(Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters)
Thank you so much for all your reviews. So thanks to spxxxxx, ahowell1993, Hippiechic81, Sarry22, tlcroft, and AZCatmom for your reviews on yesterday's chapter.
It's 2 am and I have no idea what to write... I think I'll just start and see where it takes me...yea I'll do that. This will be set several days later.
Please review and enjoy!
Hotch walked through the waiting door, shutting it quietly behind him and taking a seat. He glanced up and acknowledged the chained young man before looking back down at the file.
"I'm glad to see Prisons treating you well," Hotch deadpanned. James glared at him through his swelled black eye. Hotch closed the file and looked up at James. The young man's professionally cropped hair had been completely shaved, stumble was beginning to sprout over his chin and his face was littered in scratches and bruises, similar to the ones he had inflicted on his twin.
"I fancied a change. I guess me and Spencer are identical again? I made sure his bruises were deep so that they'd last," James snickered. Hotch didn't react.
"Haven't you heard?" Hotch asked, putting on a mask of genuine concern. James hesitated and frowned.
"I've been in prison! You think I hear anything?" he snapped.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm not sure I'm the one who should tell you this," Hotch murmured, glancing at the window.
"Tell me what!"
"Spencer didn't make it," Hotch took a shuddery breath.
"What?" James hissed, unable to believe what his ears were telling him.
"He bled out minutes after your girlfriend stabbed him," Hotch explained, trying to keep his voice calm. James shook his head vigorously.
"No! You're lying!" He growled. Hotch's eyes locked with the young man's.
"Don't talk to me about lying! If you hadn't held him captive then he would-would...he'd," Hotch turned away from James, pretending to stifle a sob. James gaped at him, his mouth bobbing open and closed. "What's wrong!? Have you finally gained a conscience?" Hotch spat. James' eyes appeared distant all of a sudden.
"It was meant to be me...I was meant to kill him," James mumbled.
"You make me sick," grunted Hotch getting up and turning from James. He waited for the door to shut before giving Rossi a thumbs up. Rossi bit the inside of his gum nervously.
"It's just precaution, Dave. If he got out somehow you know who he'd go after. He may even make friends and get them to do his dirty work. We can't risk it. Besides, he had no right to call himself Spencer's brother," Hotch reassured him.
The Italian nodded, but he couldn't help the feeling of dread that crept over him.
Reid lent down slowly and tied the lace on his left shoe. That was one of the only items of clothing that James had left him. Clearly, he and James shared the same taste in shoes, especially his beloved black converse. As for the rest of his clothes; James had only kept 2 shirts, 2 sweater vests and a blazer; they discovered the rest around the back of Reid's apartment where a small pile of ash remained. Lucky for Spencer, Garcia had used Rossi's wallet to get him several outfits (of her choosing) until he got back on his feet and could buy his own. Garcia hopped into his room, a huge flowery duffle bag slung over her shoulder.
"Ready!?" She chirped. Morgan strolled in behind with a wheelchair and Reid smirked at them both.
"No way."
"Uh, yes way! The doctor said he doesn't want you to even attempt to move that foot," Garcia jibbed, pointing to the white cast that dominated his right foot. He'd had surgery on it two days after he'd first arrived. He'd officially been in hospital for 6 days and William had allowed him to leave one day early because of 'good behaviour', which had involved putting up with Garcia's online shopping for new clothes.
"I can use the crutches," Spencer insisted, reaching over to the crutches which Garcia pulled out of his reach, causing him to pout like a child.
"You will not! You were stabbed for god sake! Now get in that damn chair or I'll call your father or worse...Hotch, and I'll tell them that you're disobeying me," Reid held his hands up in surrender. He sent Morgan a desperate look and he chuckled shaking his head.
"You don't want to face their wraths, so I'd just hop in if I were you," Morgan winked. Reid sighed inwardly and lowered himself off the bed, balancing on his good foot. Garcia grabbed his arm and guided him gently down into the chair. Once he sat down, Penelope lifted his plastered foot on the outstretched footrest, making it impossible for Spencer to escape.
"Now you're ready!" She beamed, ruffling his messy hair.
"Thanks," he said sarcastically, cringing as Morgan started pushing him.
"You better start expecting more of this," Morgan teased, causing Reid to groan again. Morgan rolled him down the hall where JJ and Emily were waiting. Spencer blushed wishing he could become invisible in that moment. He opted for a distraction. He looked up at Garcia and pointed to her duffel bag.
"What's that for?" He asked.
"This?" She asked, swinging the heavy bag about. "Well we couldn't quite decide where you were going to stay because we all wanted to keep an eye on you. So we compromised," Reid frowned and turned back to what was happening ahead of him, bearly registering that he had been moving. They were almost at Morgan's truck.
"What compromise?" He asked. Garcia opened the boot and slung her bag in, Reid caught sight of another duffel bag, this one was plain black.
"Careful, Baby Girl. My new sunglasses are in there," Morgan warned.
"Relax. The compromise is that we are staying with you," she announced. Morgan parked Reid's chair beside the passenger door.
"What?"
"Well, Rossi wasn't budging so we said that if you got to go to his place then we got to stay as well," she added.
"I'm just coming for the free pool," chuckled Morgan. He shared a look with the girls and they all knew the real reason and it had nothing to do with the pool, but instead with their genius who was currently struggling into the tall truck, balancing on one foot. Morgan abandoned the chair and helped Reid in.
"I'll just take this back," Morgan said, leaning against the chair and pushing it back to the hospital, gaining speed and letting the chair do a wheelie. Reid grinned at him, settling in his seat.
"Oh, and Spence?"
"Hmm."
"Don't mention books to Rossi just yet; you've filled one on his spare bedrooms with boxes and boxes of books and I think he's a bit touchy on the subject," Reid laughed again, imagining Rossi's reaction to finding his books taking up a whole room.
When they got to Rossi's 'mansion', Hotch and Rossi were waiting in the front room, with a glass of scotch each.
"Has the party already started?" Morgan pouted, helping Spencer into the comfiest armchair.
"I'm just preparing for Garcia and your presence," he snickered taking a big swig. "I think I'm gonna need some more of this," he added, refilling scotch his glass. Spencer laughed along with the others.
"You won't be laughing when I let Clooney sleep on the couch."
"You wouldn't dare," the Italian gasped.
"Try me!" Morgan stepped over to the drinks cabinet to pour himself, but Rossi whistled. The Labrador by Rossi's feet lifted his head, his eyes narrowing on Morgan. The dog was about to get up when Morgan backed away quickly.
"Only Menchie gets to sleep on the couch and that's when I'm in a good mood," Rossi warned.
Reid shook his head as he chuckled, watching the two agents argue comically. He'd felt a little empty since his mother and father had left. Diana had to go back to Benningtons, but he hadn't expected his father to go back so soon after his mother.
William had a big case coming up and although the team were angry that he was willing to just leave like that, Reid understood that his father had built a whole new life as he had done himself; Reid wasn't about to give up his life as a profiler so he didn't expect his father to give up his life. Spencer had hoped his father would stay a little longer as it had been so long since they had seen each other in person, but William had promised to visit now that James was no longer a threat.
Spencer was snapped out of his thoughts when Garcia nudged his shoulder with a tin. He blinked and looked up at her.
"Want one?" She asked through a mouthful of cookie. She shook the tin full of delicacies and he grinned taking an odd shaped one. He remembered when Garcia made cookies for Hotch after he was stabbed, he smiled at the thought that he had finally hit cookie status.
Reid took a bite of his cookie and it crumbled in his mouth. It tasted so much better than the bland hospital food which had seemed like heaven after the dirty sandwiches James had fed him. He glanced at his hand and found only crumbs where the cookie had been. Luckily the tin had been passed around and was now in his lap again.
"Was the food that bad?" Rossi chuckled as Spencer picked out another cookie.
"No, b-"
"But nothing beats my cooking," Garcia finished for him.
"I think I could give you a good run for your money," winked the Italian.
"Italian food is different. It's more like a religion than a skill," she laughed. Spencer took a bite of his new cookie and was once again overwhelmed with its euphoric taste.
"So...are you ready to talk?" Reid glanced up at Morgan, his mouth full of cookie. He chewed slowly and swallowed.
"Um..."
"It helps," Hotch said. Reid suddenly felt all of their eyes on him. He suddenly lost his appetite and set the cookie down on the arm of the chair. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell them, in fact, he wanted to talk. He just didn't want to relieve it.
"Um...W-where shall I start?" He asked anxiously, he noticed the relief that passed his team's face.
"Wherever you want." But that didn't help Spencer so Hotch said: "at the beginning."
"Okay..."
Spencer walked into his apartment and sighed with relief. He placed his messenger down on the counter and picked up the book he'd left there that morning. His eyes danced along the pages as he brewed himself some coffee. He was ready for a weekend to unwind. He had a small pile of books by the door that he planned on devouring with the company of sugar drowned coffee.
He set his mug down beside the sugar, his eyes still scanning the pages as he dropped spoon after spoon of his dwindling supply of sugar into the dark liquid. His gun dug into his side as he lent over to put the sugar back. He unholstered the weapon, setting it beside his coffee. He planned on putting it away as soon as he finished the chapter. A chapter turned into two, which turned into three and he finally sat on his couch, admitting defeat and deciding to finish the whole book.
He didn't notice the mess of broken pictures beside his bookcase. A picture of his mother lay smashed right beside his socked feet as he read diligently. It was only the creak of floorboards that tore his eyes from the pages.
He glanced around his apartment, frowning. He put his mug on the coffee table and abandoned his book. He stood and an intense pain shot up his foot. He looked down and found the smashed photo frame with his mother's smile beneath it. He hopped on his one foot, pulling out the glass and hissing as blood dripped from the hole in one of his favourite socks and onto the picture of his mother's. Her face became bathed it red, distorting her happy features to something almost demonic as if she were smiling at his pain. It reminded him of a developing photo in a dark room.
As if he had thought it aloud, the light went out sending the room into darkness. Spencer limped to a standing position, gazing around and then he saw him; the dark figure stood beside his light switch, turning the key in the lock and smiling at him.
He knew it was James. A person could conceivably forget the face of their brother after so long, but one cannot forget the face that stares back at them in the mirror. And luckily for Spencer he remembered everything; every malicious grin, every taunt, every bruise.
Spencer stumbled back, his body quivering with fear.
"It's good to see you haven't changed," came a gruff voice of his reflection.
"What are you doing here?" Spencer said, trying to make his voice sound stronger than it felt.
"You know this day was coming. You stole my life. It's time for you to understand what that feels like."
Spencer didn't hesitate he sprinted for the counter, ignoring the shocks of pain each step sent through his foot. James was quick. He had always been quicker. Spencer felt his brothers hand yanking him back and he felt himself colliding with the floor. He tried to get up, but a swift kick knocked him back down.
"You always were weak!" James laughed, kicking his brothers face sharply. Spencer grabbed his leg and held on, pulling himself partway up. James shoved him away and he smacked into the wall, his head cracking painfully against it. James grabbed his hair, pressing his body against Spencer's so he couldn't move. He proceeded to use Spencer's head as a battering ram against the wall. Spencer struggled, but after the second hit he grew more exhausted. His eyelids fluttered and his body grew limp.
"I'm going to make you pay." That was the last thing Spencer heard in the presence of light, which had shone through the window by the light of the moon. The next light he felt was artificial and came from James' torch, offering no comfort to him in the long hours of darkness that became his life for the next two weeks and a half.
Spencer shook his head, trying to control his breathing as he recalled the darkness; he couldn't go back, he just couldn't.
"I don't want to be telling this story anymore," he whimpered, looking up at his team who were also trying to hold themselves together. It was all too fresh for him.
"Tell a different one then," Emily said soothingly.
"Like what?"
"Well considering we didn't know you had a twin, you must have a load of things you haven't told us that you've had up in that head of yours." Spencer bit his gum, thinking for a minute. Most of his memories were bad ones.
"Um...well you might not believe this, but you know how some people say there is some kind of supernatural connection between twins?" Laughter and groans filled the room.
"This ain't gonna be like your theory on evil twin, eviler twin?", Morgan chuckled, rolling his eyes. Reid cracked a smile and shook his head.
"I know it sounds crazy; it makes no logical sense to me either. Science can't explain-"
"Come on then, science guy, don't leave us hanging," Garcia cut in, eager to hear the story.
"Right, sorry..."
Spencer lay on his front on the floor writing on a piece of paper in blue pencil, his little legs kicking the air gently. He bit the pencil and grinned when the answer came to him. He quickly finished the long multiplication before starting on the long division beneath it. That was when he felt a sense of dread surge through the him. His hands suddenly tingled and he frowned, dropping his pencil.
He looked up to see his parents reading books. William would point something out to Diana every once in a while and she would grin.
He realised James wasn't playing with his truck anymore. Spencer glanced around for his brother, the strange feeling growing stronger. He walked to the sink and jumped up to look out of the window. The sun was beginning to go down, but he couldn't get a good enough view of the garden.
He decided to investigate and toddled over to the door, standing on his tippy toes to reach the door handle.
As soon as he opened the door he heard someone calling out. His feeling of dread skyrocketed.
"Help!"
Spencer looked up at the big tree in the corner of the garden and found his brother clinging to a branch his legs dangling down.
"James!" He cried, he rushed to the tree and gasped up. Although the branch he clung to was only around 6 feet from the ground, to two four-year-olds it was a life or death situation.
"H-help me!" James cried, sobbing in panic. Spencer darted back toward the house and called his father.
"Daddy! Help James! He's stuck in the tree!" He called. William threw his book to the ground and sprinted over. He and Spencer made it out of the doorway just as James slipped and crashed out of the tree, landing painfully on his front into the dry grass. James gasped as the air left him. Spencer also felt slightly winded, he could only watch his father scooped up his brother, rubbing soothing circles into his back as he rasped and cried.
James had blamed Spencer in the hospital. No one believed him of course because Spencer just oozed innocence. Though he apologised to James countless times. Williams had to pull him aside and tell him that he couldn't have done anything, besides James shouldn't have been climbing trees.
After that Spencer had read numerous books on twins, seeking answers for what he'd felt.
I still don't understand it," Spencer shrugged.
"Sometimes people just get feelings when their loved ones are in danger. I get it with Henry," JJ reassured him. Hotch looked away guiltily; they hadn't had that feeling when James took Reid.
"That's weird, Spence," Marvelled Garcia.
"Okay, Let's give the kid a break. How about one of you lot tell us a story?" Rossi eyed his team and they all shyed away from him.
"Oooo I have one!" Garcia put her hand in the air eagerly.
"Anyone else?" Rossi asked hopefully, but it was too late; Garcia had already opened her mouth.
That may be it guys! Like I said there will most likely be a sequel, but I might end this story here.
Thank you guys so much for all of your support through this story! I loved every part of it, wringing it, suturing and be more importantly reading all your wonderful reviews!
THANK YOU!
