25

Don't You Forget About Me

I stood from my spot on the couch when they brought her in. My hands started to shake in fear and it spread to my stomach. But my face was hard, jaw set. I wouldn't let her see it. I wouldn't let her see that I was still scared. I was more angry than scared now. She smiled at me as she past, just as I remembered. Then again, in retrospect I had seen her less than a month ago, it just felt like decades.

She was pretty I'm sure, I couldn't tell. But from outside eyes that didn't know what she was capable of, of the monster dwelling within her, I'm sure she was attractive.

Her thin, platinum blonde hair fell to her shoulders, not salon styled, more homely looking. Her dress was faded, a light blue flannel. Her beige shoes were a 90s style and looked their age. Her figure was slight, her face soft. She was attractive and harmless looking. I suppose I was the only one who could see that awful look in her eyes as she smiled at me, the same way she had smiled at the hospital.

Gideon put his hand on my shoulder. My eyes stayed locked with hers as they led her to the interrogation rooms. Emily pushed her roughly, sneering at the back of her head. Morgan's face was hard, his eyes cold. Garcia looked worried. She was looking from her, to me and back again, as if she was afraid of what I would do. J.J. and Hotch looked just as angry as the others did.

"Is that her?" Gideon asked. I nodded, shutting my eyes for a moment.

"Yes."

Hotch followed Emily into the room while J.J., Morgan and Rossi went in the other room and to watch. I walked toward them. I wanted to see this, no I needed to see this.

"Spencer-" Gideon began I shook my head, turning to look at him.

"Gideon, I need to see this. I need to hear what she has to say. I…I want to know why," I said firmly. He nodded.

Hotch was already asking her questions when I stood next to Morgan.

"Where is he, Marybelle?" My eyes grew and I looked at Morgan. They hadn't found him. They hadn't found Master. I hadn't paid attention that he wasn't with them. God, he was still out there.

"We'll find him, kid. It's alright."

"I'm not tellin' you anything," she said sweetly. Her voice sent chills down my spine. I couldn't be scared now.

"Protecting him won't help you. You have nothing to gain from it." She folded her arms over her chest, frowning.

"There's this little thing called loyalty. Arthur and I have been friends for a very long time, longer than this little lady's been alive," she said firmly. "And without a lawyer I don't have to tell you shit."

"So you're admitting to-" Hotch asked, more calm than I thought he would be.

"Hurtin' that boy and making sure Arthur didn't kill him? Hell yes I admit to it. You already know I did, so why ask?"

Hotch and Emily exchanged glances.

"I liked hurtin' him," she smiled. My stomach turned. "Those pretty eyes of his just begging you not to hurt him anymore." Emily's hands clenched into fists, her jaw set. Marybelle sighed, smiling contentedly. "It's a good feeling ya get."

"What do you do for a living, Marybelle?" Hotch asked.

"I'm a nurse at Edenton General," she said. "I saw the boy there when y'all brought him in." The agent's eyes grew.

I bowed my head, ashamed. I could feel their eyes on me, staring in disbelief. Morgan's hand clasped around my shoulder.

"It's alright, kid. It's okay," he said softly. I looked over at him, my eyes pleading with him to understand.

"I wanted to… I couldn't, I-"

"No one is mad at you, kid. It's alright," he assured. I blinked a few times, swallowing hard.

"So that's how Harrington knew he was with us," Rossi said.

"…I told him what he needed to know to not only keep him alive, but keep him pretty too. Nobody wants a toy that's all scratched up, now do they."

My fists clenched in anger. I'm not a piece of property. I'm no one's "toy". I'm a person. I'm a human being. Or at least I used to be.

"Arthur's gonna find that boy. And when he does there won't be a damn thing you can do about it," she looked at the glass, smiling… right at me. "You'd better watch out, darlin'. 'Cause he's gonna get you good."

I nearly ran from the window.

"Kid!" Morgan yelled but I kept going.

I shoved past the police officers clogging the bullpen, ignoring their irritated stares, trying to find someplace where I could be alone. Somewhere quiet.

I stumbled into a hallway that led to the back parking lot. I leaned against the wall, resting my head against it. He was out there somewhere, looking, waiting, watching. What if he did find me? What if he got me again? No, no I was safe here. I was safe. No one would let him hurt me again. He couldn't get to me, not surrounded by all of these people. Not when Morgan swore he wouldn't let that happen.

Everything was okay… Everything's alright…

"Kid!" Gideon grabbed his shoulder.

"Let him go, Morgan."

Hotch and Emily left the interrogation room, going over to the other agents. "We aren't going to get anywhere with her right now."

"She's too loyal to Harrington," Hotch said, shaking his head. "But we can't worry about her right now; right now we have to set up a perimeter around the building. No one in or out without clearance."

"Someone needs to be with Spencer at all times," Gideon said. The others nodded.

"I'll go tell Garcia to turn on the security system," J.J. said before walking away.

The others dispersed as well. Hotch and Gideon explained the situation to the chief while Emily went with J.J. and Garcia. Morgan went to check and make sure when the security cameras were working, which took about four minutes of his time.

That's when he noticed.

"Spencer?" He looked around, at the couch, near Garcia, somewhere for that mop of brown hair. "Spencer?" He checked in the room he was supposed to be staying in. He wasn't there either. "SPENCER?" The others turned, exchanging worried glances.

"Oh God, please not again…" Garcia breathed.

But this wasn't the misunderstanding she had hoped for. He wasn't in the bathroom or lost in a book or even sleeping. Spencer was gone.

Everything's alright…

A hand clasped over my mouth, the rest of the arm an iron grip around my throat. The muzzle of a gun touched my cheek.

"Don't you scream, boy," Master's voice hissed in my ear, his breath hot on my neck. No, no, no, no, no! NO! Not again, PLEASE!

"Don't you make a sound. You do and I'll shoot that little one right in her pretty little head." I looked at the back of Garcia's head, shaking slightly. He pulled me back a little into the darkness, hiding us better. "And if that don't shut you up I'll shoot the blonde. Then that bitch, then your black friend, then boss man, then the old man. I'll end each and every one of them right in front of you." My eyes traveled from J.J. to Emily to Morgan to Hotch and to Gideon. No, no don't kill them, don't kill my friends! "Do you understand?"

I nodded slowly. I was being pulled backward, toward the door, toward Master's truck, toward Hell, again. I could've fought. I could've screamed, but that would risk their lives, and I wasn't that important.

Tears fell from my eyes, my heart thundered against my ribs and my body shuddered in fear. Morgan was yelling my name. I prayed he wouldn't come down here. He'd get hurt if he did.

"SPENCER?" I shut my eyes.

Goodbye Morgan …