AN: Thank you to Arwennicole and cm-fan for reviewing the last chapter!
Spencer was sitting alone in a room off to the side, continuing to go over videos. He had a still picture of the unsub who had planted the tracker pinned to the wall next to the TV. It had been tedious work and had taken multiple cups of coffee for him to wake up and hold his focus. He was watching the day's tapes of the hour before, during, and after JJ's press conference for the third time.
Everything appeared to be frustratingly normal and he was beginning to think the unsub had simply watched the press conference from another location. It wasn't until he turned away and looked back that he froze. Immediately, Spencer reached for the remote and paused the frame on the TV.
Having passed the point he had just seen, he slowly rewound it back and played it again. He watched as about half an hour before JJ's press conference, two men left the precinct and walked across the street, out of site. This was exceedingly normal, sure, except for the fact that one of the men had the exact same, rustic brown jacket as the man who had planted the device. While this was certainly a common jacket, Spencer also noted he had the same short-cropped dark hair, and his stature was about five foot-eight, his booted feet looking as though they could be a size eight.
Unfortunately, Spencer couldn't make out the faces of either man as they both were looking down as they waded through the crowd. He knew he was really stretching, that this could easily be some innocent man who had been completely unassociated with JJ's disappearance. But after watching the tape three times, he was willing to pursue anything.
Turning and reaching across the table, he looked into the reference book to find that there was a library across the street from the precinct. Searching through the stack of tapes on the table, he spotted the tape Morgan had recovered from outside of the library.
Spencer moved to the VCR and ejected the tape, quickly replacing it with the new tape. After some fast forwarding, he found the time stamp he was looking for. He played the tape, watching as the men crossed the street, walked up the steps, and entered the library together. The faces on the tape were blurry, and both men were still looking down, but he had a better view of both.
Pausing the frame and looking back to the picture on the wall, Spencer was even more certain that one of the men was indeed one of the unsubs. He pressed 'play' to allow the tape to continue to play, taking a mental note of the time on the video. He waited patiently for five minutes as nothing happened. He noticed the press conference being set up in the background.
A few moments later, Spencer paused the tape again. At the bottom of the screen, barely in the frame, was the top of someone's head. They looked like they were pacing. Spencer willed the frame to shift lower so he could see the pacing man, but it never happened. The man disappeared from the bottom of the frame as Spencer carefully sped the tape forward.
As he watched JJ step out of the precinct to give the press conference in the distance, he slowed the tape back down to its normal speed. Seconds passed, when suddenly the two men reentered the frame. They stood, talking off to the side for a moment, their backs to the camera. A few more seconds passed, and they both stepped forward, taking a seat on the library steps.
Spencer watched intently as both men appeared to view the press conference from across the street. As he studied their body language, the new man, the one on the left, appeared to be the dominant personality, while the man on the right, the familiar looking one, appeared to be the submissive. The man on the left seemed to talk while the man on the right either simply nodded, or even at one point, flinched a little.
The press conference ended and Spencer could see everyone dispersing. The two men remained seated on the steps for a while longer. Finally, the one on the right stood and walked back across the street, back towards the precinct.
Spencer stopped the tape, exchanging the tapes once again. He popped the one belonging to the precinct back in, watching as the man walked back to the precinct. When he reached the doors, he visibly hesitated, standing outside in the remaining crowd for a few moments, looking awkward and uncomfortable. More time passed, before finally the man opened the door and entered the precinct.
The alarms went off in Spencer's head. There definitely seemed to be something off with this guy. He knew he was desperate to jump to conclusions, that he had to resist, but even his logical mind told him the man's actions weren't entirely normal.
Spencer turned back to the table, searching through the stack of tapes for the tape to the inner lobby of the precinct. He fast forwarded to the time stamp he had left the previous tape at, and watched as the man entered the lobby and milled around, trying his damndest to look busy and preoccupied with the different community boards on the wall. When that became too obvious, he moved to a bench and sat down, grabbing a newspaper. Not once did he try to converse with anyone. Not once would he make eye contact with any of the officers as they walked past. The man was trying his damndest to hover, but to also blend in. If he was who Spencer thought he was, he hadn't done a great job, but he had done it well enough to accomplish his goal.
Spencer pushed the tape forward, watching as the man lingered for hours, alternating between inside and outside the precinct. Occasionally he would venture deeper into the precinct, to use the bathroom or to grab a drink. He didn't appear to have any business there, or to be waiting for anyone. He was just there. Spencer made note of different times he would need to have the frames frozen so that pictures could be taken of this man so they could try to ID him.
When Spencer was done, he decided to rewind the tape of the lobby precinct, to go back and see why the two men were there in the first place. He was just about to reach the spot he was looking for, when Morgan burst into the room.
"Reid, we need you out here now." He said seriously.
Spencer felt his heart drop a little.
"What is it Morgan?" He asked, fearful that it could be something bad concerning JJ.
"We have our match for the unsub, the man who's been abducting and killing children. Garcia tracked down his name and home address. Hotch needs you out here for the briefing on the raid."
"Morgan, I can't go. I have to stay here and continue to try to find JJ. I think I may have found something."
Morgan visibly hesitated, his eyes becoming slightly wider at the mention of a possible lead for JJ's case. A moment later however, the man had regrouped.
"Garcia has some information too. She tracked down the store where the trackers were bought. It was bought at a specialty store in Boise City, Oklahoma about an hour from here. The purchaser paid for them in cash. However, considering the type of store it is, there were security cameras. Hotch had Moses send an officer to go retrieve them, they should be here in a while."
Spencer felt his heart lift a little at the potentially good news.
'Am I actually starting to make some progress finally?' He asked himself. All it took was for his head to re-remind him of the work ahead and of some of the odds for him to taper down his excitement.
"That's great. I think I might've found the man who planted the tracker hanging around the station the day before. The video isn't great but it could definitely be him. I'm still going through the different tapes for a third time, but it's starting to add up, I don't know how we missed it before."
"Reid! That's great my man. Hopefully we can get back to it in a few once we catch this other guy. The other tapes from that store should be here by then too."
"Morgan, I'm not going." Spencer looked at the man incredulously.
"Listen, Hotch needs you with us. It shouldn't take more than an hour or two tops. He wants to get JJ back just as much as you do, but you have to realize the pressure he's under to solve this other case too."
"She might not have that kind of time Morgan. It's been a day and a half."
"Reid, Hotch is doing all he can to help you, trust me. He had to pull some strings just to get that officer sent to Boise City. He's been working double time to hold off the media in JJ's absence. He might not seem like he's on her case like you are, but that's only because he's trying to filter out the outside distractions for you. He's had to take on a lot of added responsibility and stress. He needs you on this, just for an hour or two."
"What about the rest of the team?" Spencer questioned, refusing to just give in so easily.
Morgan sighed, a little frustrated.
"They're going too. Hotch is about to explain everything, let's go."
Spencer hesitated, glancing back at the paused TV screen. He didn't want to leave this, especially after he might finally be onto something. He felt like he would be letting JJ down if he did. At the same time, he realized that if they did indeed put an end to the first case, then it would mean all hands on deck in trying to find JJ. Extra minds and extra man power would certainly speed up the process.
Spencer took a deep breath thinking out his options and the odds in his head. With a deep breath he grabbed the controller and turned off the TV, following Morgan from the room. He had made his decision. He hoped he wouldn't regret it.
/
As soon as Morgan entered the room with Reid, Hotchner began.
"We have two potential locations for Mr. Gordon. The first is at his home address. The second is an old friend's second house. We believe we will find him at his house, but we want to make sure we have everything covered. We don't want to give him an out."
"We need to be alert, swift, and ready. He will not hesitate to kill the mother or her son." Rossi continued.
"We know he is scheduled to kill them this morning, if he hasn't already. This gives us a very small window of time to try and box him in before he leaves to dump the bodies and find a new target." Emily added.
"The majority of us will go to Gordon's house. Morgan and Reid, you will take a few men and go to the friend's house. We should be in time if we hurry, but we do need to prepare for what we might find. Do not hesitate to kill this man if necessary, he is likely to be very volatile. Good luck." Hotchner finished.
Spencer looked at Morgan, almost questioningly. As if to read his mind, Morgan spoke.
"Reid, I promise you this is not a waste of our time. Hotch gave us the secondary location because he believes it is safer. The profile says Gordon will be at his house. As soon as we clear the friend's house, we can come back and you can get back down to it."
Spencer nodded silently, reaching to grab a vest as he watched the other members in the room do the same.
"Let's get this over with, quickly." He muttered as he followed Morgan.
The drive to the friend's house was quick, maybe twenty minutes. Stepping out, both agents quickly realized things wouldn't be as quick as they had hoped. The house was small, but old styled with doors to an underground basement on the left side of the house. In the dusty backyard, a barn was visible. These were a couple of the places on the property that could prove challenging to clear.
"We stick together." Morgan turned to Reid as they approached the front door.
"You guys clear the basement and cover the back." Morgan directed the other officers.
When they reached the door, Morgan took a quick step back and kicked it down. They both moved quickly through the warm, dank, mostly empty house, clearing every room. Glancing at each other, the two agents were about to holster their weapons when they heard a gunshot from out back. Quickly, Morgan ran for the door as Spencer followed a few steps behind. They reached the other side of the house just in time to catch a glimpse of the barn doors shutting. A groan coming from the ground drew their attention down. The officer who had been sent to cover the back had sustained a gunshot wound to the chest.
"Shit." Morgan cursed as the other trooper who had accompanied them ran over after he had cleared the basement.
"Put pressure on his chest and call it in. We'll go after Gordon." Morgan told the man.
The trooper pressed his hand to the man's chest while using the other to call for back up. Spencer and Morgan quickly ran through the dusty backyard and up to the barn, guns drawn.
"I think someone should cover the back." Spencer suggested. Morgan shook him off.
"No, we stick together on this. You ready?"
Spencer nodded and with a quick kick, Morgan busted the doors open with a loud thud. As they slowly entered the darkened barn, they could hear crying and whimpering.
"Shut up!" Their unsub could be heard cursing frantically.
"Please, don't hurt my son, take me instead!" The woman pleaded. She was still out of their sight-line as they continued to approach cautiously, clearing every wooden stall and stable as they went. As they reached the far end of the barn, they realized they had the man cornered.
"Steven Gordon! FBI! Drop the gun and let them go!" Morgan ordered as they approached the darkened corner.
Spencer could feel his heart rate pick up. He couldn't see the man, just a darkened shadow. The woman continued to sob, her wails echoing through the barn, ringing in Spencer's ears. He felt a headache beginning to form as the woman's cries echoed louder in his ears. Realizing the mother would give him more protection than a small child, Gordon threw the kid to the ground and grabbed Anita Swain in one fell swoop.
"No!" Morgan shouted. The woman gasped as Gordon clenched a hand around her neck as he continued to wave the gun around.
"Kid, get back!" Morgan told the young boy who lay on the hay-covered ground, stunned and in tears.
"No! He stays right here and watches!" Gordon snapped.
"Ok, ok, be easy." Morgan raised a hand in an attempt to calm the man.
Spencer watched the scene unfolding in front of him, almost unflinching. The familiar throbbing in his head had returned. His vision became blurry as he struggled to focus. He blinked once, twice, holding his eyes shut for an extra second. When he reopened them, he felt dazed and confused. Before him was the dark figure, he still couldn't make out what Steven Gordon looked like. The woman in his arms, struggling with a gun pressed to her temple wasn't Anita Swain anymore, it was JJ.
"JJ!" Spencer gasped quietly under his breath.
"What?" Morgan looked at Reid confused, not entirely sure if he had heard the man say what he thought he had. This distraction allowed Gordon to drag Anita away from the corner and more towards the side wall where he thought he could perhaps ease his way towards an exit. When Morgan turned from Reid back to the unsub, he noticed this.
"Hey! I said don't move!" He shouted nervously, happy that at least they were now farther away from the young boy.
"You won't shoot me! Certainly not with this bitch's son watching!" Gordon taunted, jamming the gun against the side of the woman's face.
Spencer shook his head, trying to clear the images, telling himself to be logical. He knew the woman wasn't JJ. Her case was completely unrelated to this. And yet, every time he saw the woman, all he saw was JJ. Regardless that JJ didn't have any kids, wouldn't wear those style clothes, or even would be able to protect herself better from a man like this. None of it mattered, his brain continued to insist that this was JJ in front of him.
"We are leaving! And if you try to stop me I will kill this woman right in front of her son!" Gordon spat, inching further towards the side wall.
"You know I can't let you do that Gordon. You killed children. You abducted this woman and her son. You shot a police officer. It's over. You need to let them both go." Morgan tried as he took a step forward.
"Don't tell me what to do! I'm in control here! If you don't drop your guns right now I will kill her!" Gordon screamed, causing the woman to sob and the young boy on the ground to whimper.
"We have you out numbered Gordon, you won't get anywhere by doing this." Morgan stated more confidently than he felt.
The longer this lasted, the worse he knew things could get. It was very apparent that this man had every intention of going down with a fight if he didn't get his way; there was no talking him down. Gordon pushed the gun into the woman's head again, causing her to cry out louder. This time, he cocked back the hammer.
Morgan's grip tightened on his own gun as he began to wonder why Reid was being so quiet, why he wasn't at least attempting to help out-flank the unsub so that they could re-corner him. Then, Morgan's blood turned cold. He heard the thud of something drop beside him just before a grin plastered itself to Gordon's face.
Morgan looked out of the corner of his eye, not wanting to make the mistake of looking away like last time so Gordon could pick up more ground. His mouth dropped open a little when he realized Reid had dropped his gun and now held his palms up unthreateningly.
"Reid?!" Morgan erupted in shock.
Under some circumstances it would've been wise to do as the unsub said and drop the gun, but not here. It was obvious this unsub wasn't stable, that he had no intention of letting the woman go if they dropped their weapons. This man was very dangerous, they needed their guns as protection against him, and Reid had just dropped his protection.
Morgan knew not only had Reid potentially made a grave miscalculation on the safety of his own life, but now he had done the same for everyone else in the room, while putting all of the pressure and responsibility on Morgan to handle the situation. He could hear the sirens approaching from the distance, but by the time they arrived, Morgan knew that one way or another, the impasse they had reached would be over.
"Just let her go. She has done nothing wrong to you. Please, I'm asking you nicely." Spencer said as he took a couple steps forward.
"Don't come any closer!" Gordon warned, turning his gun towards the agents.
"Reid! Damn it what are you doing?!" Morgan took aim, praying for an opening.
"I just want her back, please. If you give her back to me, unharmed, I'll see what I can do to help you." Spencer offered, taking another step forward. The woman, JJ, continued to struggle, continued to sob, her tangled hair covering most of her face. Spencer couldn't lose her; he would do anything to get her away from this man.
"Not another step!" Gordon warned.
"Reid?! What the fuck man?! Stop!" Morgan implored him.
"What if we made a trade…me for her? A federal agent like me would be a lot more valuable than her, don't you think? I'm very smart. I can help you get out of this. She just deals with the media, with different people; she doesn't offer you as much value." Spencer tried to reason.
Morgan glared at Reid from the corner of his eye, completely confused by what his partner was saying. It didn't make sense and on top of that, he was putting himself in a perilously dangerous situation. Gordon appeared to hesitate for just a moment as he considered the offer.
"If you let her go, if you give her back to us, you can have me." Spencer took one more step, the smell of perspiration and stale hay filling his nose.
Gordon shifted his eyes from one agent to the other. Seeing his advantage, a gleam caught his eye that Spencer seemed to miss but unnerved Morgan.
"I have a better idea." Gordon smiled sickly.
"No!" Morgan yelled.
The sound of two gunshots pierced the air, just as their back-up had finally arrived.
AN: Yeah I did it, I know, I'm cruel. I also plead creative licensing to the fact that I had Reid pulled off JJ's case momentarily to go on this raid. I realize something like that would probably never happen, but I wanted to add even more suspense to the story (as if it really needed it). Any feedback –positive or negative- as always is welcome.