A/N:Just thought I'd mention it, but, I listened to "Requiem for a dream" from the Lord of the Rings soundtrack the entire time I was writing this chapter.

Disclaimer.Criminal minds is not mine, only the pain that I create.

20. Test

He heard his father shout angrily as he descended the stairs, he did not care. He stormed into his room, seeing the symbol of a second life lying on his bed. He smiled as the boy shivered, a satisfying reaction.

Without hesitance, he hit the boy, hard across the face, blackening his eye. Yes, sweet pain. All he had ever known was pain disguised as love, this boy needed some pain. This family needed to know which son they wanted. A sickening smile.

Lucas grabbed a shirt from the corner of the room, then tore it apart, using a long, thick strip to blindfold the boy again. He hated the darkness, Lucas' life was darkness. The boy fought against Lucas, squirming away from the blindfold until it was secured around his eyes, submerging him in darkness.

Reid felt Lucas shift on the bed, felt a hand moving over his stomach. He cried against the gag in his mouth, wanting to scream, because he was afraid, he didn't want to go through this again. He pulled at his loose leg, and kicked out blindly.

Lucas had been admiring the helpless beauty of the boy, wanting him again, wanting to test all of them, when a foot connected with his chin. He growled in anger, furious, yet, warm inside. He felt the pain spread through his face, laughing as he grabbed the foot and twisted it to the side. He heard the boy's muffled, pain filled scream, and he cherished it.

Lucas sat upon the boy's legs, keeping him from kicking out again, and leaned over him to untie his hands.

Reid felt Lucas' weight on his legs and began to panic. All he could think was, please, not again. He felt his arms being freed, but the muscles were sore, tired, and any attempt at fight he had tried was easily overcome. He felt Lucas move off of him, again he tried to move away, but Lucas grabbed his waist and pulled him back, wrestling him down and pulling his sore arms behind his back, sending waves of fresh pain through his muscles.

His wrists were bound tightly by thick knots. No escape. And then he was thrown onto the dirty floor as Lucas paced the room. He listened, unable to see, as the steps moved away, then closer, away, closer. Over and over again.

Lucas looked at the boy, then away, debating. He would test his family, he would know how sincere they were. He moved toward the green cabinet that his mother had made, ripping open the door, tearing it from it's hinges. The hearts were there, they were beating! The scent of mold and decay was strong, he knew that he might be loosing the family he had wanted to badly to have back. He might be loosing everything.

Lucas grabbed the jars into his arms and stomped up the stairs, clutching them as if everything depended on them. He saw the looks in the eyes of his mother and father, deep, emotionless eyes, though, something seemed to be hiding behind them. No doubt it was the feeling they still had for their little distraction, though, maybe, he was wrong. Maybe things were not as he thought, maybe they would remember. He slammed the broken, filthy jars onto the table before them.

"These are you hearts!" He said thickly. "All but yours, mother. I have kept them, watched them sit and rot until they began to beat. Tell me that does not mean you are reborn, tell me that I am wrong!" he screamed.

"Lucas," Gideon tried, not knowing exactly how to handle this now.

"No!" Lucas slapped him. "Don't speak." He turned back toward the basement door. "I'll figure it out, I'll test you all. I will know if you are who I believe you to be, if it is me you love." He turned away, marching down the stairs.

JJ turned to Gideon, seeing her own fear mirrored in his eyes. "We cant let him, not again."

"I know," Gideon said, trying to think.

Hotch stared at the open basement door, not wanting to be any closer to those screams, not wanting to have been a contributor. He pulled at his bonds, trying to get free, anger and fear welling inside. Would Lucas really hurt Reid again, just because he had refused him? Of course he would, he would and it would be all his fault.

.-.-.-.-

Reid listened as Lucas came back down the stairs, felt the vibrations in the floor as he came closer. He tried to move away, but Lucas grabbed him under the arm, and began dragging him toward the stairs. He tried to pull away, to fight back, but Lucas only tightened his grip, jerking him forward rather then the all ready uncomfortable pulling.

Up the stairs they went, tripping and stubbing toes. Reid fought blindly, though, his actions were reduced to squirms and muffled whimpers. The ankle Lucas had twisted throbbed with pain, he swore he could feel it swelling. Lucas held him tighter, pushing him through the door into the kitchen.

He could hear intakes of breath, at least three. So, now his friends were seeing him like this, Reid wanted to cry. He heard Lucas grunt then throw him to the kitchen floor. He fell hard, unable to break the fall, he hit his right side hard, failing to hold in a pained yelp. He couldn't see, couldn't move.

They had been fearing the worst when Lucas had descended the basement stairs, all of them praying that he would not hurt Reid again. They heard a muffled scream, a struggle. They listened as Lucas fought to get him up the stairs. Their fear deepened. It hurt them intensely to see Reid this way, bound and defenseless. Hurt. Terrified.

They let out a collective breath as Reid was thrown to the floor, as pain seared through his body and he tried to curl into himself. They were dreading whatever Lucas had planned, because, the sight of Reid hurt and breaking was enough to hurt them. Whatever Lucas' test was, they were sure, would break them.

Lucas turned to the ghosts of his parents, watching them try to refrain from looking at the boy. He smiled, watching the boy curl up on the floor. "If you are really my family, then this won't bother you at all." He chuckled, pulling a knife out from his back pocket, dried blood on the blade. Lucas moved past Reid, into the living room, staring at Paula and his uncle Dan. "If you turn away, I'll know that you have been pretending this whole time." He growled, the unspoken threat ringing in their ears.

He moved into his father's room, watching Aunty Emily as she stared at him, those blank eyes sizzling with electricity. "You'll watch too." He chuckled, unfastening her chains, cuffing her hands in front of her .

Lucas dragged her out into the living room, over to the couch where he had left Paula. He forced his Aunt to her knees, then hastily fastened her cuffed hands to the other leg of the couch. Uncomfortable, but he only wanted her within view. From this angle, everyone of them would see, and he would know if they were true to his memory.

He moved back over to the boy, grabbing him by the hair, forcing him onto his stomach. He took the knife, and cut away at the boy's shirt, ripping it off. Lucas did not care if the knife cut the boy, more blood, more pain. He listened to the boy cry, watched as tears soaked through the dirty floorboards. Loved the way the knife gently cut through the boy's skin, thin, easy lines. Glistening fresh blood. Lucas knew that they were watching, that they had not yet looked away. Good, so far, they did not care.

Reid witched underneath the blade, wanting to move away, wanting to push it into himself, to end this torment. He knew that Lucas was forcing the other's to watch, their lives depended on how they reacted. He knew he needed to be strong, even as the blood oozed over his skin, and his shirt was ripped away.

Lucas pushed the blade into the floorboards, tight enough for it to stand, loose enough to be pulled out easily. He snickered as his father's need for control permeated his essence, as his craving grew. He turned his head, smiling at the grand audience. If this hurt them to see, then they were liars, but if they sat through it, they were his.

A deep smile as he grabbed the boy's hair, pulling his head back. Lucas leaned forward, Licking away some of the blood from his back, breathing down his neck. The boy was fighting away tears, Lucas could feel it. With his free hand, he pulled at the boy's pants, moving them, exposing the bruises and cuts on the boys legs, elucidating what he planned to test them with.

Hotch watched as Reid was cut, seeing the blood lines form over his skin. He watched as Lucas ran his tongue over Reid's skin, tasting that drawn blood, smirking. He knew what Lucas had planned, he saw it all before it happened, and inside he screamed. He could not watch this happen to Reid because he had rejected Lucas. He couldn't sit back and say nothing while Lucas abused Reid before their eyes. But, by speaking, he was condemning them to death. By keeping silent, he was condemning Reid to torture, and his team to overwhelming grief.

From her spot, she could barely see, and she wandered whether it was a blessing, or a curse. She knew that she could pretend to be watching, that she didn't really have to see, but JJ couldn't move her eyes away from Lucas' back as it moved behind Reid, blocking him from her view. Please no, She silently begged, not knowing if she could keep from reacting if she had to hear those screams, had to see them being drawn.

His knuckles were stretched, white. Crescents in his palms cried blood. Morgan fought to keep his eyes before him, to keep away the obvious anger, the tears. All he wanted was to see Lucas bleed, for him to stop, to leave Reid alone. Please leave him alone. Morgan begged, because, he knew he could not sit by and watch this happen without any emotion.

Garcia moved closer to Elle, shaking terribly. She couldn't watch, there was no way. Not this close, not to anyone, especially Reid. She put her hand near Elle's, and felt her friend take it, gripping it tightly. They were both scared, shaking with fear, with anger. They couldn't watch this. They stared at the tears on Reid's cheeks, listening to his subdued cries, and they knew that this had to end.

Gideon closed his eyes, and in that small space of time, he felt tears burning his eyes. He knew what Lucas was going to do, and he could not watch. He knew that he could play it cool when needed, he could rationalize anything to make it seem okay. But he would not with this. He couldn't say that it had had to be Reid earlier instead of him, he couldn't say now that Reid needed to endure this for the safety of the team. Reid needed to be rescued, they needed to get free. He pulled at the chain attached to his leg, feeling the bolt loosen.

Lucas was done messing around, done preparing. He held the boys hair tightly, falling into those cries, then grabbed his waist. He smiled, now he would know, in the next few moments, he would know if they were his, or this boy's.

.-.-.-.-

Chuck wasn't sure that he had done the right thing, then again, he was never quite sure of anything. He had called the police, told them about how the man had been acting strangely, about the blood on his hands. He wasn't sure if it had anything to do with the missing people on the T.V., but he had seen the man buying a lot more gas lately. He didn't really know where he lived, only details about the house the man had muttered to himself while in the gas station.

But, Chuck wasn't sure. He never was. Once the police were gone, he walked to the bathroom, because, there were never people around this early, or late, whatever time it was. He flipped on the light, wrapped the tourniquet around his arm, and prepared the needle.