Rayne Says: This chapter is from CRIMINAL MINDS. This is also the hardest chapters I've had to write. I'm not too proud of it, but I hope that you don't think it's a piece of rubbish. Please read and review.

Desperately Seeking Alice

SakuraxSpencer Reid

.:Reid's P.O.V.:.

"Read the directions and directly you will be directed in the right direction." –Alice in Wonderland

Spencer Reid was a genius. This was a fact. It was also a fact that he worked for the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU). Spencer Reid liked facts. They were concrete and, for the most part, unchangeable. As such it was a fact that Spencer Reid was on his way to the BAU to possibly take on a case or, in the more likely instance, do a mountain of paperwork that would make his hand cramp up.

Pushing open the glass door and surveying the obvious stack of files on his desk, he sighed. It looked like it was going to be an average day in the BAU. He heard the clack of heels and turned to see Garcia in another one of her get-ups. Today it appeared as though she wanted to match the snow outside. A white hat, white gloves, white blouse, and a cream skirt encased her curvy frame and Reid observed the lift of Derek Morgan's eyebrows in response to the sight. He also whistled at her, and she responded by slapping his butt. It never ceased to confuse Reid as to why they constantly flirted yet never pursued a relationship.

"Spence, meeting in five. We've got a case," JJ said, bustling past him to get to the meeting room.

"Got it," he replied, heading in the same direction. He stopped in front of the coffee machine and got himself a cup. Cleaning around the edge of the cup, and cursing the fact he'd forgotten his own in the apartment; he filled it to the brim with black liquid. Then he added two sugars and a little cream before going toward the meeting room. He took a seat beside JJ and waited for the rest of the team to arrive.

Rossi, Emily, and Morgan came into the room at the same time, all carrying identical files. JJ shuffled one towards Reid and he offered her a smile. Finally, Hotch came in and immediately began talking. "This morning the Rosewood Police Department called and asked for our assistance in what they are calling a serial kidnapping case. In the past four weeks two girls were kidnapped and their bodies were found thirteen days later. From what police can assume another girl, Sakura Haruno, was kidnapped two days ago."

"Assume?" Reid asked, staring at the photo of the pink-haired girl.

"Yes. She called in sick two days ago and hasn't been seen since then. Her mother called it in."

"Why didn't her mother notice her daughter was missing earlier?" JJ said.

"The mother is a doctor at the local hospital. It appears that she was on call most of those two days. She came home to find the girl missing and, when she didn't answer her cell phone, contacted the police. No ransom demands have been made. The previous bodies were found in the local area so the killer is most likely keeping them within city limits. Wheels up in thirty minutes. We're going to Nevada."

Reid was a little surprised that they were going to his home state, but didn't say anything. He left the room and walked to his desk. Grabbing his go bag and seeing the team members do the same, he nodded to Morgan. He watched as Morgan stopped to kiss the top of Garcia's head before joining him as they exited the building. They climbed into one of the black SUVs and drove to the airport. Reid glanced at the familiar jet and climbed up the steps. He would go through the case file on the plane. It wouldn't be a long flight to Las Vegas, Nevada and then a short drive to Rosewood. He had never been to the small town, but was familiar with their high school. Their basketball team had been one of the better teams in the district. He knew that it was a rural town with a small population. If the killer was local then that most likely meant that Sakura Haruno knew her kidnapper.

Taking a seat, he flipped open the manila folder and looked down at the pictures of the two previous victims. Ino Yamanaka and Hinata Hyuga were both seventeen year old girls. However, Miss Hyuga was tutored privately. Ino Yamanaka had attended the same school as Miss Haruno. It was noted in the file that they had been friends. That most likely meant that the other girl had been on alert due to her friend already being dead.

"Perhaps we should look at grief counselors provided by the school. It is likely that Miss Haruno knew her attacker, which also means that Miss Yamanaka did too."

Morgan pulled out his cell phone and pressed speed dial. "Hey baby girl, can you get me a list of grief counselors provided by Rosewood High School? Thanks."

Continuing on through the file, Reid noted that her natural hair color was pink. He wondered how that was possible. It was quite the anomaly. Looking down at her school schedule he noted that all of her classes were AP or Honors. She was obviously quite intelligent. It was possible that she could try to contact authorities secretly or leave clues.

"Were there any clues in the girl's bedroom? Anything the mother noticed as being out of the ordinary?" he asked.

"Nothing, but the mother was quite distressed," Hotch observed.

He nodded and looked back down. If she had been kidnapped from somewhere other than her house then it was imperative that they find the primary scene. He began writing down questions for the mother when they landed. Turning to another page it revealed that her parents were divorced and her father was currently in jail for…domestic abuse. Shaking his head, he took another sip of coffee and tried to focus and think of the geographic profile. Rosewood was small. She lived within five miles of the school. The Yamanaka girl had lived seven miles away and the Hyuga girl had lived ten miles away. Therefore she was the closest victim to the school.

It could be possible that the unsub worked at the school and was growing more confident. From the assumed date of the abduction that meant that they had eleven days to save Sakura before the unsub killed her. All of the bodies had strangulation marks on the neck and several bruises over various parts of the body. He barely noticed that the plane had landed and it was only when JJ tapped his shoulder that he noticed.

The ride to Rosewood and the police station was short. They walked into the station and were greeted by a small, timid-looking man who identified himself as Sheriff Dunham. He led them into a cramped conference room where pictures of the three girls were posted on the wall. Sakura's picture was scowling at the camera. It seemed like an odd choice for the room.

Hotch gave the usual introductions and Reid was only mildly surprised when Sheriff Dunham didn't question the title of Dr. in front of his name. They sat down in the conference room and began discussing the case. It appeared that the rest of the team had drawn the same conclusions that he had. The sheriff dropped a newspaper on the table where the headline THIRD GIRL GOES MISSING. The following article was a statement of facts and some opinions. JJ looked displeased with the leaked information, but there wasn't much control over the press here.

"We'd like to interview Mrs. Haruno, please. As soon as possible," Hotch said.

"That can be arranged."

"And we'd also like to take a look around the girls' rooms. And talk with students at their schools."

"Of course. We've already done some preliminary interviews if you'd like to look at those files."

"Yes, please," Reid answered. "And I'd like all of the newspapers since the first girl went missing."

"Yes. Officer Smith, get this boy some newspapers. We appreciate you coming down here and helping us out with this. We thought it was merely a coincidence with the first two but Miss Haruno changed our minds."

"Why is that?"

"Because she is smart enough not to fall for a kidnapper's usual tricks. The son of a bitch would have to be either really strong or cunning enough to get her."

"Understood. We know that we have eleven more days before her body is found. Did your medical examiner find a time of death?"

"We had to send the bodies to Las Vegas to get it done. That's where it gets troubling. I-Ino, the first victim, was killed after twelve days. The second victim was killed after only eight."

"That's a quick escalation," Emily said, biting the corner of her lip as her eyes flicked up to the pictures. "That could possibly mean she didn't give the unsub the satisfaction that he wanted or that he is going to kill faster this time. That means that the new victim could be killed within four days or more."

"Knowing Sakura," Sheriff Dunham said, pausing, "it could be quicker. She does tend to piss a person off."

"You seem to be familiar with the victim," Morgan observed.

"In a town this small it's hard not to be."

"Will it hinder this investigation?" Hotch questioned harshly.

"No. I just want to put a stop to this bastard."

"I want you to stay and help interview Mrs. Haruno with me. Morgan and Reid I want you to go to her house. Prentiss, you go to the school."

"Understood," they answered, grabbing their things and departing.

Morgan and Reid arrived at the small cottage within five minutes. Mrs. Haruno was just exiting and she paused as she met their gazes. Her green eyes were red-rimmed and her blonde hair was thrown up into a messy ponytail. She looked at them with empty eyes and walked past them to her car. The front door was still open. Reid put on a pair of rubber gloves and walked in. The house was clean, almost obsessively so, and it smelled like flowery air freshener. There was an empty bowl of cereal in the sink and a glass beside it. The living room was small and the walls were covered with family photos and awards. Most of the photos were of Sakura and her mother. None of them had a father.

Opening the door at the end of the hall, Reid found what appeared to be Sakura's room. It was rather plain for a teenage girl. There weren't any magazine cutout pictures or posters of boy bands on the walls. Instead a painting by Van Gogh covered the space above a neat and organized desk. The bed was made, the corners of the sheets tucked in. A candle on the nightstand was almost burned all the way down. The scent was lavender, indicating that she needed stress relief from something. Several tall bookshelves lined the walls and were filled up with various tomes. He was surprised by the amount of classic literature in comparison to the more modern books. They also looked well-worn.

A chess set was sitting on her other nightstand, a game in progress. It was easy to tell that within five moves white would win. It was clear that she was a smart mind with a passion for literature and analysis. There was a laptop on her desk, but the memory had been erased. They would need to send that to Garcia for her to take a closer look at. Next to the laptop a dog-eared copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass sat. He flipped open to a page marked and raised an eyebrow at a high-lighted passage.

"I think I should understand that better, if I had it written down: but I can't quite follow it as you say it."

Reid wondered what that meant. Why had she highlighted only that passage? When had she highlighted it? Was it before she was kidnapped? Was it a clue?

"Hey Morgan, take a look at this," he called. Said man entered the bedroom, gave a cursory look, and then directed his gaze down at the book. "Do you think this means something?"

"We can't be sure."

"Besides this and her laptop it doesn't appear that anything is out of place. We should get back to the station so I can look at those newspapers," Reid said.

Morgan nodded and they left the cottage with the book and laptop in tow. They pulled up to the station and walked in. It was clear that Mrs. Haruno was still being interviewed. Reid went back to the conference room and sat down at the table. The officer had brought the newspapers to the room and it was a sizable stack. Reid sat down and began looking through. The majority of the paper was local news with a few articles on national news. The classifieds were short and most were usual. There was one that stood out for a second and Reid looked at it closely.

"Alice, don't fall down the hole. Or you'll end up mad like me. - Cheshire Cat."

It was published during the captivity of the Yamanaka girl. If he assumed that the girl was Cheshire Cat and Sakura was Alice then this message was written to her. What did it mean? She must have been warning Sakura not to get kidnapped. He wondered if there were other messages like this one. Flipping through the papers there wasn't anything from when the Hyuga girl had been kidnapped. She must not have known the other two girls. The paper from today had a classified that stood out.

"Alice fell. Now she's lost in Wonderland. The Jabberwocky is watching. Help."

"Guys, I think I found something. I think she's managed to communicate through the newspaper, and she's asking for help."

"How do we respond?"

Morgan flipped open his phone. "Garcia, I need information on someone who placed in ad in today's Rosewood Gazette."

"Okay sugar, let me see. Seven personal ads placed. Which one are you looking for?"

"Alice."

"Paid for in cash, sent in through the mail. No return address."

"Damn. Thanks honeybee."

"Keep me posted. I have the information on grief counselors hired by the school. There were three of them: two females, one male."

"Any of them have records?" Morgan asked.

"Not that I can tell. Wait, I have a sealed record here. It'll take some work to get through it, but I'll get back to you."

"Got it."

"Sheriff Dunham?" Reid called.

"Yes?"

"Can we place in ad in tomorrow's paper?"

"Of course."

Reid grabbed a piece of paper and began writing. "Alice, can you get away? You're not mad yet.-Mad Hatter."

"Now all we can do is wait."

3 Days Missing

"Mad Hatter—how can I trust you? The Jabberwocky is mad, but not intelligent."

Reid looked down at the ad and frowned. This was wasting precious time that they had. "She says that the unsub is not intelligent, and may seem to have some kind of psychological disorder. Garcia, can you pull up a list of locals diagnosed with a mental disorder or who may have spent time in a mental hospital?"

"Can do. There are twenty people on this list."

"Any that match up with previous lists?"

"Kakashi Hatake is diagnosed with PTSD and also teaches at Rosewood High."

"Does Sakura take any of his classes?"

"For the past two years she's been in his AP History classes."

"Morgan, go pick him up for an interview."

"Alice. What do a raven and a writing desk have in common? The Kings and Queens are friends. We're here to help- Mad Hatter."

4 Days Missing

"Poe wrote on both. I give myself very good advice on a golden afternoon. Jabberwocky is confident. I'm not Lolita."

"Sheriff Dunham? Can we get a copy of Disney's 1951 film of Alice in Wonderland?" Rossi asked, reading over Reid's shoulder. "She's offering us good clues without being two forward. What do you think she means by 'I'm not Lolita'?"

"He hasn't sexually assaulted her I would assume. It also means that the unsub is older than her."

The movie arrived at the desk shortly after and Rossi fast-forwarded through it to the songs mentioned. "Okay, so the songs she mentioned take place in a garden and in a forest. She might be offering clues as to her whereabouts."

"Alice are you tall or short? Is the Jabberwocky a friend or foe?"

5 Days Missing

"Short and stout. It's dark. He's a friend of a foe. Ask mum."

There were few people who were enemies of Sakura from what they gathered. Her mother however had a different story to tell. "Her father was a terrible man. Controlling and cold. It's why Sakura doesn't have many friends. She thinks it's her job to take care of me."

Morgan picked up his phone. "Garcia, are there any cellmates of Mr. Haruno who have been recently released?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. Mr. Haruno's cellmate was released three months ago. His name is Hidan Ootenari. No records of employment or housing. It could be that he is staying with a friend."

"Do you have a picture?"

A picture was printed out of a handsome man with crazed eyes. His hair was almost white and slicked back.

"How does a man with no connections to the other girls kidnap them?"

"Alice, the White Queen found the Jabberwocky. Where are you?-Mad Hatter."

"We're ready to give the profile," Hotch said, standing up. "Gather your officers."

"From what we've gathered Sakura Haruno has been kidnapped by a man named Hidan Ootenari. He has been classified as a psychotic narcissist who believes in a god named Jashin. From documents gathered by the police during his prison stay it is clear that he believes this god requires human sacrifice. His first kill was sloppy which led to him being caught within 24 hours. Obviously he learned something in prison. It has been almost six days since Sakura Haruno was kidnapped. We have seven days left at most. She is being kept in a one story house with a garden and forest views."

Reid hoped that they could get to her in time. Something about the code they had established reminded him of the chess set she had in her room. He wondered how good she was at the game.

6 Days Missing

"Jabberwocky is growing fierce. Can the Red Queen cut his head off for me? I can't tell you, Mad Hatter, because the Bandersnatch is near and he knows more. –Alice."

Reid could feel that she was growing hopeless. Her messages were longer and less clear. He wondered who the Bandersnatch was. A friend of Hidan's obviously, but who? He had more intelligence than Hidan and could possibly understand the messages they'd been exchanging. That made it more imperative to find her.

"I have the visitor's log. Hidan was visited once a month by a man who listed himself as I.U. I dug a little deeper and looked for connections to Sakura. According to Rosewood High's yearbook only one person has a last name beginning with U in Sakura's year. Sasuke Uchiha. He also has an older brother whose name just happens to begin with the letter I- Itachi Uchiha. Can I get a woot?"

"Woot, baby girl. Do you have an address?"

"5455 Cherry Lane. It's a one story house against the forest being leased to Itachi."

The team put on Kevlar vests and jumped into the SUVs. The sirens were kept off and it was clear once they arrived at the house that someone was home. A black sedan was parked in front of the garage and small garden was next to the sidewalk leading up to the door. Hotch led the SWAT team to the front door and kicked it open. There were a few shouts and one burst out of a window and took off running. Several cops pursued the man and Reid could hear Hotch talking to another man in the house.

"Itachi, we just want the girl? Put the gun down and we can talk. Where is Sakura Haruno?"

"I don't know who you're talking about."

"Your friend kidnapped and killed two other girls. We are looking for the third."

"No idea what you are talking about."

"Tell us now."

"I want a lawyer," the black-haired boy said smoothly, lowering the gun and smiling. Hotch reached forward and kicked the gun away before putting cuffs around the man's wrists and leading him to the car. Reid went forward into the house and opened all of the doors. One room held only a small mattress, newspapers, and a window with bars on it. There were a few pink hairs on the pillow and Reid knew that this was where Sakura had been held. Flipping through the newspapers he couldn't find any clues she might have left. He flipped the mattress over and found a single article with red writing on it. In horror he realized that it was blood.

"M.H. JB and BS are taking me to the tulgey wood. –A."

"They took her into the woods. She may be bleeding or injured."

The team went out into the woods and began following some disturbances in the brush. They led to several trees. Morgan's foot went forward and almost fell through some brush as leaves and twigs fell down into a giant hole. Reid peered over the edge and saw a flash of pink through all of the leaves. "She's down here. We need medics immediately!"

Reid jumped into the hole and brushed away all of the leaves from Sakura's body. Her eyes were closed shut in pain and her breathing was jagged. Putting his arms underneath her body he lifted her up and handed her up to Morgan. He jumped out of the hole and followed Morgan to the waiting ambulance. He watched as she was strapped down to a gurney and shipped off to the hospital.

Waiting next to the hospital bed, Reid looked down at the girl. The doctors had discovered mostly malnutrition and bruises. She had a fractured clavicle and a stab wound to her abdominal. It hadn't been fatal, but he was sure that the mental scarring would last for the rest of her life. He remembered everything that had happened during his own experience being the victim and he knew that he would never forget it. He only wished that she could forget.

Sakura's eyes blinked and then opened and Reid was shocked at the bright green color. She gazed at him for a second, confused, before something akin to recognition dawned. "Mad Hatter?" she croaked.

"It's me, Alice. You're safe. You're out of Wonderland."

"How—never mind. I know how you found me."

"You do?"

"You're obviously quite intelligent. I can understand how my clues would lead you to me."

"I was…I was worried that we wouldn't find you."

"You were?" she said, smiling. "I can't say that I'm not surprised. What's your real name?"

"Spencer Reid."

"Thank you, Spencer Reid, for saving my life."

"It's nothing."

"No it's not. I can't believe I was stupid enough to fall for it. Itachi convinced Hidan to help him get revenge on all of the girls who dumped his brother. I always knew something was off about him."

"We're going to need you to give a full account on what happened."

"I understand," she replied. "Can—can you give me the interview? I'm more comfortable talking to you."

"Of course."

Her eyes brightened for a second when they landed on the chessboard he'd been using to keep himself preoccupied while he waited for her to wake up. "You play?" she asked.

"I do."

She looked at the board closely before muttering, "Knight to B8."

He moved the piece she said and noticed that it placed the black king in check. He moved the bishop in front of the king.

"Pawn to F4."

The game continued on and it seemed like they were equally matched. Sakura seemed to gain the upper hand and captured most of his pieces. With every move her smile grew until she finally said, "Check mate." Reid looked at the board in surprise and watched as the smile slid off of Sakura's face.

"Hello, Ms. Haruno, we're here to ask some questions," Hotch said, coming into the small hospital room and looking down at her. She seemed to shrink under his gaze and she looked to Reid for assurance.

"Don't worry. This is Aaron Hotchner, the March Hare."

"Oh. Ask me your questions."

"I understand that this is hard, but can you describe the period of time that you were kept?"

Sakura launched into the story of her kidnapping. It was obviously quite painful for her and she winced several times before carrying on in her story. Her hand sought Reid's and he willingly gave it to her to hold. He found that her skin was soft and her hand was warm as he held it. It was then that Spencer Reid promised himself that he would never forget Sakura Haruno, and he hoped that she would not forget him. It was a fact that Reid could not deny the attachment and curiosity that was directed to the girl. He only hoped that it was returned.

"Curiouser and curiouser." –Alice in Wonderland.

Rayne Says: Obviousy the two quotes at the beginning and end are put there to simulate an episode of Criminal Minds. I don't really love this chapter, even though I love Spencer Reid. Maybe a future chapter will be better if I write with him. So..the next chapter has a 90% chance of being Ichigo and Sakura, and trust me it won't be like the past couple chapters in regards to their relationship. There will be fluff! How much fluff do you want? Review and tell me.