Chapter 21
Indoor shooting range
FBI building
Quantico, VA
11/01/05
Spencer
"On SWAT we broke shots down into three steps." Hotch said. "One: front sight. Focus on the front sight not on the target. Two: controlled trigger press. Three: follow through. After the shot you come right back to the target." His voice gentled slightly. "Now what did you do wrong?"
"I didn't follow through." Spencer admitted. I have to get this. Why can't I get this, it's so simple.
"Right, you came off the target to see where you hit."
"Hotch, my…my firearms qualification is tomorrow morning. I barely passed my last one." And if I don't…okay, I can't think about that right now.
Hotch put a hand on his shoulder and moved him out of the way. "Front sight." He said, drawing his weapon. "Trigger press." He fired and nailed a head shot. "Follow through. You do those three things you'll hit your target every time."
Spencer tried again. He raised the weapon, tried not to wince, and…nailed the silhouette right in the crotch.
"Did Elle teach you that?" Hotch teased.
"They're going to take away my gun." Spencer groaned. I don't think I can do this without my gun.
"Profilers aren't required to carry." Hotch reminded him
"And yet you carry two of them."
Hotch reached down, pulled his backup, and nailed three shots perfect center mass. "When I joined the BAU Gideon said to me, 'you don't have to carry a gun to kill someone'."
That…was distracting, at least. "I don't get it." Spencer admitted.
"You will. Good luck tomorrow." Hotch patted him on the back and left. Spencer went back to practicing. I have to get this, he thought. I have to get this because no matter how tall the stack on the nightstand a profile will not make me feel safe.
11/02/05
"Sorry, Agent Reid, you did not pass. Turn your weapon in at the counter; you can try again in two weeks."
They made it sound so simple, like it wasn't anything worrisome at all. But Spencer was very much worried; he was very much worried about the lack of weight on his hip. In fact it concerned him very much.
He went to the restroom, there at the end of the hall, the one that only took one person at a time. He went inside, locked the door, and backed himself into the corner and slid down, letting the shaking he had been holding in take over. This is ridiculous, he thought, it's not like I was ever going to be able to shoot anyone anyway. I just need to get a grip here. I need to just get it together. I just need to focus and not think about tonight and that I've gone longer than two weeks and I'll be fine. I can handle this. I'll be fine.
1425 Hillcrest Ave
Pasadena, CA
11/03/05
Milly
"The mail's here!" Sharon sang out as she strode into the kitchen, waving a large, manila envelope.
"At this hour?" Stevie asked. Milly just shrugged casually and went back to her scrambled eggs. The causal part was deliberately deceptive; Sharon was far too happy for comfort; best not to give her any more energy. Stevie, unfortunately, looked over at his mother. "What is it?"
"Your packet from St. Alban's. Ohhh, congratulations! I am so proud of you!" She beamed and came over and gave Stevie the biggest hug she'd probably ever given anyone.
While Sharon hugged and Stevie all but begged his sister to Make It Stop Milly took the envelope from Sharon and had a look. Sure enough it was a boarding enrollment packet for St. Alban's school in the heart of Washington DC. "I didn't know you enrolled at St. Alban's."
"I didn't." Stevie told her.
"An oversight on your part, it's perfect for you!" Sharon purred. "I'm going to go brag to everyone." She grinned as she headed back to her so-called office down the hall.
Stevie turned back to her, anger and fear in his eyes. "Milly, I didn't, I swear."
"I know…." It was a complete packet, very official. It had to be real.
"No, Milly, you don't understand. I applied to Southwestern, Webb, Thatcher and Besant Hill, I even applied to Cate up in Carpinteria. I didn't apply to any schools back east, Dad specifically asked me to stay out here."
"Have you heard back from any of them?"
"No."
"Well, it may be too early in the process…"
"Milly!" His face crumpled in a way too old for him, the way her boyos did when they were just that angry and frustrated and… "Stop trying to make it better! She's a bitch, all right. She's a cold, calculating bitch that just did this to get me away from Dad! She hates me and she doesn't want me in her family and I don't even know why! What did I do anyway?"
Milly took a deep, calming breath as once again she was reminded of how much she hated her step-mother. "You didn't do anything Stevie. You never did anything that wrong. Look." She made the long arm behind her and found the phone. "You're staying home from school today. You're coming with me instead."
"Where are we going?"
"Galois House, if you're asking these questions you're old enough for your first lecture on Narcissistic Personality Disorder."
"On what?"
Milly sighed, "On why you're better off in DC."
Galois House
California Institute of Technology
Milly sighed and rubbed her eyes. Stevie was in talking with a counselor; Dr. King had agreed to help after hearing what had happened and sat him down with one of the interns from USC who staffed the House. While Stevie was doing that she had taken up residence in a corner of one of the work rooms and had been steady calling one school after another, and in every case getting the same answer, Stephen Bennett's mother had formally written and pulled the application and it was too late to reapply. In the end she'd left two messages and now she needed some coffee, very badly.
And just at that moment her hero arrived with two mugs full. "What did I miss?" Thom asked, passing her one.
"Sharon pulled Stevie's applications to every boarding school in California. The only place he's been accepted for next year is St. Alban's in DC."
"Not that she's trying to get rid of him or anything." Thom sipped and leaned back. "Does your Dad know?"
"He's in with a client, I left him a message. Stevie is in with a counselor, once he's done learning about his Mom's mental illness I'll take him down there and we can tell Dad. He's going to be so pissed."
"Not your fault; or Stevie's."
"I know, but still." She sighed. "I left a message on Spencer's line, warning him that his brother-in-law is going to be moving out with us."
"Hardly a problem, peaches. He loves Stevie. I love Stevie. He'll be fine."
"You two are my heroes, you know that." She frowned. "What are you doing here anyway? Didn't you have a meeting at JPL?"
"Bomb threat." Thom smiled over his coffee mug. "They'll let up for Thanksgiving, they always do."
"Great." Milly groaned. "Hopefully Spencer is having a better day.
Grandview Memorial Hospital
Emergency Department
Des Planes, IL
Spencer
"Look, I've got patients who need me." The nurse said
"He's in his thirties." Hotch said, gently stopping her. "He's vain, rude, arrogant, works out. He shows up to work late. He blames others for his mistakes, doesn't take responsibility for his behavior and all of his co-workers detest him."
"Oh my god," she breathed. "It's Phillip Dowd. He's…he picks up shifts at Arlington."
"Is he here today?" She immediately started panicking. Hotch quickly moved to calm her. "Okay. It's okay. Your patients need you calm." He got her focus back. "Tell me, is Dowd working today?" She nodded. "Do you see him?" She looked around and shook her head. Hotch looked over at Spencer. "Go tell Gideon." Spencer headed off quick as he could. "Reid." He turned back. "Easy."
Right. Easy for Hotch to say, he had two guns to defend himself with.
Spencer took a few deep breaths, swallowed hard to calm down as he headed down the corridor. He had just managed to get his heart rate under control when an orderly came around the corner, pulled an assault rifle out from under his coat, and butt stroked him in the face.
This was not turning out to be a good day.
.
Some dialog taken from Criminal Minds, episode 01x06 "LDSK". No copyright infringement intended.