(Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters)

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Here's chapter 14, enjoy.

August 1987

"Put them in, boy. I won't ask you again."

Spencer shrunk back from his father but he reached into his pocket and pulled out the small plastic crescent-shaped box. He glanced back up at his father who was still glaring. Spencer popped the box open and pulled out the cheap dentures. With a wince he forced them into his small mouth and over the tiny buds of his adult teeth, still not having come through yet.

Spencer looked back up and his dad was grinning but not in a pleasant way and it made Spencer's insides squirm. "Come on, boy, give me a smile."

Spencer forced a smile but his brows stayed low and angry. "Good," muttered William and he turned back to the aisle just as the familiar face he'd been expecting rounded the corner.

"Will?"

Spencer looked at his father as he gave a charming smile and offered his hand to the broader man.

"Is that Earl Makintosh or do my eyes deceive me?"

Both men chuckled and Spencer took a step back. Earl saw him and plastered a cheesy smile on his face which was nearly as fake as Spencer's.

"Ah, this your boy?"

William turned and his face dropped suddenly from a smile and he snapped his fingers. His dirty smile was back as soon as he turned back to Earl and he gave Spencer a hard pat on the head.

"Yea, this is junior." William looked down, grit his teeth and added, "little scamp," in a rough voice.

"Well hasn't he changed? When was the last I saw him? Was he two? His hair looks lighter... and hasn't he grown."

"I think you're right. He's six now. He's gonna be taller than his old man that's for sure."

Both men laughed and were oblivious to Spencer's frown. He was four, two months from five, but four all the same... why... why would his dad say that... unless he forgot... but forgetting two years...

Earl has started talking about something else and Spencer quickly shook his head of his thoughts of neglect and he shuffled forward to listen.

"You took the 86 case didn't you?"

Earl nodded and leaned close. "You were right, something definitely not right about the Rossi fella'. He seems so desperate it's almost... well-." Earl lowered his voice a bit more and his whiskery moustache fluttered against his breath. "To me it looks like an act."

Spencer looked at his father and saw his ratty head nod. "There is something wrong with that man. I've seen him on TV and there's no emotion, it's as if he forgot he had a son at all."

"Oh yes, just what I thought, especially that book he just published, he's making money on this." Earl paused and looked down to see Spencer watching them. He cleared his throat and adjusted his belt around his large middle. "Well, I'm glad you directed me to that case, Will. I did try to advice Mr. Rossi but he was very firm about who he trusts. He has a small team." Earl lowered his voice again. "Biggest bunch of wimps I ever did see. Shame really, I could've done with a pay-check from him."

"You win some you lose some. At least you could say you had your doubts about him when the truth really comes out."

"Trust me, I will be ready to defend whoever he tries to throw under the bus."

Spencer was scowling up at Earl now. He didn't like this guy one bit, if his appearance, with his dirty fingernails, and greasy round face hadn't been enough to put him off, his personality sure was doing the trick.

"Anyway," William said and he glanced distastefully at his son. "I should get him back to his mother. She'll be wondering where we are."

Earl smiled broadly. "Ah, give Diana my love."

Spencer stopped listening until Earl finally turned his rotund behind and continued down the aisle.

Spencer was actually more interested in the tools in front of him. He was examining the numbers against their description until thin fingers curled around his arm.

"Ow," he cried suddenly, trying to pull his arm back. He stopped stuggling when he saw his father's angry face staring back at him. "D-dad?"

"That was my friend. Don't you think it would have been polite to say hello?"

Spencer swallowed quickly.

"I didn't raise a fucking brat!"

Spencer flinched when his father raised his hand. William looked around the empty aisle quickly before delivering a sharp slap across his son's face. Spencer yelped suddenly and William grabbed his mouth.

"That was mercy, boy. You better start praying in the car because there will be no mercy when we get home."

Present

Aaron glanced at Dave, his eyes lingering for a moment before going back to the road. The older agent still didn't speak.

Aaron didn't say anything but he cleared his throat.

"I have nothing to say."

Aaron turned to look at Rossi before his eyes settled back on the road. "Dave-" he started but Rossi's gruff voice cut him off before he could say another word.

"Stop, just stop. I thought you of all people would understand my feelings on this case." He looked toward the window. "It's horrible what's happened to Reid, I'm worried for him, he's too smart to die, ya know? But we just have to rule out the possibility that he's the latest victim. He must have been attacked by someone else. You've seen what this unsub can do, this is light in comparison."

"Meat-Man would dismember the kids, but he's dealing with adults now. And Wally only died from blunt force trauma to his head. We need to stop looking at what the case was, we've changed and so has he, and Reid, for whatever reason, was the next victim."

Dave looked across at Aaron and the firey look on his face. He let out a deep breath. "What did you call him?" he asked and Aaron glanced at him, his brow still low.

"Who?"

"The unsub."

Aaron paused and glared out at the road. "That's... we called him that, when we were down there," he muttered.

Rossi nodded and looked back out of the window. "You should stop calling him that, it humanises him too much."

The car was quiet then, just the hum of the engine filling the tense space around the two agents.

Aaron looked at the turning briefly ahead of them and without another thought he turned down it.

"I thought we were going to speak to the witnesses," Rossi said as he glanced back at the crossing.

Aaron shook him head and said, "I'll have Emily and Morgan deal with that. This is more important."

"Emily!" Morgan ran from the office he'd been hiding in and grabbed onto Emily before she got to the kitchen. She gave him a look of annoyance and tried to pull her arm from his hand but Morgan gripped tighter. "Where's JJ?" he asked breathlessly.

"Oh, did you want to shout at her some more?" Emily said and she cocked an eyebrow, to compliment her sarcasm.

Morgan rolled his eyes making Emily yank her arm away from him. Morgan quickly grasped at her again.

"No, no, just listen, please."

Emily turned and stared at him with a look of pure venom. That was until she saw how desperate he looked. Her folded arms fell. "What?" she asked.

Morgan took a deep breath. "Okay," he said. "Just assume everything that's been suggested is true... that Reid is Rossi's son, okay?"

"Okay," Emily said slowly. Morgan nodded and took another quick breath.

"So that would mean that Spencer Rossi survived... as Reid... but think about it, if Spencer Rossi survived then surely the kidnappers made that choice. The unsub must have staged his death in order to have kept Spencer alive."

Emily was frowning. "I'm not really following," she said.

"Just come with me."

Morgan hurried back to the office he'd been camping in and after a moments hesitation Emily followed. She pulled out her phone and sent a quick message to JJ telling her where to find them.

Morgan closed the door behind Emily and pointed to the laptop.

"Hey, Em."

"Hey, Garcia, are you and Morgan on the same wavelength right now because I'm not," Emily said to the computer screen where Penelope was grimacing.

"Uh kinda, we think it's Reid's dad," she said and Emily's eyes widened.

"Reid's dad?"

"I uh... hadn't got to that bit yet, baby girl," Morgan said with a half-smile and he rubbed at the back of his neck.

Penelope shrunk back in her chair with an apologetic smile. "Oh, sorry."

Emily had already turned on Morgan. "What's she talking about?"

"Well, if we're assuming Reid is Rossi's son and he was attacked by the unsub then we need to know who was last with Reid. He's been staying at his parents this week. And he's been texting me this week so I can confirm that."

"A-and Reid's dad is so sketchy," Penelope added. "He's been arrested for assault a lot of times and some of the things he was accused of match the sort of things attacks on our unsub's victims."

The door opened and Morgan turned suddenly, his face frantic. JJ frowned back at him as she shut the door.

"What's wrong with you?" she said and she glanced at Emily who was shaking her head. "What?"

"Tell her, Derek," Emily said.

"Don't you believe us?"

"I really don't know what to believe anymore."

Morgan glared at Emily as she shrugged and he let out a heavy sigh. He glanced JJ's way.

"Look, just hear me out for a minute." JJ blinked slowly but she nodded at Morgan. "If Reid is Rossi's son-"

JJ looked at Emily who was biting her nails.

Morgan breathed deeply. "Then who the hell are the people who raised Reid?"

Dave stood in the doorway, staring at the young man in the bed.

Aaron, though also shocked by the state of his youngest agent, stepped forward and took the seat closest to Reid's bedside.

Surprisingly, it was Dave who spoke first. "I forgot," he mumbled. Aaron looked up and waited for what Rossi had to say next.

"I forgot what the kid meant to the team. Seeing him like this... why him, Aaron?"

"You don't want me to answer that," Aaron muttered and he looked back at Reid. The kid's eyes were darker than usual and made it look as if he had dark rings around his pale skin. There was still blood in his slightly wavy hair. Aaron stared at him, trying to conjure the image of Spencer Rossi who he had watched over in that basement. He looked at the young-man's closed eyes, his frail arms, gaunt face, messy hair, but he couldn't pull anything from it except a broken kid.

When he looked up he found Rossi stood on the other side of Reid, looking down at him.

"I wish I could see his eyes," Dave said. Aaron raised his head and tried to meet Dave's distant gaze. He could see his eyes were wet as they took in the sight of Reid.

"Aaron?"

"Yes?"

Rossi swallowed audibly and his eyes found Aaron's. "I-if he is... if he is my boy," he said and his voice cracked. "Then how have I not seen it?"

"Dave-"

"He's been right in front of me this whole time," Rossi mumbled and he sat down heavily in the chair opposite, his fingers gently pushing Spencer's hair from his face.

"If it's true then I've been just as blind," Aaron said. He carefully let go of Spencer's hand and patted his arm.

"I just don't understand," Rossi whispered, picking up Spencer's hand. "How could this happen?"

Aaron stood up and shook his head. Rossi wasn't expecting an answer so he hadn't looked up. He was staring down at Spencer, letting this new image of his son consume him.

Aaron moved toward the door to give Dave privacy. He stayed to watch though, still in disbelief that Reid could potentially be the dead child whom he'd carried guilt and grief for over the past two decades.

Aaron looked away from Dave for a moment and looked down at his phone. He smile turned sour and he scowled at the message blinking back at him.

'Reid's dad did this. Get back now.'

Aaron stared at Morgan's message and lifted his head slowly to Dave and Spencer. Reid's dad... but...

Aaron looked at Reid's face and he felt sick.

"This whole time," he mumbled.

"Hmm?"

Aaron flicked his gaze to Dave. "We need to go."

"But Spe... Reid?" Dave looked down at Reid's hand in his.

"We can come back. I-I think Morgan's found something."

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