A/N: Sorry for keeping this suspense about Reid going on for so long! But here it is: is he dead or alive? Enjoy! Read. Review. All. That. Jazz.

Chapter 25: Beaten and Broken

Derek gasped and quickly leaned forward over his feeble friend. Morgan's wide eyes followed a crimson trail of liquid down the side of the boy's head to a small gash lining his chin. The same bindings that held Morgan were also bound around his friend's wrists and legs, except this agent was not strapped to a chair. There was no need. His body was beaten and his spirit broken. His eyelids fluttered and then opened, connecting with Derek's instantly…

"Morgan – what –"

"Damn it, kid, I thought you were dead."

"I thought I was too," Reid coughed, "Why hasn't he killed us yet?"

"I don't know, man. Laurie's here," he paused, "and her son."

"Her son? We never got any information that Laurie Bridges had a son."

"She didn't," Morgan bit off the words, "until after she was taken."

"Of course," Spencer spoke in his usual frantic voice as he did when coming to a key realization, "he can't just relive his wife's death. That wouldn't make sense with the time in between each kidnapping. I couldn't figure out why he kept them for so long. He's not just trying to relive the events that lead up to his wife's death, subconsciously he's trying to recreate them. But his mind doesn't know how to handle it now. Think about it, out of eight women, not all of them would have gotten pregnant and when the time is up, he has no choice but to end it the only way he knows it can end. And then you add in the poor living conditions. Maybe other women had children, but they didn't survive. When the child dies, he again has to end it how he knows it ends."

"But this time it's different," Morgan spoke as he continued to struggle against his restraints, "Laurie did have a child and so far he's survived."

"Laurie has been missing the longest out of all of the women, which means her baby has probably survived the longest. As long as that child is safe, so is Laurie."

"What about us? Laurie told me he kills anyone who trespasses here. Why not us?"

"He probably doesn't know what to do. None of what is happening now fits into what his mind knows.

"Well, he took our phones, badges and guns," Morgan reasoned, "so the man's got some sense left."

"I doubt this is his first time coming up against the law. In his delusion, he believes Laurie is his wife."

"Then why chain her up? Why keep her prisoner?"

"Exactly. I don't think Daniel Griffin was such an innocent or model husband before. Someone is this kind of a psychotic break wouldn't be this organized. I also don't think Gina was the innocent victim. The two most likely shared some twisted sense of love and loyalty to one another. Daniel's an alpha male and Gina will do anything to please him."

"So when she can't give him the child that he wants, she feels that she can't please him and kills herself." Morgan nodded. "Before, after I fell, Daniel Griffin had a rifle aimed at my face and was seconds away from killing me. He didn't even flinch. Laurie begged him not to. She played along with him. She told him that I saved their baby."

"She's probably been playing along for most of the time to survive."

"He actually listened to her though. Alpha males don't take orders from their wives, or anyone. So this guy actually does love his son on some warped level." Derek paused and huffed. "

As he spoke, latches began to clack and twist. Reid feebly pushed himself up, supporting himself by leaning against the wall. His entire body pulsed of memories of fists and the bottom of Daniel Griffin's boots. Morgan swiftly arched his back and tensed, ready for anything.

"What is it Garcia?" Hotch questioned as her face appeared on the screen in front of the agents.

"Well, I've been going through everything in my head and in my wealth of digital skills, anything to get my boys back. I've ran so many names, cross-references, and scoured so many databases I could probably now write a book on the entire town –"

"Garcia," Hotch prompted.

"Right, um, well, I'm no profiler, but I still thought there might be some connection to Shawn Summers and Laurie Bridges, but like before, I came up with nothing. That was, until I did a little bit of digging and weaving and putting together. I checked out the security footage from that pizza place where our friendly neighborhood drug deal hangs out. Shawn passes by the store like once a day, if not more. I had JJ contact the family and –" Garcia trailed off, allowing her friend to take the stage.

"Hank Summers remembered that his son spoke of a friend named Drake. That's all he would call him, but he talked about him constantly, like they were best friends."

"Makes sense," Rossi nodded, "Shawn is detached from his father. He seeks out an older male to act as his mentor."

"By now, Shawn probably looks to Drake more like a brother than a friend." Emily added.

"I think it's time we found this mystery man," Rossi suggested.