A/N: I do not own Criminal Minds or any of its Characters. No Beta, all mistakes are my own. Thank you for reading.
Special Thanks To: Hippiechic81, LostOceanKit, ahowell1995, chilibelly, tannerose5, Astrahan, sherryola, Jesuslover123, Ludub, L.E.A.H437, and pallyndrome.
A/N: No slash or pairings. Kid-Fic, De-aged Fic, Team/Family Fic.
Warning: Rated T for violence, language, child abuse.
A/N: Davied is the Agent who was talking to Rossi, he is not Rossi.
—
Spencer couldn't believe it. He was home. He was standing in front of the door to his apartment. Home was so close he could already feel the comforting warmth and smell the lingering scent of books. He had told Davied to wait in the car. The only problem was, he didn't have his key and the spare was on top of the doorframe. Lucky for him, he was a genius. He had made it a habbit of carrying around his satchel wherever he went. It wasn't that he needed it, it was mostly just a form of comfort, like a safety blanket. It made him feel normal. No one argued with him carrying the oversized bag, partially because they understood, but mostly because they thought he looked adorable. Although no one was about to tell Spencer that.
Analyzing the dilemma, he opened his bag and took out a heavy paperclip and a bit of string. He often kept little objects like that on him because you never know when you'll have the opportunity for magic. He tied the paperclip to the string and gave it a few practice swings. The string was more then long enough to reach the top of the door. He then bent the clip so that it gave the appearance of a hook. It took four tries before the sound of the key clanking onto the ground sounded Spencer's victory. He smiled triumphantly as he picked the metal device up. The sound of the lock clicking seemed like the most wonderful sound in the world.
Closing the door behind him he walked into the room. It felt like coming back from a long case or a vacation. Everything was so familiar and yet it felt so different. He was sure part of it was due to his small stature. He grinned as he locked the door. Then going to the kitchen, he pulled over a chair, so he could move over the chain and lock the Steel Frame Reinforcement that Morgan had installed after a visit that made the idea of leaving his little brother alone in such an unprotected environment cause a knot to form in the protective agent's stomach. At this point the door was practically unbreakable, Morgan wouldn't even be able to kick it down. Ironic.
When the kid turned around he froze at the unfamiliar box that lay just inside his door. A coffee maker? He raised his brow as he read the order form that was laid on top of it. David Rossi's name was scribbled across the top. When did he send this? Why did he send this? Spencer scoffed, he wanted to ignore it, and the man who sent it. He knew it was Hotch's decision, but still. Rossi could have said something. At the very least he could have mentioned that Aaron wanted to talk to him about something. But he didn't, neither of them did.
Still, his current coffee maker was garbage. So…
Five minutes later he had a fresh cup of coffee and a book he had been saving for when he had some down time. When he truly wanted to enjoy a book, he'd slow down a bit, not enough to be considered a normal reading speed, but enough to make him look like he wasn't a mutant with advanced intelligence. Mutant; that was a word he heard a lot in school. At first, he thought maybe it was a good thing. Many of the other kids talked about X-men and how 'awesome' mutants are. Yet their sneered tone, narrowed eyes and suppressed laughter hinted otherwise. Shaking away the memories he settled down in his plush armchair.
It took Davied 30 minutes before he finally decided to get up and Check on Dr. Reid. The kid said he needed to pick up a few things, maybe he was too small to carry it all and needed help. So, when he reached the door he was sure was Dr. Reid's he knocked. Spencer froze mid-sentence. His eyes darting over to the door. A moment later Davied called through it, "Dr. Reid?"
Spencer Hesitated before responding. "There was more than I thought, don't worry Agent Morgan is on his way. His SUV is better equipped to carry all the files. Feel free to head back to the office. I'm sorry I kept you waiting." Silently Spencer prayed it would work. He had gotten off his chair and maneuvered his way through stacks of books to hold his head to the door.
"I…" Davied started, clearly unsure as to what to do. Spencer was his superior, but he was also in a child's body. At the same time he was safe in his home with locked doors and Another Agent was already on his way. He thought back to the times when he would leave his children alone for a little while, knowing someone would be home soon. When had he started that? Age 7? 6? Of course, SSA Dr. Reid had the mind of an adult. He knew how to be safe. Right? Deciding he called back, "Are you sure you'll be okay? I'm happy to wait."
"I'll be fine, don't worry." Spencer replied confidently.
Shaking his head slightly Davied conceded, "Okay, I'll see you back at the office. Good day, Dr. Reid."
"You too."
*Meanwhile at the BAU*
Garcia was headed off to the bullpen to get a new cup of coffee. Emily and Derek were hard at work and Hotch had come out to ask Morgan about a consult he had completed a couple days prior. He nodded a greeting to Penelope. Prentiss looked up at the gesture and smiled warmly at the tech analysis. "How's short stuff doing?" The raven-haired woman asked. Morgan and Hotch looked over at Garcia expectantly. The bubbly women faltered in her step, almost falling over her heels.
"What?" She stammered, suddenly becoming nervous. Which to a team of Profiles really raised some red flags.
"Spencer…" Emily verified slowly.
"I thought he was out here," Garcia started, spinning in a quick circle as she looked around the room before looking back to the empty desk that sat to her left. "I was hoping to catch him while on my break. I wanted to make him smile…" She replied sadly. "He seemed so down today."
Hotch looked away, feeling guilty. He too scanned the room looking for Spencer. Morgan and Emily did the same. Frowning he turned on his heel and marched up to Rossi's office. He knocked, barely waiting for a reply before opening the door. "Is Reid in here with you?" Rossi looked up surprised. He glanced around his office, even though he already knew the answer. He shook his head. The two agents quickly went to join the other members of their team.
Hotch immediately started barking out orders. "Okay, first, we need to stay calm. Spencer's upset he's probably just hiding, we don't need to panic until we are sure he's missing. Morgan, check the bathrooms. Garcia, check the women's." At the questioning look he continued, "If he wants to hide he'll go where we wouldn't expect him. Emily, look in cupboards and closets, he's small and as we all know crafty. I don't want a single crack unchecked."
They all said their 'yes, Sirs." And stood to get to their tasks when all six phones chimed. It was an email from Reid.
Hey Guys,
I figure by now you're wondering where I am. Before you start looking, I'll tell you, I'm not in the office. I need some time and privacy. Don't worry, I am safe and secure. Just give me a few hours and I'll let you know where I am. Don't bother trying to track my phone, it's still in Hotch's briefcase.
Seriously I am fine.
Sincerely,
SSA Dr. Spencer Reid
The various members of the team looked at each other. Hotch and Rossi shared similar looks of rage, which now they directed at the rest of the team. "After everything that's happened, you just let him out of your sight." Hotch barked.
"Hey man, don't give us that, you're the one he's man at." Morgan defended them. Aaron sent him a hard look and took a threatening step towards the other agent. Rossi quickly stepped between them.
"This isn't going to help us find him." Emily stated as the tension continued to rise.
"I'm not so sure we should." Rossi suggested after a minute.
The rest stared at him, dumbfounded. "What do you8 mean, we should! Our brilliant baby is god knows where. He could be hurt or in danger. He could-"
"He said he was safe." Rossi stated strongly. "Going after him now would just prove we don't trust him."
"We do trust him, but he's a child and he doesn't understand his limits at this age. He had never been taught them." Hotch argued, but it felt hollow. Rossi was right, if they had any hopes of getting back in Reid's good graces, this was how to do it. Still, he would never leave Jack alone like that… Spencer isn't Jack. He has an adult mind and probably was left alone often at this age. Aaron's internal argument continued to rage on within him as the rest of the team weighed the pros and cons.
Eventually the pros won out. Rossi, Prentiss and Hotch all agreed that it was the better option. Blatantly shutting down any argument Morgan and Garcia attempted. None of them felt good about the decision. They all felt a sense of unease in the pits of their stomachs. Besides, its not like they knew where he could have gone. He had internet access and a compute. Maybe the library? Honestly, he could still be in the building. It wouldn't exactly be easy for a child his age to get out. Wherever he was he felt comfortable and safe. That was enough for Hotch, or so he kept telling himself.
Garcia was in the process of explaining how she could search the camera feed for him and then trace him through cameras until she found his hiding place. Rossi in return started explaining why we needed to trust Reid. Why we needed to let him do this. And ended by assuring her that he would be safely with them at dinner. She didn't seem very soothed but at least she stopped arguing. Morgan was pacing back and forth mumbling about how 'it was Hotch's bad decision that led us to this in the first place and now we had to follow him again.' The only team member not effected was JJ who had taken a person day because Henry was sick and had no idea any of this was going on.
Hotch chose to ignore it and headed back up to his office. He stopped at the door and turned, "Back to work. Everyone." It wasn't until he had closed the door and was slumped down in his chair that he let his emotions fall. Moisture built up in his eyes as he leaned forward in the chair. He brought a hand up and ran it through his hair. "What have I done…"
The hours passed slowly, each member of the team had a hard time focusing on work. Morgan had rewrote the same sentence six times and then threw the file in the trash out of frustrated. He took a few calming breaths and pulled it back out to start again. Emily kept checking the clock ever five minutes, wondering how long spencer needed and when they would receive the message informing them of where he was. Garcia had to keep pulling up pictures of him that she had taken over the last few weeks just to calm herself down. Rossi had tried writing a chapter of his book only to end up typing ever curse word in every language he could think of. Hotch, as usually, plowed through his work despite his emotional hang-ups.
Two hours had passed before any news came. But it wasn't for Spencer. Davied walked into the office and greeted the team. When he saw agent Morgan he smiled and asked, "How did everything go over at Dr. Reid's"
Morgan stared up at him, "excuse me?"
Davied suddenly felt very uncomfortable. "At dr. Reid's apartment, did you have any trouble picking up the files he had?"
Derek stood up and towered over the man. "Explain. Now."
"Dr Reid, he…" The man stammered. "He had me give him a ride to his apartment. Said agent Hotchner needed a few things and gave him permission to leave." At the furious look Morgan gave him he continued, "he even informed Garcia that I was taking him." Morgan's mouth dropped open and Emily quickly stood up and rested an arm on him shoulder. After a moment Davied gave into the pressure of the other man's glare and asked weakly, "Did I do something wrong?"
"SOMETHING WRONG!" Morgan roared before Emily stopped him.
"No Agent Davied. Everything's fine. Thank you." Sher assured the man who nodded and quickly made his escape. As he walked out the room, Morgan came to his senses and marched over to Hotch's door. He didn't bother waiting for a response before opening the door wide.
"He's at his apartment!" Morgan exclaimed to the surprised Unit Chief.
"What?"
"Reid. He's at his apartment."
A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please R&R!