"Go." Hotch ordered J.J and Rossi, who rushed toward the house, their guns drawn, while he stayed near the shed.
"Avery!" He called through the wall "It's Aaron Hotchner. We're going to get you out."
He reached for the radio strapped to the shoulder of his blue Kevlar vest. "We need an ambulance down here." He sent the message up to the force at the vacation home, who had now been joined by firetrucks and more emergency vehicles as they fought the fire.
Through the wall, he could hear Avery's terrified, grateful sobbing, along with the words "There's a bomb."
Derek Morgan burst into the room, gun drawn. Kyle Weston lay on the floor, blood seeping from the bullet holes in his chest and soaking into the already stained brown carpet.
Reid lowered his gun as Morgan crossed the room, checking the fallen man's neck for a pulse. J.J entered through the sliding kitchen door. Here footsteps could be heard through the house as she ran to the back bedroom.
Derek said nothing. His expression communicated all necessary information to J.J, who holstered her weapon.
"We found Avery, Spence." J.J said gently.
Though the world seemed to be moving in slow motion, Spencer Reid found himself standing in the backyard without memory of leaving the bedroom.
Sirens wailed in the distance, nearing the house. J.J and Rossi ran to meet the squad at the end of the driveway.
"Morgan, I need your help!" Hotchner motioned for Morgan, who ran to join him at the shed.
"The door's rigged. We need to get in through there." He motioned quickly to the small skylight. Lacing his fingers together, he boosted Derek onto the low roof of the shed.
Morgan yanked on the window, but years of disuse had rusted the hinges and rendered it immovable in the casing. Derek looked to the men on the ground and shook his head.
"Avery!" Spencer called. "Avery, it's me – it's Spencer. Morgan can't get the window open, he's going to have to break it. You need to stand clear."
Hotchner handed Morgan a sturdy bit of fallen branch and Morgan raised it, bringing it down with a high-pitched crash, shattering the glass window. He ran the branch along the edges of the window, knocking out loose bits and the sharpest shards still clinging to the perimeter before leaning in. Balanced against the upper edge of the window casement, he leaned in.
Avery looked small, huddled against the wall. With her wrists and ankles bound, it was difficult to stand.
"It's alright." He reassured steadily. He reached down, able to lock his hands around Avery's outstretched arms and pull her slowly up. Morgan eased her onto the roof of the shed. Pulling a Swiss army knife from his pocket, he cut the zip-ties.
Police officers, paramedics, and bomb technicians began flooding the back yard as Morgan guided Avery down from the roof, into Spencer's waiting arms.
The world resumed its normal pace, and Spencer let go a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He held Avery tightly. She buried her face against his chest, her entire body shaking. Spencer ran a hand comfortingly through the hair at the back of her head, feeling the thick knot the blow from the fire extinguisher had left. Her right temple was bruised and bloodied from falling to the ground.
"It's okay." He soothed, his voice breaking. "It's okay."
An EMT approached.
"29 year old female, multiple head injuries,at least one requiring stitches. Symptoms of shock, and she probably has a concussion." Spencer spoke quickly, releasing his hold on Avery only slightly and walking with her toward the ambulance parked in front of the house.
Reluctantly, he stepped away from the back of the ambulance, allowing the EMTs to do their job. Behind them and past the ambulance, another team of medics wheeled a gurney out through the front door, its passenger contained in a black bag. Reid watched as they loaded the body into another ambulance.
"Hey."
Hotchner's voice caught his attention, and Reid turned his head. His boss stood at his shoulder, looking at him with a stony expression betrayed only by the glint of concern in the eyes.
"You okay?" Hotchner asked.
"What?"
Hotchner nodded slightly toward the closing doors of the ambulance.
"Derek filled me in." He said. "I'll wait for your reports, but... you made the right call, Reid."
Spencer nodded. "I know."
"You shouldn't feel guilty."
There was a pause as Spencer's attention turned from the ambulance driving away to the one nearby. He watched the EMTs ready Avery for the trip to the hospital, considering everything – past, present, and future – very carefully.
"I don't." He said at last in a calm voice. He looked to Hotch. "I'm going to ride with Avery to the hospital."
A hint of a smile crossed Aaron Hotchner's face as he watched the youngest member of the team climb into the emergency vehicle and settle himself next to the young woman on the gurney, tightly holding her hand.