Written for The IKY'dU Blog - Hotch/Reid Writing Challenge: Round #10
Blog Link: ./
Pen name: Vanessa S. Quest
Title: Exposure
Genre:
Rating:
Prompt 3: Deathly Pale

"Wheels up in one hour," Hotch had stated that after going over the initial case review with the team. So far, there were four victims, each found in an outlying suburb of Las Vegas, each victim wearing a stamp from a swank hotel on the strip, and not a one showing up on film at said swank hotel, ever.

The signature made it clear that the four were connected even if nothing else seemed to give any indicator.

Reid stood by the coffee pot waiting for the others to arrive back, his go bag already present at his desk. Hotch came down from his office to join his lover for a cup and see what he was thinking, which with Dr. Spencer Reid, was usually a very long list.

"Reid," He started and gave a supportive head nod.

"Hotch." He smiled with puffed cheeks and crinkled nose, teeth hidden by pursing lips.

"What's on your mind?"

Reid's eyebrows raised, he took a sip of coffee, "I haven't visited my mom in a while. After the case is over, I'm going to have to give her a proper one."

"Think you'll need a few days off?" Hotch suspected, and Reid's head nod confirmed his suspicions. "Take as much as you need, you have plenty saved up."

Reid gave a small smirk, "That I do." With a head-turn Reid noticed a petite blond lugging in a suitcase with wheels and a handle. The bright pink color made it easy to confuse it for a six year old girl's, or Garcia's coincidentally. His eyebrows rose up reflexively, and again, he took a sip of coffee not saying anything.

"I'm not late, am I sir?" Seaver offered in courtesy.

Hotch shook his head, "No, Morgan and Prentiss still aren't back yet." He glances at his watch, "You have another five minutes."

"Thank goodness, I got caught in traffic." She smiled, sweating off bullets.

"You drive?" Reid said, turning his head to the side.

"Yes, why is that strange?"

"No, not at all." Reid explained and took in some more coffee. "Ashley, do you play cards?"

Hotch shook his head and took strides toward his office, "Reid, don't take advantage of her. Seaver, never play him for money, he's from Vegas and he counts cards." With that admonishment he went back through the bullpen and up the stairs to his office.

"Really? You're from Vegas?"

"The suburbs."

"Wow, so are you going to see your parents?" Ashley asked, Reid flinched at that. He hadn't really been willing to talk about it at the moment, but with the question in the air he felt obliged to answer.

"I… might see my mom after this is over. I'm estranged from my father."

"Right… you mentioned that before, didn't you?"

"When you came in for your first consult actually, yes," Reid specified.

Seaver focused her eyes, "Let me guess…"

"There's another rule in the BAU you should be firmly aware of." Reid said without missing a beat, "Besides not gambling against me for money- and Hotch didn't just mean cards, he meant anything for money including Jeopardy- we don't profile each other. We just don't." He downed his cup and turned back on the machine.

"Oh… oh!" Ashley covered her mouth in realization, "That hit a nerve, didn't it? I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

"That's fine, but I'm a private person."

She gave a stiff, awkward nod to that, the air heavy for a few moments. "Does he still live in the area?"

"As far as I know, yes, he does."

The elevator doors chimed as they opened, Morgan and Prentiss waltzed in three minutes late thanks to DC traffic patterns.

As the jet began to make final descent, Garcia's iPad kicked into life. "Not good, they have a fresh body-dump."

Hotch looked across the team members, "Alright, Seaver, Morgan and Reid, I want you at the latest crime scene, Prentiss and Rossi witness interviews, Garcia and I will set up base, rendezvous back in two hours."

"Yes sir." Ashley voiced while the others gave their collective nods.

Las Vegas in the daytime has never been a cold place, night time in desert air being a different story entirely, Reid stepped out of the plane and welcomed the 40 degree weather happily over the 20 degrees it had been in Quantico thanks to a cold-front.

Twenty minutes later by SUV and Reid had lost all recognition of warmth and feelings of gratitude. He had come upon the body first, leaving Morgan for the polite introductions just offering his own wave before stepping inside to get to business. Within walking through the door, spotting the body and two seconds passing, the blood from his face completely drained.

A gloved hand quickly came to his mouth. Morgan, two steps behind him gave the man a strange look.

"Reid, relax man, we've seen worse than this." His eyebrows waggled upright, "Bludgeoning deaths are always… messy, but get a grip, you can't have the LEOs thinking you're soft."

"Reid…?" As the deathly pale features started to move toward the green spectrum, Morgan changed tactics, "Step outside get your bearings, and try not to puke on the crime scene."

Reid gave a curt nod and backed out of the room, not turning around until outside the door and sprinting behind the SUV.

Seaver looked between Morgan and the retreating Reid, "Is… he alright?"

"Different things hit people…I've never seen him react like that before, though."

"Should I… go check on him?"

Morgan shook his head, "Give him a moment to collect himself." He squatted beside the body to look at it, for a moment he tried to look to see how or why it would upset Reid but couldn't place anything.

"He's from Las Vegas, right? Could he know the victim?" No sooner than Seaver said that than she rushed out the door to find Reid. She missed the look in Morgan's eyes as realization hit him hard in the stomach.

Morgan whipped out his phone.

Seaver was behind the SUV watching Reid's eyes leak fat trails of sloppy tears and mouth emit clear throw-up. All in all, definitely not Dr. Reid's best as he lurched over.

"Uh, Dr. Reid…?" She said tentatively, she approached unsure if she really should be the one doing so. "What's this about?"

He held up a hand indicating her to not come closer, his other hand wiping at his eyes as his stomach tried to empty itself three more retched times. He let out a violent cough and spat the remainders of foul-tasting bile before falling back into the vehicle. His phone violently rang the second his back made contact.

He gave Seaver a look, "I have to take this." He said, pulling the phone from his pocket.

"Reid, get back to the station, now. Have Seaver drive. Morgan has it." Hotch started before Reid could respond.

"Understood." He swallowed back thickly and disconnected. "Seaver, we're needed back at the office, you drive."

"Sure… I'll… tell Morgan?"

Reid nodded, "I'd appreciate that."

As Seaver stepped back into the building she spotted Morgan disconnecting from his call. "What's going on? First we're told to come here, then Reid gets a call telling him he and I should head back and that you've got this…?"

"It's Reid, well, his dad. Victim five is William Reid…" He slid a hand down his face, "I didn't recognize him… how the hell Reid did with his face caved in like that…" He shook his head. "I called it in to Hotch, Reid's off the case. He can't work something like this, and he's in no shape to drive. You saw him. Drop him back off then come back, I could use the help."

Seaver nodded, "Right. Thanks for telling me, I don't think Dr. Reid would've…"

"Ashley, you don't know this about him, because you weren't around, but they were on the outs in a bad, bad way. His dad wanted to make peace, but Reid wasn't ready to. He's going to be kicking himself in the ass and feel really horrible, I don't recommend trying to tread that path."

"I thought we aren't supposed to profile each other? Reid said it was a rule."

"It is. We do it anyways, we just never tell anyone what our insights are. I know you've come to the same conclusions."

"Abandonment issues are pretty clear." She said with a nod.

"Yeah, well, get him back to HQ. He shouldn't have to sit near this."

TBC.