Missing Kids

Reid

Reid was sitting in the room trying to put together a good profile, which seemed to be eluding them, when Hotchner was called out of the office. A sick feeling had begun to form in Reid's stomach as he watched Hotch shake his head and get that look in his eyes.

It was the same look he'd had whenever something bad happened to someone on the team. When Reid had purposely gone into the train with that paranoid schizophrenic Hotchner had this same look, when Garcia was shot this look had been there, when the car had exploded this look was plastered on his face for weeks.

This was bad news if Reid knew of any.

Hotchner thanked the man and walked into the room, his head hung low and his stature not quiet as straight as it usually was.

"What's happened?" Reid asked worried. When he didn't respond immediately Reid began to imagine a million horrible scenarios. Had Jesse's body been found? Were they too late to save his daughter?

"Ms. McCleary was shot in her home and died at the scene," Hotchner said, his voice hesitant, and Reid felt everything stop. All the blood rushed away from his face and his mind screamed a million different questions at once. That hadn't been something he'd expected. This unsub was changing tactics big time.

"What about Riley?" Reid asked, his voice shaky and terrified. It was strange, less than twenty-four hours ago he hadn't known he had a daughter, now he was worried about her, panicking at the prospect of her dying.

"She's missing Reid. Someone snuck in through an open window on the second story of the house and a cloth with chloroform was found in her room," Hotchner stated, though his voice held the same tone Reid had heard him use before, with the families of victims.

"He's spiraling," was all Reid could say in response. When things got to difficult emotionally, go with the profile, go with statistics. They were safe; you couldn't get hurt with them. "If he's deviating like this then he's spiraling big time. He's now murdered an adult and kidnapped two children days apart from each other. He's getting sloppy."

"Reid, are you okay?" JJ asked as they looked at him worried. He knew he probably appeared to have shut his emotions off from the outside but internally he was screaming. He needed to find this bastard so he could a bullet right between his eyes. And usually Reid wasn't the violent type but taking his kid was probably the worst mistake this Unsub could have made.

"We need to find this guy. I have to compartmentalize otherwise I won't be able to help," Reid said though the pain in his voice was obvious to everyone, including himself.

"Reid," Morgan said worried, "you don't have to do this. No one would think any less of you if you took a step back from this one."

"You might not but I would," Reid said looking him square in the eye. "I feel bad enough as it is, missing six years of my own daughters' lives. If I let you guys do all this without me it would be like those six years all over again."

"Okay, step back everyone," Hotch ordered and they turned to look at him. "We still have a job to do. This unsub is escalating quickly and if we don't pull it together Riley and Jesse will pay for it with their lives."

Everyone nodded understanding. Reid felt Prentiss move towards his side as if to give him strength or something and at that moment he needed it. Reid sighed before he went to work on the profile, needing to find his daughters and bring them home.

--

Hotchner and Rossi stood back as they watched the other members of the team work this case. Neither spoke for a long time but just watched. The usual tactics Morgan used to lighten scenes – inappropriate flirting and so forth – were gone. The female team members kept glancing at Reid as if he might break at any moment.

It was tense.

"How do you think he's doing?" Hotchner asked and Rossi shrugged.

"I have to give the boy credit; he's stronger than I thought he was. Most parents, FBI or not, would be freaking out by now. They wouldn't be able to help in this situation like he is," Rossi stated. "Me, I'm finding it hard to imagine sweet innocent Reid as a father. Though, there is no doubt in my mind that little girl we met is his."

"Yeah, she's just like him," Hotchner admitted looking at the youngest team member wondering if it was Jack would he have the same strength that Reid was showing.

Looking at the young man it was obvious he was worried but he was able to manage it.

"Do you think we'll find them," Rossi asked and Hotchner looked at the older man who wasn't looking at him but at Reid. He knew they were both worrying about what would happen if they failed in saving the two little girls.

"What the unsub didn't realize is Reid's a powerful FBI agent normally. With this extra incentive, he's down right unstoppable. If anyone can find the girls it'll be Reid," Hotchner admitted to his colleague.

"God, I hope so. I've never lost a child but I've seen what it can do to parents. I don't want to see that happen to Reid," Rossi said and Hotchner understood.

Just then Morgan's cell phone rang.

"What've you got?" Morgan asked, his voice sharp and weary.

"An address. I've got the home address of you're unsubs, two of them really, both within a block of each other," Garcia said. "They're being sent to your PDA's right now."

"You're a life saver," Reid said into the phone.

"Now, Reid, if I didn't know better I'd think you and Morgan were switching places," Garcia said and everyone smiled at her bantering.

"Trust me Hot Stuff, when this all done you and I will return to normal," Morgan assured her right before they hung up. Now it was off to the locations, determined to find the girls.

-

[Well, another chapter closer to the end. So, what did you think? Did you like it, hate it, indifferent? Thanks for reading and reviewing… The next chapter we will finally get to meet the Unsubs. Something to look forward too. Thanks again… TVGirl09.]