Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds
A/N: Shout out to Charis for being the 50th reviewer of this story, and also a shout out to Natasha, Cara, Tegan, Aleona, Hippichic81, tannerose5, and southernbeauty13 for reviewing chapter 13.
I changed the amount of months that Spencer's been sober for since I have it that he has gotten clean during April of 2007 and right now its April of 2008 so Spencer's going to be sober for a year in two weeks.
I also did an AU twist for Elephant's Memory because Spencer has Maeve and Josie to think about, so I hope that the changes I made would make you faithful readers approve.
Spencer looked at Maeve as she packed her suit case.
"I'm going to miss you while your in New York City with Mary." said Spencer.
"I'm going to miss you too." said Maeve before looking at her husband, "Are you going to be OK while I'm attending that seminar with my mom?" asked Maeve.
"You deserve to attend that seminar before Josie's born, and I'll make sure to attend my first meeting tomorrow night." said Spencer.
"If you get a case, please stay safe." said Maeve.
"I promise." said Spencer as he kissed his wife.
A few minutes later Spencer was driving his wife to his in laws house so Maeve can catch her flight with her mom before he drove to work.
The next evening Spencer stood in front of police officers and other agents from various agencies in the DC area.
"Hi. Um... My name's, uh, Spencer, And I'm a... I don't really know what I am." stuttered Spencer.
"Hello, Spencer." said various agents and officers.
"This is my- This is my first meeting." said Spencer.
"Welcome. Welcome." chorused everyone.
"Thanks. Thank you. Um...i guess i, uh- I know I had a... A problem with dilaudid, but, um... I stopped. Like… 11 months ago I stopped. I thought it was over, but recently I'm- I've really been... Your literature uses the term "craving." It started like two months ago. I... A-A suspect was murdered in front of me. A-A kid, and I thought that I could save the kid, but I couldn't, and..." stuttered Spencer while his phone vibrated.
Spencer quickly pulled out his phone and saw that it was JJ causing him to decline the call.
"Sorry. I'm sorry. I've seen a lot of that stuff before, But for some reason that kid's face is really, uh... Stuck in my brain. You know? It's really, uh-I can't... And I... I want to forget... About him, and... I just want to escape, but I can't since my wife is pregnant with our first child." said Spencer as his phone vibrated again, "Sorry. I have to go. I'm sorry." said Spencer as he quickly walked outside while not realizing that someone was following him.
"Spencer." said John.
Spencer turned his head as he continued to walk to his car.
"Sorry. I'm late." said Spencer.
John decided that he needed to tell Spencer that he knows about his position in the FBI.
"Places to go, people to profile." said John.
Spencer turned around to see the assistant director of the FBI causing his mouth to drop open in shock.
"You know who I am." said John.
"Of course I do, sir. I just-I didn't, um, expect to see a man of your position here." said Spencer.
John looked at Spencer.
"Here, there's no sirs. I'm just John here. Uh-Huh. And this is not something you talk about at the office. Especially our office." said John.
Spencer nodded as he thought about how his teammates didn't talk about his forced addiction to dilaudid while his phone vibrated again.
"Sorry. I really do have to go." said Spencer.
John quickly went into his pocket and pulled out a medallion.
"Here. Take this." said John as he passed his medallion to Spencer, "That's my one-year medallion. It took me 6 years to get it. For the past 13 years, I've never left home without it. Because I know if I forget that, I'll lose my gun, my credentials, My home. Everything. Hold on to it." said John.
Spencer looked at the medallion that was in his left hand.
"I only have 11 months." said Spencer.
"I know." said John softly.
"It's your most prized possession." said Spencer.
"It is." said John.
"You're just giving it to me?" asked Spencer.
"No. Next month when you get your year, you give it back to me." said John before he started to walk away.
"I really don't understand." said Spencer.
John stopped walking and turned around to look at the genius that Gideon asked him to pull strings to lower the age requirement for.
"You will." said John.
Spencer looked at the medallion before hurrying away to his car.
Spencer quickly hurried into the conference room.
"Sorry I'm late." apologized Spencer.
"I hope Maeve's worth it." said Rossi.
"I hope you were with Maeve." said Morgan.
Spencer sat down.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Maeve's currently at a conference with her mom in New York, and I was at the movies." said Spencer.
"Oh, really? Why don't you tell us what it was about?" asked Rossi.
"I had to leave early, so I can't really-,." said Spencer before Hotch decided to interrupt.
"I know it's late, I know we're tired, but we've got two dead cops." said Hotch.
"All right, uh, the resident, Rod Norris, was DOA. They're still trying to ID the remains of the second victim, whom they believe is his 16-Year-old daughter Jordan. From the condition of the remains she would have had to have been inside the house close to the source of the blast." said JJ.
"Clearly, they used the bombing to set the officers up for an ambush." said Emily.
"It's a well-established terrorist tactic. First wave takes out civilians, The second wave takes out first responders." said Spencer.
"The locals are thinking terrorism on West Bune, Texas?" asked Morgan.
"Not exactly a tier-one target, but DHS did issue a terror alert for the border states yesterday, just due to the timing and nature of the attack." said JJ.
"I've never heard of this place. I mean, the militia, OK, that I could see." said Morgan.
"Yeah, well, it is close to the border. It could be traffickers sending a message." said Emily.
"Whoever it is, they gunned down two cops and blew up a teenage girl. Till they're stopped, no one in that town is safe." said Rossi.
"We need to be cautious with the locals. They've lost two of their own, They're anxious, they're scared, and they're gonna want revenge." said Hotch.
"Can you blame 'em?" asked Rossi.
A few minutes later Spencer was packing up his messenger bag when Morgan looked at him.
"Maeve's really attending a conference with your mother in law?" asked Morgan.
"I dropped Maeve off at her parents house this morning, and they've been in New York City for 36 hours." said Spencer before looking at Morgan, "I'll see you in the morning." said Spencer before hurrying away to the elevators.
The next morning Spencer approached Sheriff Hallum with his teammates.
"Sheriff Hallum? Jennifer Jareau. This is the team. Agents Hotchner, Rossi, Dr. Reid, Prentiss, and Morgan. We're really sorry for your loss." said JJ.
"Thank you. Where do we start?" asked Sheriff Hallum.
"First victim, Rod Norris." said Hotch.
"Manager of the chemical plant over at Ibis. No arrests in 10 years since his wife left him. I can't blame her for leaving him, but it's a shame she left Jordan behind." said Sheriff Hallum.
"What can you tell us about Jordan?" asked Rossi.
"Sweet girl, a bit slow." said Sheriff Hallum.
"Slow? She was mentally challenged?" asked Emily.
"Not quite. Special Ed and all that stuff. Takes some talking to her to notice it. I think her mother leaving took its toll." said Sheriff Hallum.
"Sheriff, I'd like to gather your people back at the office so I can brief them all together." said JJ.
"Sure. But I'm staying here." said Sheriff Hallum.
"Of course. Thank you." said JJ.
A few minutes later Spencer was walking through the remains of the house.
"The blast was localized here." said Spencer.
"The room's been sealed off. There's some plastic, duct tape on the door sills, windows, too." said Emily as she pointed at the windows.
"Cordite. Gunpowder." said Rossi.
Spencer looked at his copy of the file he was given the night before.
"Yeah, they found a dozen canisters, it says." said Spencer.
"Well, the concentration of damage puts those canisters right here by the door." said Emily.
"He seals the kitchen, blows out the pilot light, trapping the gas in here near the primary charge. If she was here, between the charge and the window..." said Rossi as he gestured to certain areas in the kitchen.
"Boom. Rod Norris ends up in the tree, Jordan ends up in the field." said Emily.
"They didn't care about the rest of the house, so the whole thing's designed to focus the blast on whoever came through that door." said Spencer.
"Yeah, but what was the trigger?" asked Rossi.
Emily picked up a box of cigarettes.
"Rod Norris. He was a smoker." said Emily.
"And they knew he would be coming through this door." said Rossi as he pointed at the door.
"And they knew he'd be smoking when he did it." said Spencer.
A few minutes later Spencer approached Hotch, Morgan, and Sheriff Hallum.
"They knew each other?" asked Sheriff Hallum.
"Enough to know Rod Norris would enter through the back door while smoking." said Spencer before focusing on the blood.
"And that Lou Savage was on duty and would respond." said Morgan.
"So what are we talking about here?" asked Sheriff Hallum.
"This wasn't terrorism, domestic or otherwise. Terrorists rarely know their victims, At least not personally." said Hotch.
"Because they knew Rod Norris was a smoker who used his back door?" asked Sheriff Hallum.
"And shot Deputy Savage in the face at pointblank range." said Morgan.
"They weren't being thorough?" asked Sheriff Hallum.
"No. He walked past Letts, who was alive, Shoots Savage in the face when he knows he's already dead. Responders were coming. That last shot was risky overkill." said Morgan.
Spencer stood up to his full height.
"Overkill means rage. Rage means a close personal relationship." said Spencer.
"Rod Norris and Lou Savage were the specific targets of this attack." said Hotch.
"Sheriff, can you think of anyone with a close personal connection to Rod Norris and Lou Savage?" asked Morgan.
"I didn't think about it because of the terror alert." said Sheriff Hallum.
"Think about what?" asked Hotch.
"Owen. Owen savage. Lou's son was dating Jordan Norris." said Sheriff Hallum.
Spencer followed Hotch and Sheriff Hallum into Lou's and Owen's house.
"My deputies didn't find Owen at home." said Sheriff Hallum.
"How long did you know Lou savage?" asked Hotch.
Spencer headed to the photos that Lou had hung onto the wall.
"My whole life." said Sheriff Hallum.
"And Deputy Savage's wife?" asked Hotch.
"Hope?" asked Sheriff Hallum.
"How did she die?" asked Hotch.
"Drunk driver in '02. Lou was in Afghanistan. Owen lived with us until he got back." said Sheriff Hallum.
Spencer ran a finger over the frame that contained a picture from when Lou was in the Marines and noticed no speck of dust.
"Semper phi." whispered Spencer in Latin.
"How long was Lou Savage in the marines?" asked Morgan.
"12 years. He was discharged so he could raise Owen." said Sheriff Hallum.
Spencer quickly thought about how his father left him and his mom since he couldn't handle his mother's schizophrenia while wanting a normal son.
"Is that why he resented them?" asked Spencer.
"Pardon me?" asked Sheriff Hallum.
"Uh, did Lou blame his wife and son for ending his career in the marines?" asked Spencer.
"Lou was a good man." said Sheriff Hallum.
"A good man that doesn't have a single photo of his dead wife or only son anywhere in his entire house." said Spencer.
"I know this is hard, and if we had more time we would be more sensitive, But we don't." said Hotch.
Sheriff Hallum sighed.
"Hope was the drunk driver. I didn't write it up that way, But it didn't matter. Her drinking was no secret in town." said Sheriff Hallum.
"Where's Owen's room?" asked Spencer.
"Right over there." said Sheriff Hallum as he pointed to the room where Spencer would need to go.
Spencer was looking through Owen's room when Morgan came in.
"Gun safe is empty." said Morgan.
"That's a surprise." said Spencer sarcastically before looking at a picture of a damaged car.
"That's James Dean's Porsche. No pictures of James Dean, though. That's a bad sign." said Morgan.
"Especially when your mother died in a car accident. Still haven't found the father of the year award." said Spencer before crouching down a bit.
Morgan looked at Spencer and thought about how the upcoming birth of Jocelyn is affecting Spencer.
"You already check his computer?" asked Morgan.
"It's password encrypted." said Spencer.
"Well, smart move if your dad's a cop." said Morgan.
"Ah, assuming he cares enough to snoop." said Spencer.
"Hey, Reid. Check yourself. That sheriff out there wanted to take your head off. I think Hotch might have let him." said Morgan.
Spencer made a face at Morgan before heading to Owen's closet.
"All his clothes are black." said Morgan while he went through Owen's dresser drawers.
Spencer opened up Owen's closet.
"The same here." said Spencer.
"Just like his friend Johnny Cash. So Owen identifies as being a misunderstood loner. You know, I wish all our unsubs would just tack their profiles on their walls like this for us." said Morgan.
"It doesn't mean anything." said Spencer.
Morgan looked at Spencer.
"What, you grew up in Chicago, a high school jock, you had pictures of Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan all over your walls, trophies everywhere?" asked Spencer.
"Yeah. But you forgot Walter Payton. Not to mention the sexy ladies of the Sports Illustrated swim suit issues." said a smirking Morgan.
"Smart money says you didn't paint your mirrors black." said Spencer as he ran a hand over Owen's mirror.
"I guess Owen didn't like what he saw." said Morgan just as they heard a woman shouting.
"Don't try to stop me! I need to get by!" shouted an angry Sarah.
"Reid." said Morgan.
A minute later Spencer and Morgan joined Hotch outside.
"Officer Letts' wife." said Hotch.
"Send them home, you don´t need them. You know what to do. You find that little son of a bitch. You find him and do what's right." said Sarah before storming off.
"Why do I get the feeling she's not going to be the only one with that sentiment?" asked Morgan.
"Stay here and work the room. Reid and I are going to go to the high school and talk to Owen's teachers and friends. We need to get a profile and figure out where he's going." said Hotch.
Spencer followed Hotch down the porch where they approached Sheriff Hallum.
"He's heading out of town. We found his car out by the interstate, Right next to victim number 5." said Sheriff Hallum.
Spencer was walking in the hallway of Owen's high school with Hotch and Principal Barter.
As Owen's counselor, what can you tell us about Jordan and Owen?" asked Hotch.
"Not much. They started dating last year When Owen moved to special ed." said Principal Barter.
Spencer started going through a file as he walked.
"Junior year- Isn't that a bit late?" asked Hotch.
"Yes, if he'd been put there for academic reasons." said Principal Barter.
"So what was the problem?" asked Hotch.
"Bad attitude, lack of effort. Owen applied himself in some classes. He did very well. But it didn't last. Here." said Principal Barter as he opened up the door to his office.
A minute later Spencer and Hotch were in Principal Barter's office and Spencer decided to talk about what he found in Owen's school records.
"The problem wasn't lack of effort or bad attitude. The A's in math and science tells he's a gifted student. The D's in English and history, that tells us that he had difficulty reading. And the "F" in geometry, That indicates a severe problem with spatial relations. That's further confirmed by his atrocious, illegible handwriting." said Spencer as he handed Hotch a file.
"All consistent with a brilliant but severely learning disabled student." said Hotch.
"Yeah, but his standardized tests didn't support that kind of intelligence." said Principal Barter.
"A spatial relations handicap affects your hand-eye coordination. He couldn't fill in an answer bubble any easier than he could... Hit a baseball." said Spencer.
"Which is why he stayed away from sports." said Hotch.
"Sports was a sore spot with his father. I mean, he joined the wrestling team freshman year just to appease his old man, but, uh... That didn't work out." said Principal Barter before his land line rang, "Excuse me." said Principal Barter.
Spencer paced Principal Barter's office as he looked at Hotch.
"He was probably the smartest kid in class. He just couldn't prove it." said Spencer before he stopped walking and looked at Hotch, "Being the smartest kid in class is like being the only kid in class. He missed all of it." said Spencer quietly.
"But schools like this can't meet the specialized needs of every student." said Hotch.
"He gives it everything he's got, over and over and over again, and continues to fail. And the whole time, the whole time they tell him it's his fault. I mean, it makes sense." said Spencer quietly.
Hotch saw the anger that was flashing through Spencer's eyes.
"No, it doesn't. An undiagnosed learning disability does not add up to this level of violence, not without severe emotional abuse. You know that." said Hotch before answering his phone, "You got something?" asked Hotch.
Spencer watched the video of Owen with Hotch and Principal Barter.
"He didn't even know that he was being filmed." said Spencer as the goal post incident began to replay in his mind.
After watching the video for another minute, he looked at the principal.
"Did Owen tell you about this?" asked Spencer.
Hotch stopped playing the video.
"He didn't have to. It was posted on the school social networking site. We pulled it down immediately." said Principal Barter.
"Once it's on the internet, it's out there forever. Owen knew that." said Spencer.
"Did Owen tell his father about it?" asked Hotch.
"Not at first, but when Owen quit the wrestling team, his father confronted him. I mean, he blamed Owen for the whole thing." said Principal Barter.
"Owen joined the team to get his father's approval." said Spencer.
"How were these boys punished?" asked Hotch.
"Owen identified them, but on film, all we have is their voices. I mean, even if they'd admitted involvement, all they'd have to do is say Owen didn't have to do it." said Principal Barter.
"He didn't know he was being filmed." said Spencer angrily.
Principal Barter stood up.
"Look, it's his word against theirs. I mean-parents will get involved, the school board, lawyers. I mean, cyber bullying is a hot issue right now. And the whole thing would wind up on 60 minutes. How's that gonna help Owen?" asked Principal Barter.
"What did you tell him?" asked Hotch.
"I told him that dealing with bullies is part of growing up." said Principal Barter.
"Sounds familiar." said Spencer sarcastically.
"Boys have a way of sorting these things out for themselves." said Principal Barter.
Spencer gave the principal a bitter smile.
"Yeah, they sure do. Right now, Owen's out there s it out with an assault rifle." said Spencer.
"Reid." said Hotch.
Spencer looked at Hotch before throwing the file to the floor before storming out of the room causing Hotch to wonder how badly Spencer was bullied in high school.
Spencer stood by Rossi as he, Emily, Hotch, and Rossi video chatted with Garcia.
"He deleted everything but the one MPEG. I'm walking Morgan through retrieving what he put in the trash, but-." said Garcia.
"We've got 3 missing kids, Garcia. We need access to Owen's e-Mail." said Hotch.
"The kid is tech savvy, sir, but fret not, I am tech savvier. Is that a word? That sounds like a word. If it is a word, I'm it." said a highly caffeinated Garcia as she took another sip of coffee.
"DC time, Garcia." said Emily.
"11:17 AM." said Garcia.
"DC decaf." said Emily.
Garcia put down her coffee.
"Right." said Garcia before signing off.
"Two alienated kids, no maternal presence, dysfunctional relationships with dominating fathers who withheld love. They were made for each other." said Rossi.
"Mm. As lovers, yes, but partners in crime, no. There's nothing in Jordan's profile that indicates she's capable of violence, and certainly not murder." said Emily just as Garcia's face popped back up.
"A new MPEG just posted to the school social networking site. He... You need to see this." said Garcia.
Spencer watched the video with Hotch, Rossi, and Emily, and when the three boys were dead, Hotch looked at Garcia.
"Garcia, is there any way to trace the MPEG to the computer that sent it?" asked Hotch.
"It was sent from Jordan's PDA, but Owen's hacked the sim card. He's anonymized it. It stops the phone From transmitting its current position. Hackers do it to stop roaming charges. It's good for one call, and then the carrier turns the service off." said Garcia.
"So even if it's turned on and he's using it, we can't track it?" asked Rossi.
"Bingo." said Garcia.
"Have the cell company leave the service on in case he sends anything else." said Hotch.
"Yes, sir." said Garcia.
"Let's bring in Sheriff Hallum and see if he recognizes the background." said Hotch.
Spencer got out of the SUV and headed to the area where Sheriff Hallum was taking pictures of the bodies.
""There's a man going around taking names, and he decides who to free and who to blame. everybody won't be treated all the same."" quoted Spencer as he walked towards the two officers.
"Johnny cash. From that song Owen was playing when he did this, right?" asked Rossi.
"He's been taking names. Collecting names. He's acting out his revenge fantasies." muttered Spencer.
Rossi realized that Spencer figured out the profile.
"The family, school, and social dynamics do seem to fit perfectly. He's not collecting names. He's collecting injustices." said Rossi.
"I'm ready to give the profile." said Hotch.
Spencer stood in front of the officers with his teammates.
"Once you've heard the profile, you'll understand." said JJ.
"We are wasting time. Owen is here, and we should be knocking on doors." said a deputy.
"It's not a good idea." said Hotch.
"And why is that?" asked the deputy.
"Because Owen's watching. He's monitoring the news. Right now, he thinks you think he's gone. He feels safe. If we start knocking on doors, He's gonna know that he's not. He's gonna feel trapped." said Hotch.
"Why the hell should we care about this little bastard's feelings?" asked the same deputy.
JJ who was losing her patience glared at the deputy.
"All right, we're here to help you bring in Owen savage with minimum loss of life. The profile tells you the best way to do that." said JJ.
"Owen Savage fits the profile of a type of school shooter known as an injustice collector. He's trying to avenge perceived wrongs." said Spencer.
Hotch dipped his head as he closed his eyes.
"If he's a school shooter, why hasn't he hit the school yet?" asked the same deputy.
"Jordan. Most of these guys are so angry and hopeless, They just want to kill as many people as possible and commit suicide. But Jordan gives him a reason to live." said Emily.
"Otherwise he's a textbook case. His life was one torment after another. His teachers gave up on him, his classmates bullied him, and his father blamed him while giving him access to guns. Given these conditions, you're actually quite fortunate." said Spencer.
"It sounds like you're saying these victims deserved this." said the deputy.
"We're not. Nobody deserves this." said Hotch.
"But you could have prevented it." said Spencer as he glared at the officers.
Hotch looked at his youngest agent.
"Reid, can I talk to you?" asked Hotch.
Less than a minute later Spencer was slamming a door as he looked at Hotch with anger burning in his eyes.
"It's the truth. They could have done something. They worked with his father. They knew Owen." said Spencer angrily.
"So what? All adolescents profile like sociopaths. There's a reason you can't diagnose them until they're 18." said Hotch.
"Yeah, and they could have seen the signs." shot back Spencer.
"Nobody sees the signs, Reid. You know that. And making it their fault is not only unfair, it's dangerous." said Hotch while deciding that Spencer needed to cool down for a bit, "I want you go back to the Savage house and I want you to go through Owen's room." ordered Hotch.
"Morgan's already doing that." said Spencer.
"Yeah, and you're gonna join him." said Hotch.
"Oh, you're punishing me?" asked Spencer sarcastically.
"No. I'm using you. You know this kid better than anybody. Go find us something we can use." said Hotch.
Spencer glared at Hotch before picking up his messenger bag and stormed out of the police station.
A few hours later Spencer was sitting by Owen's computer when Morgan entered the room.
"Garcia restored those emails." said Morgan.
"Yeah, I'm sorting through them right now." said Spencer as he scrolled through the emails.
Morgan sat down on Owen's bed and looked at Spencer and thought back to Hotch telling him to find out what happened to Spencer in high school since Maeve didn't want to break confidentiality.
"Reid." said Morgan.
Spencer turned around to make eye contact.
"You know, you're not the only one who identifies with him." said Morgan while Spencer spun the chair around, "You said I was a high school jock. I was. But not at first. My freshman year I was 5'3". I weighed a buck 20 soaking wet. So trust me when I tell you I got my ass kicked every day. So the following summer, I hit the weights. And I got lucky. I grew 6 inches. But it was never about vanity, Reid. It was about survival." said Morgan.
Spencer sighed as he prepared himself to tell the story that he told Maeve.
"I was 12 years old and sitting in the library, and, uh... Harper Hillman comes up to me, and she tells me that Alexa Lisben wants to meet me behind the field house. Alexa Lisben's, like... Easily the prettiest girl in school." said Spencer.
Morgan slightly chuckled at the thought of a 12 year old Spencer crushing on a senior.
"So what happened? Alexa wasn't there?" asked Morgan.
"She was there. So was the entire football team. They...uh..." said Spencer as he took a shaky breath, "Stripped me naked and tied me to a goal post. So many kids were there, you know, just watching."
A shocked Morgan looked at Spencer as he felt anger going towards the entire school that should have protected Spencer instead of bully him for being smarter than them.
"Nobody tried to stop them?" asked Morgan.
Spencer shook his head.
"Mm-Mmm. I begged- I begged them to, but they just- They just watched. And finally, they got bored, and they left. It was, like, midnight when I finally got home. And my mom didn't... Mom was having one of her episodes, so she didn't even realize I was late." said Spencer as he tried to compose himself.
"You never told her what happened?" asked Morgan.
"I haven't told my mom." said Spencer.
"What about your aunt, uncle, or cousin?" asked Morgan.
"Never did, but I did tell Maeve." said Spencer before taking a shaky breath, "I thought... It was one of those things that I thought If I didn't talk about it, I'd just forget. But I remember it like it was yesterday." choked Spencer as he held back tears.
Morgan took a breath as he made plans to look up Alexa, Harper, and the football team after the case.
"Ah, Reid, you don't need an eidetic memory for that. You know, we forget half of what they teach us in school, But when it comes to the torment and the people who inflicted it... We've all got an elephant's memory." said Morgan.
Spencer took a breath.
"Owen just wants to forget, and I know what that's like." said Spencer.
Morgan looked at the computer that Spencer was sitting by.
"He's been making a big deal out of saying good bye to Jordan in all of his emails. None of it's shorthand. That's odd." said Morgan.
Spencer came to a realization.
"He never got a chance to say good bye to his mother. Abandonment is his biggest fear. That's why he chose Jordan. He thinks she'll never leave." said Spencer.
The next morning Spencer approached Hotch and Emily.
"Owen's mother's death left him with severe issues of abandonment. If we can get Jordan away from him, we'll save her and take away his reason to live." said Spencer.
"He'll take his own life." said Hotch.
"It's the only way we can save Jordan." said Morgan.
"How can we get her to leave him?" asked Hotch.
"He's kept Jordan in the dark. She doesn't know about the murders." said Spencer.
"You want to tell her?" asked Hotch.
"If we can." said Morgan.
"We can get her to turn herself in." said Emily.
"But even if we could talk to her, the only person she trusts is Owen." said Hotch.
"There's one other person, and she might be able to get a message to Jordan." said Emily as she thought about Jordan's best friend Eileen.
Spencer sat down in Eileen's desk chair with Hotch and Emily standing on either side of him.
"Send her the news coverage." ordered Hotch.
Spencer quickly sent Jordan the link to the news coverage.
"Tell her to look at the pictures. Tell her we know Owen didn't tell her what he did." said Emily.
Spencer quickly typed what Emily told him to type, and a minute later Jordan replied about them lying.
"Send the MPEG." said Hotch.
Spencer looked up at Hotch in protest.
"Reid, do it." ordered Hotch.
Spencer fished the flash drive out of his pocket and plugged it into Eileen's laptop.
"Tell her, when the police come for you, Owen will kill you and kill himself." said Emily.
Spencer quickly typed before sending everything to Jordan, and two minutes later Jordan replied.
"You lie. Owen loves me." said Spencer just as Jordan logged off.
"She's gone. Now what?" asked Spencer.
"We've planted the seed. Now we wait." said Hotch.
A minute later Jordan logged back on.
"She's back." said Spencer.
Emily read the message that popped up.
""You were right. What do I do?"" read Emily.
"Ask her where she is." said Hotch.
Spencer quickly typed, and a few seconds later Jordan replied.
""If I tell you, you will hurt him."" read Emily.
"She's not gonna give it up." said Spencer.
"Ask her if she can get away?" asked Hotch.
Spencer quickly typed before getting a reply.
""I can try."" read Emily.
Jordan logged off, and a few minutes later she logged back on.
"She's back." said Emily just as a message appeared, ""You turned her against me."" read Emily.
"It's not Jordan." said Spencer.
"Somebody please tell me we didn't just get Jordan killed." said Emily while Spencer looked at Hotch.
Spencer got out of the SUV when he heard Morgan.
"Reid, Reid, a little help." said Morgan.
Spencer quickly joined Morgan and looked at the body before he and Morgan joined Hotch and Rossi.
"Owen's not here." said Rossi.
"Hotch. We got a body back there." said Morgan.
"Half-dug grave." said Spencer just as Sheriff Hallum approached them.
"Found a note." said Sheriff Hallum.
Hotch took the note while Spencer looked over Hotch's shoulder.
"I'm going to return my mom's necklace." He may be going home to get it. We didn't find it, but it could be there. Sheriff, you go there." said Hotch.
"You?" asked Sheriff Hallum.
"Where's his mother buried?" asked Hotch.
Sheriff Hallum gave Hotch an address while Spencer started heading towards one of the police cars.
"Reid, where are you going?" asked Hotch.
Spencer stopped walking and looked at his unit chief with tired eyes.
"He's gonna force us to kill him. I don't need to be a part of that. You don't need me." said Spencer tiredly.
Hotch looked at his youngest agent.
"Meet me at the station." said Hotch.
Spencer quickly caught a ride with one of the officers while he was still leaving his Kevlar vest on.
Spencer who was still wearing his Kevlar vest headed into the station and pulled down a picture of Hope.
"They think he's going to his mother's grave." said Spencer.
"Isn't he?" asked Emily.
Spencer hurried into the room where Jordan was in.
"He was gone when we got to the ranch. I want to save his life, but I need to ask you a question. This necklace- He gave it to you?" asked Spencer as he showed Jordan the picture.
"Uh...I left it at the ranch." said Jordan.
"He's coming here." said Spencer as he hurried away.
A minute later Spencer was standing outside when Emily joined him.
"What makes you think he'll come here?" asked Emily as she noted that Spencer still had his Kevlar vest on.
"It's what I would do." said Spencer just as he saw Owen coming around the corner causing him to pull his Glock out of his holster, "Prentiss. Cover me." ordered Spencer as he passed his Glock to Emily.
Spencer walk slowly to Owen.
"Whoa-What-Reid!" shouted Emily.
Spencer turned around to look at Emily.
"Do not shoot." ordered Spencer.
"Reid!" shouted Emily while being glad that Spencer still had his Kevlar vest on.
Spencer headed towards Owen as he held up his hands to show Owen that he's not armed.
"Owen, I don't have a gun. My name is Spencer, I'm with the FBI, and I'm here to help you." said Spencer as he continued to shuffle his way towards Owen.
Owen looked at Spencer who was wearing his Kevlar vest.
"Yeah? I need you to stay back!" ordered Owen just as an SUV came over.
"I know the only reason you joined the team was for your father. I know that he blamed you for what happened." said Spencer.
"Stay back! Right where you are!" ordered Owen.
Hotch, Rossi, and Morgan all got out of the SUV and took cover while being grateful that Spencer had the sense to leave his Kevlar vest on.
"I also know the only reason you killed Rod Norris and Kyle Borden was to protect Jordan. I know the harder you tried, the worse it got, and it felt like everybody just stood there watching you suffer, and not a single person even tried to help." said Spencer as he felt sweat fall down his forehead.
"They didn't. They didn't." said Owen.
Spencer turned his head towards his male teammates and started to block their shots.
"I know you want to escape... And forget. Believe me when I say I know-I know exactly how that feels." said Spencer as he looked at the 17 year old kid and started telling him about the goalpost incident in a much louder voice while not caring that everyone was listening in.
Hotch listened to his youngest agent tell Owen about one of his worst days in high school causing his anger at Spencer for lying to him and blocking their shot to go away while his anger started being directed towards Spencer's father and the staff members and teachers who were suppose to keep Spencer safe in high school.
When Spencer was finished, Spencer looked at Owen who had kept his gun down while he spoke.
"So trust me, I get it Owen, more than anyone else, but you don't have to die." said Spencer.
"No. No, I'm already dead." said Owen.
"No. No, you're not dead. If you die, you're gonna leave Jordan just like your mother left you. I know you don't want that. Do you?" asked Spencer.
Owen looked at Spencer.
"OK. You bring her to me, all right? You bring her outside." said Owen.
"I can't bring her outside, Owen, not if you put the gun down, I swear to God, I'll take you to her. I promise nobody will hurt you. You'll say good-bye to her, And you'll give her the necklace. All right? So what do you say? Let's put the gun down. Let's go inside." said Spencer.
After a minute, Owen was setting his father's assault rifle onto the ground, and a few seconds later Spencer sighed in relief that he was able to talk down another serial killer while he headed to Owen who was still disarming himself.
"Don't move! Don't move." ordered Morgan while he and Hotch ran over to Spencer while Rossi held back the locals.
Morgan handcuffed Owen while he looked at Spencer.
"You good, Reid?" asked Morgan.
Spencer nodded before seeing a look on Hotch's face telling him that they will talk later.
A few seconds later Spencer and Morgan were escorting Owen into the station so Spencer could escort Owen to a teary eyed Jordan who took the necklace from Spencer.
A couple of hours later Hotch sat down across from Spencer who looked up from the medallion that he was fiddling with.
"Before you lecture me about my actions, I should remind you that I had my Kevlar vest on the entire time, and you put me in danger two weeks ago by not having Chester Hardwick chained up." said Spencer softly.
Hotch softly chuckled as he thought about Spencer's confidence growing since Maeve entered his life.
"I was going to talk to you about withholding information and about blocking our shot. But if you didn't have your vest on, I would have given you a much different lecture." said Hotch before looking at Spencer, "You're the smartest kid in the room, but you're not the only one in that room. You have your growing family to think about, so don't pull something like that again because I don't want to watch you die again like I did over a year ago." said Hotch.
"Yes, sir. It won't happen again." said Spencer softly.
"What were you thinking?" asked Hotch.
"I was thinking that that would have been the second time a kid died in front of me." said Spencer softly.
"You're keeping score, just like Owen." said Hotch.
"It was my turn to save one." said Spencer as his lips turned up a bit.
"It doesn't work like that." said Hotch.
"It should." said Spencer.
Hotch thought back to Spencer telling Owen about the goal pole incident while being thankful that Spencer didn't turn out like Owen.
"I know it's painful when the person you identify with is the bad guy." said Hotch.
"What's that make me?" asked Spencer.
"Good at the job." smiled Hotch.
Spencer smiled slightly at the praise that Hotch gave him.
"I know that your going to make sure that Jocelyn doesn't have it rough in school like you did." said Hotch before getting up and thinking about the reason why Spencer would be late for briefing, "I know it's none of my business, but when we land, I think you should go and catch the rest of that movie." said Hotch.
Spencer nodded while Hotch patted him on the shoulder and walked away before Spencer looked at John's medallion.
A couple of hours later Spencer sat down next to John, and after the meeting ended, Spencer looked at John.
"Do you have time to sit and talk?" asked Spencer.
John nodded, and a few minutes later both men were in a quiet corner.
"I take it that you've been keeping track of me since the beginning of my career?" asked Spencer.
John looked around before nodding.
"I have." said John.
"Why?" asked Spencer.
"I was part of making the decision to lower the age requirement for you while signing off your placement in our office." said John.
"So I take it that your wanting to be my sponsor since you already know who I am?" asked Spencer.
John nodded.
"I was already planning on it because I want to get to know you better while knowing that our office can't lose someone like you." said John.
Spencer smiled a bit as his phone vibrated causing him to see a text from Maeve.
I'M HOME NOW, AND I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU. JOSIE MISSES HEARING HER DADDY'S VOICE. ~ MD
"Duty calls?" asked John.
"Its my wife telling me that she just got home from her trip, and that my unborn daughter misses hearing my voice." said Spencer.
"How far along is she?" asked John.
"21 weeks." said Spencer.
"Congratulations." said John before looking at Spencer seriously, "Your wife and little girl will be good reasons for you to stay sober." said John.
"I know." said Spencer.
John looked at Spencer.
"How about you get home to your wife and unborn child." said John.
"I'm already planning on it." smiled Spencer.
A half hour later Spencer and Maeve were undressing themselves in their bedroom before falling onto their bed.