Summary: Episode Tag to 1x18 'Somebody's Watching'. What would've happened if Maggie Lowe didn't back down?

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, nor the premise.

Warnings: Awkward sentence structures, possible grammatical and spelling mistakes. Blood, shameless whumpage and h/c because it's the only thing I know how to write. And angst. God. So much angst.

***NOTE: BOLD and ITALICIZED words are parts when characters remember something someone said.

Read if you dare!

His right lung had re-collapsed when we found him, and he is running a high fever from an infection but is refusing medication. He's asking for you. Come as quickly as you can.

Those are the words ringing in Aaron's head as he sweeps into the ICU ward, with Morgan close behind him.

"SSA Aaron Hotchner, FBI." He flashes his badge at the nurse at the counter whose mouth is half-open, cut off mid-question.

He jogs down a familiar corridor and finds himself blocked by a crowd at the door of Reid's room. There are groups of nurses and orderlies standing by, watching the commotion in the room.

"Excuse me, excuse me—"

He pushes his way past the people and steps into a scene he never wants to see again.

Reid is on the semi-elevated bed, a huge plastic oxygen mask obscuring half his face and struggling weakly against the two female nurses are attempting to pin down by his arms. From a glance, Hotch notes that his blanket is on the floor and the bandages covering his chest wound are slowly turning red. The boy's doctor is attempting to placate him, her pleading voice mingling with the hysterical sounds he was making.

"Doctor—"

"Agent Hotchner! He won't stop fighting us, we need to put him under to evaluate the damage that has been done."

The kid doesn't appear to know he's there; he jerks, grunting and panting painfully. He coughs and a spatter of blood clouds the inside of the oxygen mask.

"Reid," he barks at his youngest agent, placing a hand gingerly on his shoulder. His skin is warm to touch. Too warm. "Reid, look at me."

At his voice, the said agent stops struggling and their gazes lock. Hotch's heart almost stops at the glazed agony and agitation in his eyes, that of a trapped animal.

"…'otch," the word is muffled by the mask, fear, and sheer exhaustion, "Lila…"

"Slowly, Reid, slowly." In the corner of his eye, he sees the doctor turn around and leave, presumably going to get the sedative.

"Listen, Reid, you've got to let the doctors help you. I know it's confusing and painful, but you've got to let them."

"N-no—" Reid starts to thrash again. Morgan takes over nurse on the boy's left side, holding him down, "Don'… understand…"

"What don't we understand, kid?" Morgan intones sharply.

"… Maggie…"

"Yeah we know, kid. We haven't gotten them yet. We're still looking—"

"No… t'ey… 'ere…"

Morgan throws Aaron a confused look. Something clicks in the leader's head, "Lila and Maggie were here? Did Maggie do this to you?"

Reid nods and winces, horribly. But he continues, wheezing out barely discernible words between gasps, "T'ey… cut… 'air…dyed it…"

The doctor returns but Aaron stops her short with a hand.

"They cut their hair?"

"Yes… Mag…gie… short… cropped h-hair…" Reid hacks out a painful-sounding cough, "Lila… long… with… short… fringe… both… brown..."

"Both are brunettes now?" Morgan summarises.

"Yes… car… plate …" the kid's eyes go to his right fist, which is clenched tight. There is a dash of blood at the back of his hand where the IV used to be; it seems as if someone had pulled it out. Aaron exchanges a quick look with Morgan and goes around the bed as quickly as he can.

The nurse moves away as Reid uncurls his trembling hand, revealing a very crumpled, slightly damp scrap of paper. Aaron takes it and unfolds it.

He feels his expression darken at the words on the paper.

"Reid? Reid!" Aaron's head shoots up at Morgan's shout. Spencer Reid's eyes are squeezed tight and his face is whiter than the sheets he's lying on. Suddenly there is rapid beeping coming from one of the machines. Something is wrong.

"He's crashing! We need to get him down to surgery—"

He steps aside and dazedly watches as chaos unfolds. The doctor has taken Morgan's spot beside Reid and is shouting something unintelligible as one of the nurses (he doesn't know which one) pulls a lever and lowers Reid into a supine position.

An orderly rushes in with a tray of more machinery just as his youngest agent's face goes slack and his body deflates. The beeping machine shrieks a continuous wail.

The sounds cuts through the air like a knife.

He jumps involuntarily as the paddles make contact with Reid's pale skin and the young man's body jolts with all the life of a rag doll.

"Clear!"

Aaron glances at Morgan as the next charge is delivered, only to see that the man was staring at their friend on the bed. A sickly pallor has settled on the man's face and he looks as though he's about to throw up.

"Clear!"

The rest of the team has arrived; they're trying to get through the crowd. Aaron sees a flash of JJ's blonde hair and hears the rough quality of Gideon's raised voice. Gideon never raises his voice.

"Clear!"

Nothing. He lets himself look at the screaming heart monitor and stares at straight green line.

Please.

"Clear!"

"Doctor—"somewhere, someone interjects.

"No, we're not stopping! Again." The woman's voice is firm, and determined.

"Clear!"

The line jumps.

Beep…beep…

"Get him to OR 3 before we lose him again! Page Dr. Lee to come down immediately!" The nurses immediately follow her orders and in moments, the crowd outside disperses. The doctor helps cut a wide path for the bed to pass through.

Aaron is left standing in the suddenly silent room, feeling as if a hurricane has just torn through the room and taken his breath with it.

"Hotch." A gruff voice pulls him out of his reverie. Morgan appears to have regained his bearings and is now looking straight at him.

Garcia walks into the room, eyes watery and a little unsteady on her feet. She moves quietly to Morgan and touches him on the arm. The man diverts his gaze away from Hotch to envelope the woman in his arms as her body starts to shake with sobs.

"What did he give you?" his gaze moves back to the entrance at the sound of a soft voice. JJ, standing in by the door, tears running silently down her face. Gideon is standing a little ways behind staring down the corridor that the bed had turned into. Elle is nowhere to be seen.

"He…"

Hotch looks down at his hand. The paper is partially smoothed out, the writing on it slightly smudged by Reid's grip.

"I hope it was worth it." Garcia pulls out of Morgan's embrace to choke out. Her eyes are puffy and red and her face is unnaturally pale without her usual bright make up. "I hope it was worth—God."

She buries her face back in Morgan's chest and lets out a heart-breaking whimper.

Was it worth it?

He curls his fist back around the paper, just as Spencer did and tries to pretend away the heat behind his eyes. The room is suddenly is suddenly too quiet, too cold. Too empty.

I don't know.

A/N:

Here we are again! I hope you enjoyed this chapter? I just started writing again, because I was a bit stuck for the past week or so. The story is coming along slowly though. But at least its coming. WELP. I'll be back in a few days, till then, have a good weekend:D