The next few days were very tame at the BAU, with no cases and what felt like endless paperwork and case files to go through. On Thursday, Hotch called a meeting in the BAU room.
"New case?" Spencer asked, looking over at Prentiss.
"I guess…" she said, getting out of her seat and following him.
Spencer took his seat beside Morgan as Hotch walked in. He handed out the case files to the team and turned on the screen.
"Four teenage girls have been abducted in the last 48 hours in North Carolina."
"Four in two days? Quite the jumpstart for the unsub," Rossi commented.
Hotch turned to the screen, showing the four girls. "Abby Turner, Melissa Meyers, Elizabeth Walters, and Natasha Madsen. The first two were abducted yesterday, the latter two today."
Garcia grabbed the remote. "Each of the families had one of these delivered to their homes shortly after they were taken," she said, motioning toward the screen.
"You've got to be kidding me," Morgan said.
"They're trying to make them solve riddles to find their children?" JJ said, disgusted.
"There was also a letter delivered to the police station that if the riddles weren't solved and the girls weren't found in the next few days, they'd all be dead."
Morgan groaned. "When do we leave?"
"Actually, Morgan," Hotch started, "this time, I'm going to need Reid to come with us while you stay behind."
Everyone looked at Spencer, who was just as shocked as they were. "Me? Come on, Hotch, Morgan's your best bet for finding this guy."
"Is he? The unsub is trying to get inside our heads to make us solve this, and you're the one person on this team who would be able to decipher this before the rest of us could."
"I could stay here with Garcia and help," he suggested.
"I'm going to need you on the case with us. If more clues come in, we can't wait around for you to get them from an e-mail or a text and hope it all happens in time."
Spencer sighed, leaning back in his chair.
"Wheels up in 40," Hotch said, dismissing everyone else. He stayed behind to talk to Spencer and Morgan. "Reid, I understand this is going to be hard for you, but we can't take the chance of not having you on this case and needing you."
"I-I know and I understand that. It's just. North Carolina is four hours away. That's a long distance for me to have to go if something's wrong with Parker."
"She's going to be in good hands with Morgan. And I promise if anything does go wrong and you need to get home immediately, I'll find a way to get you there, even if I have to go against the budget committee and have you take the jet."
He chewed on his lip nervously, nodding. "I'll be there."
Hotch nodded. "I'll give you two a moment," he said, grabbing his tablet and folders, and walking to his office.
Spencer exhaled, turning to Morgan. "I can't do this. You should go."
"Hotch is right. You're what the team needs on this case. Not me. You need to be with them and help them solve this before something happens."
Spencer bit his lip, his eyes brimming with tears. "But I've never been away from Parker before more than a work day. How am I going to handle the length of a case without seeing her? I mean, I've been with her every day since the beginning and she's not going to like me being gone. She won't handle it well, I won't handle it well."
Morgan sighed. "I'll take you home, we'll grab your go-bag, and we can talk there."
Spencer sniffed, nodding, grabbing his satchel and making his way to the elevator before anyone could realize he was upset.
JJ sighed, turning to Hotch. "You're sure about this?"
"Unless you have a better idea."
She shook her head. "Let me stay back at the station, keep an eye on him so he doesn't panic?"
Hotch looked at her. "Can you keep him calm?"
"I can try my best."
When they got back to the apartment, Spencer took out his go-bag, quickly packing it while wiping his eyes every few minutes.
"Spencer," Morgan started.
He bit his lip, shaking his head and putting in a few shirts.
"You can be upset. It happens. I'm not going to tell anyone and nobody's going to think any less of you."
"Parker will," he said softly, stuffing in a few pairs of socks and zipping up his bags.
"Parker is only 11 weeks old. She doesn't even know what we do for a living, and she's not going to hate you because you were gone a few days. When she's older, we'll explain everything to her, and she'll probably thank you for helping to save those girls."
"What if I don't?" Spencer asked, looking up at him. "What if I've gotten rusty not being on a case with you for so long and I suck and I only cause more harm than good?"
Morgan walked over, wrapping his arms around Spencer and rubbing his back. "You are going to be fine. You will do this job, you'll catch that bastard, and you'll be back home with us before you know it."
He sniffed, burying his head in Morgan's shoulder. "But I don't even get to say goodbye to her."
Morgan kissed his forehead, continuing to rub his back. "I know it sucks. But just think of how much more excited she'll be when you get back."
He shrugged.
"You can call when you land, when you get back to the hotel, when you wake up… not to mention we can video message throughout the day so she can still see you. You can get through this."
Spencer sighed and pulled back, while Morgan reached up and wiped his eyes for him.
"What about-"
"I'll do story time at 7:45 every night you're gone."
"And-"
"And I will tell her that her Nana Reid loves her very much."
"What-"
"She'll know how much her Daddy loves her and that he'll be home soon."
"What if-"
"Nothing is going to happen to you."
Spencer bit his lip, shouldering his go-bag and picking up his satchel.
"You ready?"
"As I'll ever be," he said softly.
They got in the car and drove to the airstrip, practically silent. When Morgan parked, Spencer sighed again, his leg twitching. Morgan leaned over, kissing him on the cheek.
"You're going to be fine, Pretty Boy."
"…Come on, I'm leaving for a few days and all I get is a peck on the cheek?"
Morgan shook his head, kissing him on the lips, then pulling back. "Better?"
"Much."
"Do you have your photos?"
"In the satchel."
"And the album?"
"Go-bag."
"Anything else?"
He smiled guiltily. "Her baby book and a blanket."
"I'll see you in a few days," Morgan called out the window as Spencer started walking toward the jet.
Spencer turned back. "You'd better not think this means my Saturday date is cancelled and you can take over."
"I wouldn't dream of it."
Spencer smiled slightly, walking onto the jet and setting his bags down. He took the window seat and watched as Morgan drove away.
JJ took the seat beside him, rubbing his back. "It gets easier."
He sighed, nodding.
"Just the two of us. How many times did you cry?"
"Twice," he said, embarrassed.
"I did three," she whispered, nudging his arm. "I win."
He smiled slightly, opening his satchel and handing her the newest batch of pictures to look through while everyone else got on the jet. Prentiss sat across from him and reached over, grabbing his hand.
"You okay, Reid?"
He sighed, looking out the window. "I will be."
After dropping off Spencer, Morgan drove to the daycare center to pick up Parker. When Catherine opened the door and saw him, she looked surprised.
"Hi, Derek… Spencer didn't say you'd be picking up Parker early."
"Spencer was called away on work so it's just Parker and I for the weekend. I was wondering if I'd be able to pick her up and take her home? I promised her some time with just the two of us and this gives me the opportunity."
"Of course," she said, holding the door open. He walked in with a quick thank you.
"She just got up from her nap and she's in a swing listening to classical music."
He walked into the living room and saw her smile as soon as she saw him. He walked over, kneeling beside her swing. "Just the two of us, Princess Parker. This is going to be fun." He shouldered her diaper bag and lifted her out of the swing. "She'll be back on Monday," he said, setting her in her carrier and picking it up.
When the team landed in North Carolina a short time later, Spencer went straight to the police station to look at the evidence, as well as try to decipher the riddles left behind by the unsub. Once he was parked, he sighed, taking out his phone and calling Morgan.
Morgan reached in his pocket, taking out his phone and answering it. "Hey, Pretty Boy."
"Hi… we just landed in North Carolina. I'm at the station now. Do you want me to call tonight when I'm on my way back to the hotel?"
"I'd love you to," Morgan said, smiling when Parker squealed.
"Is that Parker? Did something go wrong at daycare today?"
"She's fine. Everything's fine. I just decided that since I wasn't needed at work, I'd keep my promise and give her Papa and Parker time."
"How's she doing?" he asked, unbuckling himself.
"Perfect as always. She's having fun with those toys we attached to her bouncy seat."
He smiled slightly. "I wish I could see her. Be sure to tell her how much I love and miss her, okay?"
"No problem. Here, I'll put you on speaker."
"All set?" Spencer asked a minute later.
"Go for it."
"Hey, Parker. Daddy misses you a whole lot, and he'll be home soon. I really love you, and need you to be good for Papa."
He froze and smiled when he heard her squealing on the other end.
"I think that's code for 'I miss you too, Daddy'," Morgan suggested.
"I think so too. I'll talk to you tonight?"
"I'm looking forward to it. I love you."
Spencer smiled, wiping his eyes. "I love you too."
He hung up the phone, checking in the mirror that he didn't look as upset as he felt, and walked into the police station.
Spencer spent the entire afternoon making up the geographic profile and scanning the riddles for anything that stuck out. He read over the first ten times before something finally clicked. He quickly took out his phone, calling Garcia.
"Great Aunt Penny, how can I help you?"
He shook his head. "Hi, Garcia."
"How're you holding up?"
"Better than I thought. Listen, I need you to look something up for me."
"Go for it."
He sighed, reading over the riddle again. "One of the lines is 'where the sun doesn't shine, but can sometimes be seen'. Are there any caves or underground areas near or around the city?"
He heard her typing on the computer and picked at one of his fingernails while he waited.
"Close to your current location is Linville Caverns, located in Humpback Mountain. A spot that tourists like to visit because it shows off how intricate the underground can be. Anything else in the riddle?"
He scanned it again. "Abby can be found in the shallow mound?"
She started typing again, then shouted triumphantly.
"Garcia?"
"I've got it. Who should I send it to?"
He checked the locations everyone was currently at. "Send it to Hotch and Rossi, they're the closest."
"Will do! Let me know when you can use my help again."
"I promise."
He hung up the phone, exhaling. He got a phone call from Hotch an hour later saying that they had found Abby and were taking her to the hospital. In his head, he thought 'one down, three to go'.
By the time they had to go back to the hotel, he'd found out where the unsub was keeping Melissa Meyers: in a tool shed behind the house that she grew up in. Abby had been found in a cave where she had gone after a rock climbing trip. The fact that he was getting extremely personal with the clues meant one of two things, that he had been stalking the girls for quite some time, or that he was getting the information out of them to use for his sick, twisted game. No matter what the case, Spencer couldn't wait until the team could finally catch him.
On the drive back to the hotel, JJ looked over at Spencer. "How's it going?"
He sighed, watching the road. "Honestly? This is probably the worst I've felt in a really long time."
"Spence…"
"I'm not there when she's crying for me, I'm not there to tuck her in, and I'm not there for her nightly story time. She's used to seeing me every single day and I'm not there for her. If we're going to get technical? She's been with me for 51 weeks. How am I supposed to handle this?"
As he parked, she reached over, rubbing his back. "You remember that this is your job, and you can go home to her after all of this and spend time with her."
He wiped his eyes, exhaling. "It's really hard to be away from her. I mean, I've had doctor's appointments and work, but I've never been away from her overnight. I'm used to falling asleep with her baby monitor next to me so I can hear her breathing and know she's okay."
"And you'll know she's okay now because she's going to be with her Papa whose sun rises and sets on her. It is hard, and it does suck, I'm not going to sugar coat that. But after a while? You just remember to look forward to going home and seeing her smiling face when you walk through that door."
He sighed, unbuckling his seatbelt. "Not to mention this whole case depends on how well I can read this guy's thoughts, and if I fail? Those two girls die and he gets away. It'll all be my fault and I'm not sure I can live with that on my shoulders."
"Spence, Hotch wouldn't have brought you on this case if he didn't know that you were our best bet and the greatest chance of finding these girls. You being able to decipher those riddles brought two of those girls back to their families. After you get a good night's sleep? I have no doubt in my mind you can figure out the last two, then be home to Morgan and Parker by late Saturday, early Sunday."
He smiled slightly, letting up. "He um, he took her out of daycare today."
"He did? Why?"
"Because he didn't want to be alone in the house and wanted his Papa and Parker time."
"I'm going to tell you something, but you probably won't believe it."
"What?"
"He's hurting as much as you are right now."
He raised his eyebrow. "How?"
"Well, this is the first time you're trusting him to be completely alone with her for a long period of time. He's going to be worried that he's doing everything wrong, because he doesn't have you constantly assuring him that he's doing fine and doesn't need to stress about it. Whether he wants to admit it or not? He's scared that you'll get back and tell him that he did something wrong or that you'll be mad for something he didn't do."
"How do you know? Did Garcia call you?"
"No, I'm just a parent who knows how parents think. Now come on, dinner's on me."
After dinner, Spencer and JJ went back to their hotel room, sitting on their beds and watching TV. Spencer was flipping through the baby book when his phone went off. He quickly grabbed it, answering.
"Hey, Derek."
"Hi, Morgan!" JJ called from her bed, idly flipping through the channels.
"Will you just pick one already?" Spencer asked. "You've scanned through the channels fourteen times and still haven't landed on a show to watch."
"I just want to be sure I didn't skip anything good."
"You didn't. The first five channels are news, 6 is that Friends show you like, 7 is some cartoon with yellow people…"
"Hello to you two. Having fun rooming together?"
"Rooming together is fine. The constant sound of channel changing, however?"
JJ finally set the remote down. "There, happy?"
"Ecstatic."
"Are the siblings done fighting?" Morgan asked.
Spencer leaned back against his pillows. "For now."
"I heard that," JJ said, pulling the blanket over herself.
Morgan smiled, shaking his head. "How are you doing, Pretty Boy?"
"Wishing I was there with you two. How is she?"
"We did our story time. Tonight was Jack and the Beanstalk. Then she had a bath and I put her down after her last feeding."
"How's she behaving?"
"Her usual self. Though she does seem a little bummed out. I think she misses you."
"Tell her I miss her too."
"Trust me, I will. How's the case going?"
"Not happening."
"Why not?"
"You wouldn't tell me about any cases while I was on leave or afterward. You're not hearing about this one."
"Come on, Spencer. Just a little?"
"No, and will you stop with the first name thing?!"
"If you tell me."
"Not a chance."
"Can't say I didn't try."
"No, but I can say that you failed. Miserably."
"I guess you can."
Spencer smiled, lowering his voice. "I really miss you, Derek."
"I miss you too, Pretty Boy."
He curled up on his side, biting his lip. "And I love you, and Parker."
"We love you too. Is that date still on?"
"I um. I actually moved it to Wednesday if that's okay."
"Wednesday? A work night?"
"And I sort of requested both of us to have a vacation day on Thursday for family time, and it was approved so long as we don't have a case," he whispered.
"Bad boy," he said, grinning.
"Want me to cancel?"
"Definitely not. It sounds like a great plan. Call me in the morning when you get up?"
"I will, promise. I love you Derek."
"Love you too, Spencer. Sleep tight."
"Tell Parker how much I love and miss her."
"Don't worry, I will."
Spencer smiled. "Good night."
"Night, Pretty Boy."
Spencer hung up the phone, smiling.
"You're like a little lovesick puppy."
"Lovesick?"
"Longing to be back with him so you can have your cuddle partner and spend time with your family."
"Oh, yes. Definitely that."
She smiled. "Night, Spence."
"Night, Jayje."
She reached over, turning off the light between their beds.
Author's Note: The past few days, I've been posting five chapters. To thank everyone for caring enough for there to be a sequel, I'm posting ten chapters tonight. Enjoy and Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays!