Chapter 12

Hey guys, thanks again for all the amazing reviews =) I have to apologise I'm surprised it took this long for someone to mention it but if you haven't noticed already my stories are full of spelling errors and grammar mistakes. I'm really sorry I double check them but it's like new ones pop up every time I turn my back so yah…

As always thanks to my wonderful readers, reviewers, and subscribers you guys make my day!

You and I are essentially infinite choice-makers. In every moment of our existence, we are in that field of all possibilities where we have access to an infinity of choices. – Deepak Chopra

"Oh Reid." Emily's face hovering beside Hotch's was white as their youngest team member joined the realm of the unconscious.

The screen went black and Hotch wanted to swear but he didn't have time. They popped the DVD drive and before any of them could react the screen flashed.

"Reid's back!" Hotch practically shouted. "Someone needs to get Garcia and call Morgan."

Seaver nodded and headed for the door.

The unsub came into view on the screen wearing her ski mask again. Reid looked to still be unconscious slumped forward in his chair. Hotch tried to avoid looking at his leg as much as possible because every time he did it made him get a funny feeling in his stomach and a lump in his throat.

Reid would be lucky to ever walk normally again.

She walked up to Reid, lifted his head, and slapped him hard across the face without warning jolting him awake.

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Spencer Reid woke to a slap across the face and the subsequent sting that followed. He opened his eyes dreading what he would see and felt relief course through him when he realised that it was only his captor. They hadn't taken any of his team yet, he was sure of it. Otherwise they'd want to show him, taunt him, make him feel guilty.

He smiled and immediately tried to wipe it off his face but it was already too late, she'd seen it.

"What are you smiling about?"

"My team, they're still safe." She growled low under her breath.

"Not for long, Dr. Reid. It's time to play another game." Reid's insides tightened.

"What kind of game?" He hated the terror he felt showed so clearly in his voice.

"Oh Dr. Reid." She sighed loudly. "You know for a genius you really do ask far too many questions. This games involves you telling me which one of your team will be joining us here."

Reid felt his eyes grow wide as the realization of what she meant sunk in.

"You want me to choose."

"Yes Dr. Reid I want you to choose." She picked at the dirt under her nails as if she were bored. And maybe she was, Reid thought rather savagely. After all, kidnapping himself and threatening his team weren't exciting at all. No, this had to be a downright snore.

"I won't do it." He snarled. "I won't choose which one of the six of them you hurt."

"Seven." His captor murmured under her breath. "There are seven I will allow you to choose from. JJ isn't technically one of your team members any longer but she was and she involved herself so I'll let it slide." Reid shook his head back and forth to try and make it all make sense. When had JJ shown up? "Now who will it be? The stoic Aaron Hotchner? He might not last long still recovering from being shot like he is but it's worth a try. Besides, he put the whole team in jeopardy by refusing to let you give yourself to me – oh yes I know all about that. Perhaps the brave Emily Prentiss? You did a good job of knocking her out yourself. She should have been more careful, seen what you were up to and stopped it, right? Or perhaps Agent Seaver, give her a crash course in what this job can really be like? Get her head out of books where it isn't doing any of you any good. How can a team be expected to keep its members safe when one of them isn't even qualified?"

"Shut up." Reid's head was pounding.

"Oh no, Dr. Reid, I'm just getting started. There's JJ. After all, if you hadn't split up that night in the cornfield you wouldn't have been kidnapped and you wouldn't be here now. How about it, Spencer Reid? Feeling vengeful? Would you like to see her blood lining this floor? See her heart stop–"

"I said shut up!" Reid screamed it as loud as he could then turned his eyes to the blinking video camera behind her. "Guys don't listen to her, this isn't any of your faults!"

"Oh I beg to differ. How about Rossi, hum? He's too old, been at this too long, to make amateur mistakes yet where was his good judgement when he sent you home from the hospital alone? He was too busy worrying about the precious team leader, about Hotchner because the man means more to the BAU then you do. And maybe, just maybe, a little part of him did it on purpose. Perhaps a part of him was angry at you for nearly getting Hotchner killed? Which is lucky, because it allowed you to hide my note. Aaron realised what he'd done immediately of course but by then it was already too late…"

"I'm not listening to you, you're a liar!"

"Oh no, I'm not a liar. I'm simply one of the few who sees the truth for what it really is, and the truth is that those you thought were your friends betrayed you."

Reid moaned. "They didn't, it's not true." He wanted to pull his hair out but his hands were still tied, the skin beneath them rubbed raw, starting to bleed.

"It is true, Dr. Reid. How about Garcia, hum?" She turned to the camera. "Hello, Garcia." She turned back to him. "Hello bubbly, bright, happy Garcia. So damn weak." She snarled. "If you stopped crying for a moment, stopped sniffling and carrying on, you might actually be able to do your job well enough to catch me. And then there's Morgan. You thought of him like a brother but was your brother interested in staying with you? In protecting you? No, your brother was too busy fussing over Garcia. He knew that you were in the most danger, that he was the strongest, and he chose to use that strength to protect someone else because, honestly, you'll be screwed over every time Morgan has to choose between you and his Baby Girl." She went silent, letting what she had said sink into him. He told himself he still wasn't listening and pushed her words out of his mind.

"You're twisting everything. You're trying to turn me against them but it won't work! They're my family, you can't make me do this." Reid was desperate. There had to be a way out of this, there had to be. He was just too damn thirsty and starving and in pain all over to find it.

"I'm not twisting anything, just stating facts, and I certainly can make you do this. How is your precious team anyway? I heard they set up base in Hotch's hospital room, the nurses must just love that." Reid felt his whole body go cold. "Morgan's supposed to be getting tests done on the needle my partner stuck you with, am I right? Except the police man who found it wasn't a police man at all. He was the one who stuck you with the needle. Garcia went to see if she can get a visual of the non-existent man and car one of my other men pretended to see as he walked right in and dropped off another package. When you came back on the screen Seaver went to find her and call Morgan. Alone. A nice male nurse in scrubs offered to escort her…" Reid felt dread build in his chest. No! It was so easy, they'd all just walked right in and split up his team mates one by one.

"You mother fucker. If your men hurt any of them I swear to god I'll–"

"You'll what? Kill me?" She laughed and it was a scary laugh. "Are you really in a position to be making threats like that? Besides there's no need to worry, none of them will get hurt as long as you cooperate."

"You mean as long as I tell you which one of my team mates you're going to kidnap?" Reid's voice was bitter.

"Yes, Dr. Reid, as long as you tell me that. Life's a bitch, sometimes it involves making terrible choices." She produced a phone from her pocket and dialed a number but didn't press connect yet. "You have thirty seconds before I tell my men to kill your three friends. After they're done with them, they'll go after the rest of the team. They're in a hospital, so they might take down civilians as well if they get caught in the crossfire…do you want that kind of blood on your hands?" She looked at her watch. "Your choice, you now have 25 seconds."

"Please you don't have to do this, it's me you want revenge on. For killing Tobias. They didn't do anything! I killed him before they even showed up."

"18 seconds."

"Why won't you listen , just kill me!"

"15 seconds." Reid's brain raced. He couldn't let any civilians or his team die. Hotch and JJ had families plus Hotch was hurt. Rossi was old, whether he wanted to admit it or not. Garcia, well Garcia was Garcia and Morgan was strong but he and Garcia needed each other. Seaver hadn't been taught yet how to handle these situations, she would only be a liability. That left just one person.

"5 seconds. 4 seconds. 3 seconds. 2 seconds. 1 second, Dr. Reid."

"Alright!" the word half slipped from his mouth. He looked straight at the camera trying to show her how much he hated this with his eyes. "I'm so sorry Emily."

Guilt upon the conscience, like rust upon iron, both defiles and consumes it, gnawing and creeping into it, as that does which at last eats out the very heart and substance of the metal. –Bishop Robert South

There ya go =) I'll update soon I promise! I hope you guys like it, I enjoyed writing this chapter and the last a lot (yah I know I'm odd).Enjoy!