"
Spencer had absolutely no clue of what to say or do so he nodded, then emitted a barely audible "Yeah".
For over two years these people had thought that he was dead. All that time he'd wished that he could come back to them. Now he was back. And it was one of the most horrifying things he'd ever faced.
None of them moved or spoke until a soundless decision was made. Spencer stiffened when Derek made his way to him, their eyes never losing contact entirely. And then a pair of arms was wrapped around him. "I told them that you're still alive", the dark skinned man declared in a suspiciously thick voice.
Slowly Spencer's eyes softened while he hugged his best friend back. Laughter and tears both bubbled in his throat. "You do realize that this completely destroys the image you've been giving of yourself, right?"
"Shut up."
In a few moments the hug was broken. As he met eyes with Aaron Spencer realized that there was quite a bit that needed to be talked through. His jawline tightened. "We… need to talk." He glanced around, the paranoia that'd become his constant friend setting in. "But not here."
Aaron understood. "Let's go back to bureau."
Spencer nodded, his body shaking from all the tension building inside it. Soon enough secrets he'd been guarding for such a long time would come out. And he had no idea of what his friends – family – would think of him after that.
Derek spoke as soon as he sat into the man's car and closed the door. "Promise me something."
Curious and surprised, Spencer looked at the man. "Hmm?"
Derek glanced towards him and began to drive. "Don't ever scare me like that again or I'll smack that ingenious head of yours blank."
Spencer wondered how long it was from when he'd last managed to smile like that. "I can promise to try."
Derek nodded. "Good." It took a long moment before the man spoke again. "We missed you."
Spencer looked through the car's window. He didn't like the shadows dancing everywhere. "I missed you, too." He meant it from the bottom of his heart and soul.
If JJ would've been asked later how she got back to the bureau, into the break room, she wouldn't have remembered a thing. All she knew was that it felt like she'd been having a yet another wonderful, bittersweet dream when she entered to find Spencer with a mug of coffee held in his hands. It took what felt like ages before she managed to speak. "Some things never change", was the best she could muster, glancing towards the mug.
All Spencer managed in return was a tiny, feeble smile. It was around then JJ noticed some lipstick on the cheek she'd slapped earlier. It was highly like a greeting from Penelope, who was sitting firmly beside Spencer and holding the man's hand like she was never planning on letting go again. Beside the blonde Kevin looked like he'd seen a ghost. JJ could tell that she herself didn't appear any better.
The conversation must've began before she walked in, for there was a look of confusion and thoughtfulness on Derek's face before the man spoke. "We… saw the tattoos, on those pictures of the victims. How the hell is it possible that a group of profilers missed something like that the first time around?"
Spencer seemed to feel sick. His fingers became restless. "Because I only allowed you to see the pictures where the tattoos were invisible. If I hadn't you would've found out and been brought into it all as well." He took a moment before continuing. "I'm almost sure that the coroner was a member. That's why you saw and found out only what she wanted of the bodies. There's no way you could've seen the connection. If it would've been up to me you would've never found out but this time they're after you. You need to know what you're up against."
"You were the mystery person that approached me online", Penelope realized.
Spencer nodded and seemed to think of something but remained quiet.
"I still don't get it." There was a frown on Kevin's face. "Were you… a member or something?"
The look Derek darted towards the man made Penelope tense up and cast a warning glare of her own.
Spencer was probably too much in a shock to feel insulted. "No. Sometimes… I used to help with cases outside the FBI." The man took a deep, unsteady breath, fidgeting a little. "You already know what the Golden Dragon is so I don't have to start from the beginning." His eyes darted around on the floor towards which they were fixed, as though seeing something the rest of them couldn't. "CIA got a hang of it and decided to bring an end to it, from the inside. It was called 'Operation Hydra'. The undercover agent couldn't work for CIA so they turned to the FBI for help. Strauss suggested me and I accepted."
David frowned. "They must've checked your background."
Spencer nodded, his face more serious than JJ had ever seen them. There was visible self-hatred in his eyes. "My… father… He died six months before I was taken into the case. They altered the background story and made his cause of death – a heart attack – appear suspicious. No one inside the organization questioned that story. I managed to gather a lot of information."
Derek nodded slowly, appearing just about as dazed as JJ felt. "What went wrong?"
Spencer gave them a wry look, finally managing to bring himself to look at them. "I got shot." He gritted his teeth and thought about it for a moment before continuing. "Nadia… She was also a member, she may still be. She kept telling me how much she wanted to get out." He took a deep breath, focusing on the room's window for a moment. "When I woke up she was there and told me that my funeral would take place in five days."
That most definitely silenced the entire room. What the hell are you supposed to say after something like that?
"Before your…" JJ couldn't bring herself to say the last word. Her fingers shook while he pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and licked her lips. "How long were you in the operation?"
Spencer gulped laboriously, almost not daring to look at any any of them. His answer was barely audible. "For two years."
A shockwave went through the room. Two years? Two years and none of them had noticed anything? With certain disgust JJ realized that there was a lot they'd failed to notice when it came to Spencer – they were rarely there when he needed them the most. What kind of a family did that make of them?
"I'm sorry." Those words didn't come from her. They were Spencer's. Traces of almost spilling tears could be seen in the man's eyes as they looked pleadingly towards each member of the team present. "I'm so sorry. You… This was what I was trying to avoid. You were never supposed to be brought into this."
Derek's eyes were nothing but sincere when they bore right into Spencer's. "Kid, there's nothing, absolutely nothing, you could've done to avoid this. Any of this. Those bastards are everywhere. You know that."
"There's… more you should sknow." Spencer hesitated before handing them a piece of paper, along with a large brown envelope. "I… Since I was well enough I lived outside the States. That's until these were delivered to me. These are the reasons I returned to Quantico as fast as I could."
A frown on her face JJ took a look as Aaron opened the envelope. She shuddered upon discovering what was inside. Over twenty pictures of every single member of the team, herself along with Will and Henry included. Someone had been keeping an eye on them, from up close. The thought made her feel sick to her stomach. But the pictures weren't the worst part. Because just then she saw the note that'd been typed on a computer.
'Did you honestly think that you'd be able to run and hide forever? That you'd actually be able to protect them?
Nice try, doctor. But this time the game is out of your hands. And I know something you don't. I know who sold you out. If I were you I'd be careful.
Are you sure that you know who you can trust?'
"I knew that they'd figured out I was alive when my micro chip was re-activated", Spencer explained in a unreadable tone. "I had to dig it out."
"What the hell is this?" Derek spat out. "This is insane!"
Aaron's eyebrows were furrowed. The man appeared several degrees paler than usual. "Are you sure that this doesn't refer to Nadia?"
Spencer nodded. "Yeah, I am. She was… approached as well."
"Oh… crap!" It wasn't until Kevin spoke JJ even remembered that the man was there. The man got up and started pacing around the room, a frantic look in his eyes. "This… This is just…! Oh crap! This is insane!"
Those were JJ's exact thoughts as well.
Perhaps they were even more on the edge than they'd thought because they all tensed up at the sound of JJ's phone bleeping. She took a look and shuddered when discovering a text message from Will. "Henry's out of the surgery", she announced in a unfamiliar voice.
"Go." David's voice was gentle. "We'll fill you in if anything comes up. Your son needs you. So just go."
JJ nodded, feeling like a ton's weight had been crushing her towards the floor. Her eyes met Spencer's and her lips parted but for some reason she couldn't get out a single word. Instead she turned around and walked away.
While speeding through the streets JJ wondered if she was really in the condition to drive, then quickly decided that there was nothing that could've stopped her from getting to her son. Despite the speed it took much longer than it should've to reach the hospital.
She dashed into the building so fast that she didn't really pay attention to where she was going – and ran straight at Dr. Eric Rhodes. They stared at each other with wide, pained eyes, neither of them quite knowing what to say.
In the end Eric was faster. "Jennie, I… God, I'm so sorry!"
JJ shook her head, suddenly sure that she was being strangled. Tears filled her eyes but didn't spill. "I was the one who came to you, knowing exactly what would happen. I was the one who…" She swallowed, only to have the horrendous taste fill her mouth all over again. "And now my son… He's here. I'm his mom, and it took hours before I received the call to come to him. I betrayed him and my husband. So… So whatever you have to say… It won't make me feel any better." With that she walked away, into a elevator. They kept staring into each other's eyes until the moment the doors closed between them. It wasn't until then JJ let the tears fall.
She'd barely managed to regain some of her composure when she entered her son's ward and made her way to his room. Ice filled her veins when she discovered that once again Will was the only person present. The look on his face filled her with sheer terror. "Will? What's going on?" She was practically screaming but didn't care. She got no reply. "Where is he?"
Finally Will looked at her. She could tell that he'd been crying. "You… You should sit down. There's…" He cleared his throat. "There's something I need to tell you."
Since the beginning Nia Bahar had only ever wanted to find her brother, who'd gone missing after joining the Golden Dragon to pay back the violent death of their parents. She never discovered a trace of him. Instead she ended up losing herself as well.
Nia Bahar changed her name to Nadia Damascos, a woman with a nearly blank past. Big lies turned into even larger, unforgivable ones. She couldn't even remember how many people she'd deceived or killed. Blood stained her hands. No matter how many times she tried to make things right it always came down on her.
She attempted to help Spencer with cutting his ties to the organization permanently. She ended up falling even deeper into the mess.
She tried to keep the team safe, just like she promised Spencer. She almost ended up killing one of them to stay alive.
She tried to keep her siblings safe. Nothing good came out of that one, either.
Nadia gritted her teeth to chase away those thoughts and glanced towards the clock on the room's wall. Her eyes darkened. So she'd spent six hours in that room, not six days? She allowed her eyes to wander, stared at her own reflection on the room's window that looked like a mirror to her. She couldn't help wondering who was staring at her from the other side because she most definitely felt someone's eyes on her. She took a deep breath and looked at herself in the eyes.
Like a little child she wanted to keep everyone happy; her sister, Spencer, those she pretended to work with, the Golden Dragon… She'd fought for as long as she could, holding on with tooth and nail. Now her fate would be in the hands of other people.
When the interrogation room's door finally opened after what felt like lifetimes of isolation she fully expected to see Aaron. Instead in came the about last person she would've ever expected. Her eyes widened dramatically. "How… did you…?"
"How did I get in?" The gestures were perfectly calm while her companion took a seat right in front of her, so close that their knees brushed. "I could've let them take care of you but I wanted to do this myself, just to tease them."
Nadia's eyes were frantic while they darted towards the room's surveillance camera. The red light was no longer blinking. Her eyes felt a bit too moist while she looked back towards the arrival. "You came to kill me."
The nod was slow, almost reassuring. "Yes. You've become… an inconvenience. But look at it this way." A gun was pulled out. A reflection of her horrified face lingered on the metallic surface. "Now, with your sister gone… What do you have to live for?"
Nadia's lips opened. She never got the chance to voice a thing.
(When the guards rushed in some brief minutes later Nadia Damascos was declared dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, only fourteen hours after her sister's death.)
The steps had barely any sound at all while a shadow slipped out of the interrogation room, as subtly as it'd appeared. Death didn't make a sound. It could only be felt as a cool breath in the air while the person walked away without a single backwards glance.
There was one advantage of knowing the building inside and out. It'd been possible to disable all security cameras so swiftly that no one had become suspicious. As far as anyone was concerned Nadia smuggled in the gun and killed herself before she could be interrogated.
Suddenly there were familiar voices, such that belonged to a different lifetime. Voices that made the person who'd already been leaving freeze to the spot.
High heels paused just as the intruder did. "Are you alright?" Erin Strauss inquired someone, her voice carrying sympathy that wasn't in it often.
"Yeah. I'm… It's weird to be back, but… I'm not the one who just saw someone come back from the dead." Spencer swallowed loudly and held a long pause, as though sensing that something was out of place. "Hotch is on his way to interrogate Nadia and the others… have a ton of work to do, especially with Emily in the hospital. I didn't want to be in the way."
"Dr. Reid." Erin's voice was firm and gentle, almost like that of a mother. "You do know that you did the right thing, don't you? If you'd stayed they might all be dead right now. It was the price you had to pay for their freedom."
There was a somewhat bitter snort. "I died. If that isn't enough then what is?"
Another pause followed. Did they know that they were being listened to? "There's something you need to know. Come to my office." Two sets of steps distanced. Only one person remained.
A heartbeat shot up. Previously unstable breathing pattern slipped completely out of control. Eyes widened, gained a look that would've startled just about anyone.
Alive…?
'That's right', the familiar voice that never really quieted down taunted with a audible sneer. 'You couldn't do even that job right. He's still alive. You've been lied to, again.'
A couple of of tears the cause of which was a total mystery even to the one who shed them spilled. "Shut up!"
'He was right there. You do remember that, don't you? Back then he was right there, watching. I wouldn't be surprised even if he'd been one of those ordering the execution. You know how well they all work to hide their filthy tracks. He was one of those behind the kill and now he's alive, walking around like nothing had ever happened.'
A angry, badly shaking hand wiped away the tears. The eyes staring into nothing carried something chilling, horrifying. "What… What am I supposed to do about it?"
'Don't act stupid. You already know.' There was a tiny, taunting pause. 'Finish the job. Whatever it takes.'
TBC
A/N: So now some of the secrets have unfolded. But it looks like there's still plenty of more to come…
Who is this mystery person that killed Nadia and all those other members of the Golden Dragon? Who sold Reid out?
PLEASE, leave a note! Let me know your thoughts! It'd seriously make my day a lot brighter. (gives puppy's eyes) Pwease…?
IN THE NEXT ONE: Strained bonds are mended while the team gets ready for a tough ride. It's finally revealed who shot Reid – and nothing will be the same again…
Until next time, folks! I really hope that you'll all stay tuned.
Peace out!
babylove: I'm the first one to admit that my stories aren't those you can skim through in a minute or two. My head… isn't exactly wired the original way. (smirks sheepishly) When my thoughts flow they POUR out and there's no stopping the flood. I think (way too, sometimes) fast and a lot, and can't understand why some people have troubles with trying to keep up. (This in real life and writing.) It's a matter of my head, not a choice of style. So I can promise to TRY to keep myself in check but I can't say exactly how much I'll be able to change it. (winces)
I'm glad to hear that you like the idea, though. I hope that you'll be sticking around for the latter half of this story.
Huge thank yous for the review!
Steph: Quite a bit of questions, no? (groans) But no worries, soon there'll be answers, too.
I'm really glad to hear that you liked the idea of what the Golden Dragon is! I was really nervous about adding it. (beams)
'Hope the next one turns out worth the wait!
Colossal thank yous for the review!
