Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds.

Reid's eyes drifted open and he stared a the dull grey ceiling. He looked around with a vague detachment. Like it was all happening to someone else. He spotted the small window and all of the memories of the previous day came flooding back. Going to the store. Being blitz attacked by Bryan. The ride there. The dreams that felt too real. Bryan's blurry retreating form. The blissful darkness that he had been floating in for who knows how long. His hand went to the back of his head and he felt blood matting his hair to his skull. He figured he had a concussion, the symptoms were all there.

Confusion, problems organizing his thoughts, headache, nausea, and he was sure there were more than a few holes in his memory. He was fairly certain it had been a baseball bat that had hit him. He tried to stand and leaned heavily on the wall, stumbling. It was difficult with his still bound hands, but he managed. For about .5 seconds. He slid back down the wall when stars burst in his vision. He gasped when he hit the floor and closed his eyes. Just then the door opened, and Bryan walked into the room.

"Oh, good, you're awake." He said, voice pleasant. Reid just glared at the man. "Hmmm, not very chatty are we?" He asked in a patronizing tone.

"Why am I here?" He asked, voice hoarse.

"What, no, 'What do you want?'" he tilted his head sideways.

"I already know what you want."

"And what, pray tell, is that exactly?" Reid shrugged.

"You want to kill me."

"Hmmm, and how very right you are." His smile was wolfish.

"Then, why haven't you?"

"So eager to meet you maker, Spencer? Hell, I would want to meet him too, he's got to be brilliant to come up with something like you."

"No, I want to know why I'm here." He decided not to comment on the second part of that and answer the first question.

"You'll find out soon enough." He turned and left the room, locking it behind him. Spencer let out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. He was still surprised by his calm during the whole encounter. Probably shock, he decided.

The fact that his hands were still tied made him uneasy, but there was nothing he could do to get the rope off. There was nothing sharp in the room and the rope was skillfully tied. He choose to be glad that they were tied in his front and that he had a chance to defend himself. But defend himself from what? What was he planning? If all he had wanted was to kill him, Bryan could have done that already. So what was the game plan? He would have to wait and see. His head was filled with awful scenarios, but he pushed them away. He didn't see the point in being completely pessimistic. Reid idly wondered if anyone was looking for him yet. Did the team know he was gone? Not many people would really notice if he suddenly disappeared, after all.

Hours past, and Reid was fighting sleep. He knew if he slept while he had a concussion, he could slip into a comma and die. For some reason that thought made him want to laugh out loud. There was no reason that he could think of, and there was a real threat there. He knew that this situation was serious as a heart attack, and he still felt giggles bubbling up in his throat. Maybe he was really losing it this time.

It reminded him of the time he was being reprimanded for 'fighting' in school by his history teacher. The man was in the middle of lecturing him about picking fights, when Spencer had the inexplicable urge to laugh. He hadn't thought it was funny then, and he really didn't think it was funny now, so why did he find himself fighting off laughter in waves? He was still smiling when he drifted into the land of unconsciousness.

…

Reid and the team had no luck finding Bryan, and he had killed again. another man who looked too much like Reid for comfort. The mood was somber. Reid felt the need to get out of the room filled with frustrated profilers. Probably because he was one of those 'frustrated profilers'. He wandered the station aimlessly, until he came upon the front doors. He walked out into the rain, knowing full and well that it wasn't the best idea to get soaking wet. He stood under the section of the roof that protected him from the water falling out of the dark sky. He leaned against the wall and took a breath. It was cold, but by no means freezing. It was rare for California to get that cold, even in January. He leaned away from the wall and stuck his hand out to let the rain fall into his palm. It was soothing until a hand shot out from around the corner of the building and gripped his wrist. He instinctively tried to pull his hand back and only succeeded in pulling the man attached to it around to his side of the wall.

His eyes widened when he saw his face. The UNSUB, Bryan still hadn't released his wrist and Reid opened his mouth to alert someone, but was stopped before he could begin by a punch to the jaw. Reid's head whipped to the side and he fell back against the wall. Bryan advanced on him, and Reid punched him in the nose. He stumbled back a step, and Reid went for his gun. Bryan recovered quickly and grabbed the wrist holding the gun before he had it raised. They struggled for a moment and the gun went off.

Reid felt no pain and he knew he hadn't been shot, and the gun hadn't been pointing in Bryan's direction enough for the bullet to have hit him. The hand still encasing his wrist jerked and he was forced to drop the gun. With both wrists still in a death grip so tight it hurt, he did the only thing he could think of. He slammed his forehead against Bryans. His grip on Reid's wrists loosened, but not enough for him to get free. Instead, the momentum pulled them both back, into the rain. While his head now hurt like a bitch, he knew Bryans was worse. They fell into the parking lot, with Reid landing on top, at first. Bryan was bigger, and used the momentum to roll until he was on top.

Reid tried to fight back as thunder boomed loudly in the distance. He could feel water hitting his face and blinding him. He bucked, knowing he was at an extreme disadvantage here. There was no getting out from under the man straddling him, and he thought it was a good thing when the hands bruising his wrists let go. He thought wrong. As soon as the hands left his wrists, they wrapped around his throat. He gasped, or tried to as his air was cut off. Bryan leaned toward him, smiling widely.

"I love the ones that fight." He hissed. Reid resisted his first instinct, which was to try and pry the hands away, because he knew logically that it wouldn't work. Instead, he reached up and scratched at his attackers face. Reid's nails left red lines on his cheeks before he leaned out of his reach. Spots began to dance in Reid's vision as lightning struck, lighting the sky above them.

And then the weight on top of him lifted and he gasped for air. It hurt his damaged windpipe and he coughed. Arms wrapped around him again and he fought the embrace.

"Shhh, Spence, it's okay." The only person in the world that called him 'Spence'. It was JJ, not the UNSUB. He could have cried with relief. He looked up at her, and her hair was soaked and clinging to her neck and face.

"You're getting wet." Was the best response he could think of as his mind went numb. She gave him a strange look.

"Spence, you were almost choked to death less than 5 seconds ago, and you're worried about me getting wet." She shook her head. "You are impossible." But he wasn't looking at her anymore. He had glanced over to where Morgan had Bryan on the ground, his knee in his back while he cuffed him. Bryan was still grinning, staring at Reid and JJ. He had blood still running from his nose and a sizeable gash on his forehead. He and Reid locked gazes until Bryan was pulled roughly to his feet by Morgan. Reid shuddered as he was also pulled to his feet, albeit much more gently. He stumbled and Leaned on JJ as they made their way back to the station.

A/N: I wrote the dream while listening to Hotel California by the Eagles and I feel like they have the same vibe. I don't know, maybe I'm just crazy. Also, I hadn't been planning on making it raining until I thought about how much I want it to be raining here, and for dramatic effect. I love rain. Anyways, please R&R!