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

Thanks to hellomynameisv, fishtrek, Cherubim, California Drifter, pallyndrome, Val Yurena, Ash59, and Lady Lunera for reviewing.

This is early because I wanted to be productive this week. That doesn't mean Friday's update is off the table, I should have chapter 17 to you by Friday too.

Thanks for reading, keep reviewing.

Enjoy.

"Spence has been here the whole time?"

JJ looked up at the house and glanced across at Emily who shut off the engine. She grimaced.

"Exactly the sort of distance an unsub would work from," Emily muttered and she unbuckled. She saw Morgan and Hotch already out of their car and she hurried after them, stopping them at the gate.

"Stop," she said as Aaron nudged the gate, his gun grimly in his grip.

"Prentiss, I will have you stand down."

He opened the gate but Emily shut it just as quickly, forcing Aaron to turn toward her.

"What-"

"We have no warrent. If you two go storming in there and arrest him now you could lose the case at court. He's a lawyer, remember."

Aaron's frown eased a little and he slowly holstered his gun.

"Good," said Emily and she shot morgan a glare until he too had put away his gun. "Right. We have hardly any evidence so we're just going to knock and ask a few questions."

"Em, do you realise what this guy's done?" Morgan said and Emily gave a vehement nod.

"I know exactly what he's done." She glanced at Aaron with sympathy in her eyes. "But our team is already too connected to this case. You Hotch, Rossi and Spencer... they can use all of this against us in court. We can't be driven by anger right now."

JJ was nodding along to Emily. "If we want to catch this guy we have to do it right," she added.

Aaron sighed deeply. He picked his gaze up from the floor and found Emily and JJ watching him imploringly.

"Okay," he said and he stepped back from the gate. "Prentiss, take the lead. We'll be right behind you."

Aaron knew that if anyone opened that door that he recognised he wouldn't be able to hold back. He motioned Morgan to go next before following, taking calming breaths as he scanned the area. The front yard was well-kept, freshly mowed and there were some flowers bordering the house. Aaron took the first step up the porch and stopped on the second as Emily and Morgan stood in front of the door. JJ stood opposite Aaron but she was also looking at the house, her eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

Emily knocked and Aaron sucked in a breath and held it.

"Mr Reid?" she called. She left their usual statement of 'this is the FBI.' A guy like this would run.

They waited but nothing happened. Emily knocked again and called louder. She tried calling for Mrs. Reid but the house stayed silent. Emily knocked again but Morgan was already pushing her out of the way.

"Derek, stop!"

"He's probably hiding in there, move, Emily."

Morgan raised his foot but Emily moved in his way.

"Morgan, do you want to lose this case! We have no jurisdiction!"

"I don't care. Move," said Morgan and he aimed his foot again.

Emily hastily moved when I looked like Morgan would kick her and she leaned against the door handle. It opened and Emily nearly fell into the hallway.

"Oh..." Morgan dropped his foot and looked back at the others. "It was open," he said with a shrug and Emily rolled her eyes.

"Come on," she muttered, pulling her gun out and stepping inside.

Morgan followed, his gun poised as he stepped around the corner and into the front room. Emily went in to the kitchen.

"Clear!"

"Clear in here too. Mr. Reid!"

Aaron walked over the threshold and paused in the hallway. He glance down at the wooden floorboards, a long rug had been placed in front of the door. It looked out of place, as if it was moved right up to the door from its original place. The corner was slightly lifted and Aaron scowled down at it. Emily and Morgan returned before Aaron could reach down and move the rug and they led the way upstairs.

"I'll wait here," Aaron said to JJ who had been waiting for him to follow. JJ looked concerned for a moment.

"I'm just going to look around," he said and JJ, though looking no less concerned, nodded and started upstairs. Emily found Spencer's room and after a quick check she walked to his bedside table. There was a photo of him and his 'parents' there. Only Spencer was smiling in the photo, it was only a closed lip smile but he looked the exact opposite of the two adults sat behind him, their mouths thin lines. The man, Spencer's 'father,' had his hand on Spencer's shoulder and Emily could see the tight grip of his bony fingers and she shuddered. She nearly yelled when the door banged open behind her. She turned and saw Derek in the doorway.

"Anything?" he asked, glancing around the room himself.

"No. I think this is Spencer's room."

Derek's nose crinkled in disgust. "No wonder he hated coming here, this room just screams abuse" Derek shook his head and turned into hallway. "Something smells as well," he murmured as Emily followed.

"It's clear up here," JJ said, coming out of the master bedroom. They turned to the final door at the end of the hall.

"Attic," Emily muttered and Morgan nodded, walking toward it. He found it unlocked and he pulled it open and shone his flashlight inside, his gun also ready.

A narrow staircase looked back out at him and Morgan sighed. "Anyone wanna go first?" he said with a smirk and Emily gave him a hard push. "Alright. Stray close."

He lead the way up until they got to another door. There was a key inside the lock and Morgan gave it a twist.

"Open it, Derek," Emily mumbled.

Morgan twisted the handle and, lifting his gun, he stepped inside.

"Jesus..."

Emily hurried up after Morgan who had lowered his gun. She followed his gaze and her own gun hand fell to her side.

"Is that-?" JJ whispered but the man across the room answered for her.

"Please tell me you're cops," the young man croaked. He shifted and groaned as the chains around his hands shook.

"Bailey?" Emily said and Bailey nodded weakly.

The three agents exchanged a grim look between them. That was the last piece of evidence they needed. William Reid was their unsub. Emily made her way over to Bailey and she examined the chains holding him up.

Bailey started to talk then without looking at any of them. "My names Bailey M-Macdonald. I was kidnapped by t-this guy w-who kidnapped me when I was seven* a-and he did it again. He killed another guy an-and Wally and he wants to keep going and-"

"Shhh," Emily said and she knelt down to calm Bailey. Morgan walked over too and started picking the lock on Bailey's other hand.

"We know," Emily said. "We've been investigating both cases. We've been looking for you."

Bailey smiled sadly.

"I'm going to go tell Hotch," said JJ and she turned to go back down the stairs.

"JJ," Morgan said and JJ stopped and poked her head back into the room. "Contact the precinct. We need CSI here."

JJ gave them the thumbs up before rushing down the stairs.

Morgan went back to the chains as Bailey let his head fall back.

"Did you find Spencer?"

Morgan frowned, pausing in trying to work the chains free. "How do you know about him?"

Bailey blinked furiously and then he smiled, looking Morgan up and down. "Did you work with him?"

Morgan and Emily exchanged a curious look. "Yes," Morgan said, frowning again at Bailey.

"I knew you'd be here," Bailey mumbled and he smiled to himself. "He told me about you guys." Bailey's smile fell and he looked away. "I tried to stop his dad... I didn't think he could... 'cus Spencer was his son an' all."

Bailey sighed and shook his head. "He's evil..."

"Where did he go?" Emily asked just as she managed to release one of Bailey's arms. It flopped to his side and Bailey sighed with relief and started bending his stiff fingers.

"I warned them you'd be coming. He w-was talking about getting another of us and I said the FBI would be after him and he just ran. H-he took the lady with him."

"Diana," Derek said and Bailey nodded.

"Yea... yea, that was her."

Morgan unlocked the last chain holding Bailey's other arm up and it fell heavily to the floor. "Thanks," he muttered, rubbing his wrists shakily.

Morgan turned to Emily. "One of us needs to be with Aaron at all times. William could easily go after him next," he said. Emily nodded.

JJ ran down the last flight of stairs and found Aaron still in the hall. He had pulled the rug by the door up and was crouched over the spot where it had been.

"Hotch," JJ said breathlessly, pointing back up the stairs. Aaron raised his head as JJ took in a few ragged breaths. "Bailey," she said. "We found Bailey."

Aaron's eyes grew wide. "Alive?" he asked and JJ nodded. Aaron let out a breath of relief and his gaze fell back to the floor, staring at the wood thoughtfully.

"Thank god," he mumbled.

It was then JJ noticed what he was doing. "Hotch?"

Aaron looked up again and then down at the rug... and then at the floorboards he'd been examining.

"Is that... is that what I think it is?"

Aaron pressed his fingers into the damp wood. A large strain marred the floorboards, turning the honey-brown wood even darker. Aaron raised his fingers and looked at the dirty-brown liquid on his fingertips.

"It's blood," he muttered and then he looked up at JJ. "I think it's probably Spencer's."

Rossi stood outside of Spencer's hospital room, looking in on his son. He still hadn't called Erin. He didn't know what to say to her.

'Hey, honey, you know our dead son, Spencer? Well, he's not dead anymore.'

Dave shook his head but he couldn't help smiling. He looked back at his son.

Since he was now immediate family- and Rossi made sure the doctors knew that as soon as he'd he walked in- he was given all the personal information the doctors had. They'd told him Spencer had gotten stronger and Dave could see that from the cannula under Spencer's nose rather than the ventilator. They'd been kinder too, sympathetic, something Dave was used to since he'd become a bereaved father, but it felt good this time, because this time his son was going to get better.

Dave turned his phone off, trying not to think about Erin as he pushed the door open. He paused at the foot of Spencer's bed and looked the young man over. He was looking much healthier, his skin having some colour to it instead of the deathly pale he'd been before. There was a rosy tinge to Spencer's cheeks which stood out almost as much as the warm bruises around his eyes.

Rossi stepped around the bed and smiled as he got a closer look at his son. Those are my eyes, he thought and he reached up to wipe quickly at his cheeks where tears were waiting. His hair was from Erin, those curls and unruly waves were the same that Erin straightened from her own hair each morning. And his nose, probably Erin's too.

Dave took a seat beside his son and continued to look at him. He could see the three-year-old boy he'd lost so long ago within his young colleagues features.

Dave watched Spencer for quite some time, attributing his different features to what Dave remembered of his son. He kept wiping at his eyes and smiling, imagining how different their lives would be now.

Rossi was still tangling with the idea of calling Erin. He was working out the right words to say.

"Rossi?"

Dave's head shot up at the sound of the croaky voice and to his amazement Spencer was blinking back at him, a small frown creasing his brows.

As Dave looked into Spencer's eyes he saw his own brown irises reflected in his son's.

He wanted to say so much but he couldn't work a word past his lips. His chest was tight and all he could do was gape at his son.

Spencer wet his lips and blinked slowly, looking around the room as he did. His hand drifted down to his abdomen, where, beneath the blankets and gown lay heavy bandaging. Rossi was stammering when Spencer squinted at him.

"M'dad... Rossi, M-my dad," Spencer whispered.

"It's okay," Rossi said finally, his voice cracking. He cleared his throat and reached out, taking Spencer's hand. "We're handling it."

Spencer stared at Rossi for a moment and he leaned back, blinking furiously. He squeezed Rossi's hand back but he didn't speak.

Dave watched him quietly. He wasn't just going to have to tell Erin that Spencer was their son. He would have to tell Spencer too.

April 1st 1986- three weeks before the kid ain't of Spencer Rossi

"Papa!"

Rossi dropped his bag when Spencer jumped at him. He had barely shut the door behind him.

"Hey, kiddo." Dave chuckled fondly as he lifted Spencer into his arms and wrapped him up in a hug. Without releasing his son, Dave picked up his bag from the floor and hung it and his coat by the door.

Spencer pulled back from Dave's neck so he could look at him before he exclaimed, "we saw you on TV, daddy!"

Dave paused and he raised an eyebrow. "Did you?" he asked sheepishly, looking over Spencer's shoulder.

Spencer nodded and Erin stepped out from the kitchen, her arms folded over her floral blouse and her expression pinched and angry.

"Yea and Uncle Jase'! A-and we-"

Rossi cut Spencer off by putting his hand over his mouth. He smiled nervously at his wife who was glaring back at him.

"Angel-" he started but Erin had already opened her mouth to argue.

"Stop. Don't sweet talk me right now, David. You promised."

Dave sighed and he put Spencer down, avoiding the tiny hands grabbing back up at him as he straightened. The small boy frowned and he grabbed onto his dad's leg. "Erin, I'm sorry. I only went to see Jason and he... we got caught up."

Erin rolled her eyes and turned, walking back into the kitchen, Dave followed with Spencer hurrying after, hanging onto his father's leg again when he stopped.

Dave looked down at him and smiled quickly before reaching out for Erin.

"You do this too much. You say you're done, no more BAU, then I see you on the TV. Your son saw you!"

"I thought you were good, daddy," Spencer whispered and it only triggered a pointed look from Erin.

"He asked my advice on a case. They're handing it to a different FBI team anyway." Dave glanced down at Spencer who grinned back hesitantly. "How much did he hear?"

Erin glanced at Spencer too and she smiled weakly back at him. "I don't think he listened, he just saw you and Jason and that was exciting enough."

Dave sighed and nodded. "Good," he mumbled. He hadn't wanted to talk to the reporters but Jason had stopped for one question and the camera was turned on them both.

"You have to stop this though, Dave. Before we had Spencer you said that was it. You were going to focus on Spencer and I would work on my job. Because I know what will happen, you'll get hooked again and Spencer-" Erin stopped and they both glanced down at Spencer who must have realised they were talking seriously because he was holding his hands behind his back.

Erin looked back up at Dave slowly. "I never got to meet my father and yours wasn't a great role-model. I just want him to have both of us."

Dave didn't speak, he stepped forward instead and pulled Erin into a hug. "I won't meet him at work anymore," Dave said quietly and he felt Erin nod.

Erin pulled back and wiped at her eyes before Spencer saw her again. "Come on," she said and she took Spencer's hand. "Let's show daddy what you made today."

Dave laughed when Spencer grabbed his hand and gave it a hard tug. He allowed himself to be pulled away and he tried not to think of the four murdered boys Jason had told him about. He pushed aside the names of the other missing children. Sawyer Jones, Joe Roberts, Bailey Macdonald...

Rossi forced a smile on his face and focused on his own son.

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Stay safe.