Reid flashed his badge as he walked towards the elevator on his way to work. He entered the car and pressed the button to the 6th floor.
"Wait! Hold the elevator!" A familiar voice called out.
Reid put his hand out to stop the doors from closing as Garcia clomped towards the metal doors in her day glow green platform shoes.
"Oh, thank you," Garcia let out a sigh of relief. "How's Alex doing?"
Reid forced a smile. "She's good. At least I think she is."
"You think she is?" Garcia was concerned.
"It's just I haven't actually talked to her in a few days. Which is perfectly normal when she's on assignment," he tried to justify. "But the last time I spoke with her she was doing well."
"How long has she been gone?" Garcia asked.
"Twelve days," Reid extended his hand, allowing Garcia to exit the elevator first.
"I am sure you will hear from her soon," Garcia touched his arm before she stepped out.
Reid took solace in her kind words and sauntered to his desk. He pulled his messenger bag off and placed it in his chair.
"Reid," Hotch called out from the top of the stairs and motioned for him to come to his office.
Hotch walked behind his desk but stood in front of his chair. Reid stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed Deputy Director Lewis sitting in Hotch's office and Rossi standing nearby with his hands in his back pockets.
"What's going on?" Reid asked with a concerned tone. "Is Alex safe?"
"Yes, she's fine," Lewis quickly responded. "Have a seat, son." He watched as Reid sat himself on the empty chair. "We need your help."
"With what?" Reid asked looking between Hotch and Lewis.
"When you were still in the CIA, you helped take down Casey Ward while you were in Ireland," Lewis held the casefile in his hands.
"Yes," Reid didn't say any more as he looked toward Hotch.
"Don't worry," Lewis started. "Both SSA's Hotchner and Rossi are being read in on this."
"I don't understand. The case was closed before I even left the CIA. Why is this coming up now?" Reid questioned.
"Someone new has taken over in that area. And where Casey Ward only dealt with drugs and occasionally weapons, this gang is involved in a little bit of everything, including murder."
"What does this have to do with me?" Reid questioned.
"Well, we need someone to infiltrate this gang. Interpol has been watching them for a while but can't get close enough without smelling like a cop. If we could get someone who already has connections in the area with an established cover, that's half of our work done for us," Lewis stared at him.
"You want to put me in undercover? But I'm in the FBI, not CIA, that's not what we do."
"We already have the paperwork all done. Cut through every piece of red tape. Not only would your alias help, but your professional skills would be a huge asset" Lewis admitted.
"What are we dealing with?" Reid asked.
Hotch leaned forward. "Have you heard of The Dullahan?"
"The headless horseman?" Reid was puzzled.
"Yes, that's the Irish folklore, but is also what this man is going by," Hotch pulled out a pixelated picture of a man standing on the street, unable to clearly see his face. "This is who they believe he is. No one knows who he really is, and anyone who does isn't talking. Not only has he taken over the neighborhood, but he has been leaving a trail of dead bodies in his wake. We don't even have enough information to put together an accurate profile on him. We have been asked to help out on this case."
"Not just you," Lewis looked to Rossi and Hotch. "But your team. We have set you up to work with Interpol. I believe you have worked with Clyde Easter who runs the London office, he will be expecting you."
"You don't have to do this," Rossi spoke up. "You have not been given an order, this is your choice to make."
"I understand," Reid nodded.
"Keep in mind that this isn't just walking in and arresting someone. You will be going back in undercover. Meeting with people you haven't seen in many years. A lot of them would have been arrested because of the work you did there previously. This will not be easy," Rossi warned.
Reid mulled it over for a moment. "I understand the risks, and I am willing to do it."
The team boarded the jet and prepared themselves for takeoff. They were used to spending many hours on their government plane, yet knew that this flight would be twice as long as normal.
Garcia was the last to board and lodged herself in the doorway while trying to hold onto all three of her carry-on bags at one time.
"You brought those in lieu of a suitcase?" JJ asked.
"Um, no… I have two of those." She sat herself down and pulled the bags onto the seat next to her. "These are my utmost essentials. It isn't like we are just flying to Phoenix for a weekend. We are going to Ireland while Reid goes undercover! Who knows what we are going to need. Besides, it's cold there. I have one suitcase just filled with sweaters."
"Let's get to work," Hotch announced while facing Garcia.
"Yes, sir, I'm coming. "She got up and pulled her laptop out of her bag and set up on the table. After a few clickity-clacks, she had everything up regarding the previous case Reid worked on while in the CIA. "Ready," she announced.
"The CIA provided us with their case information," Hotch started. "They worked to take down a group under the leadership of Casey Ward. They were based out of Killarney, Ireland, but had a long reach throughout the country and back here in Boston and New York. Ward dealt with weapons and drugs, mostly. He also lived by a code. No innocent victims, no women or children."
"A crook with morals, that's always nice," Rossi snarked.
Morgan turned to Reid. "You were involved in taking him down?"
"He was the only one to successfully infiltrate Ward's crew after several other failed attempts by the CIA," Hotch reported while the rest of the team looked questioning to their friend.
Reid adjusted himself in his seat knowing he would need to tell his story. "I was eighteen at the time and went undercover as Matthew Quinn. A few agents had tried to get involved in Casey Ward's crew but were all spotted as cops. That's when they called me in, that's what our team's purpose was in the first place, to go where other agents couldn't."
"I came into town as a troubled, runaway from Dingle. It's approximately 60 kilometers from Killarney. It was a town far enough to not know me and close enough to be plausible for me to run away from."
"I started hanging out at the pub where they were known to be, Clancy's. Eventually I got a job sweeping the floors and wiping tables, but I was getting to know the players and earning their trust. As time when on, I started volunteering to deliver messages, and packages, and such, which then lead to delivering money and drugs. Pretty soon I had built myself a reputation and they started calling me Nixer."
"Why's that?" Prentiss asked.
"Nixer is a slang term for someone who would get paid under the table for doing odd jobs. But instead of bar work, I was a get-away driver, a hustler, blackmailer, and even a hitman."
"What?" The team looked back on him in utter shock.
"I wouldn't really kill anyone," Reid clarified. "Actually, I would turn them over to the CIA where they would give vital information and be relocated, which would also add to my story."
"How did you manage to get out without blowing your cover?" Garcia questioned.
"We arranged the whole thing for while I was sent to Dublin to handle some business. The CIA raided then I returned to town and was feigned surprise when they filled me in on what happened. I told them that since I was complicit that it would be best if I skipped town," Reid justified.
"And you were alone on this assignment?" JJ asked.
"I was the only one on the inside. Charles was with me. He was always on the street and my old boss, Elis Parker was close by. Alex and Hugh were in Boston working some of the gang's associates to help me get information." Reid looked down towards the table and remembered working the case.
Reid quickly closed the door to his quaint room in the boarding house and made sure it was bolted securely. He pulled out the drawer from the nightstand and removed the satellite phone that he hid. After a few moments of dialing several numbers to reach long distance, he put the phone to his ear.
"Hello?" A woman answered.
"Is this Mama's Pizza?" Reid asked.
She chuckled, "don't worry, we are clear." Alex made herself comfortable on the hotel bed.
"Are you both doing okay?" He asked.
"Yes, it's pretty routine. You're the one I'm worried about."
"Things are good, I think I am finally gaining their trust," he reported.
"And Charles?" She asked with concern.
"He's holding up well, but you know how much he hates the cold and rain."
"Don't worry, we'll get him to that island someday!" She smirked.
"How's it been working with Hugh?"
"It's been great, are you kidding? I can finally have some peace and quiet with him."
"Let me guess, he's sitting in a chair in the corner of the room with his nose in some old book written in Latin for the past few hours and hasn't said one word to you," Reid snarked.
Alex glanced over to Hugh who was sitting exactly as described. "You know this team too well."
Hugh kept his eyes on his page as he announced that the book was actually in Italian, and knew they were talking about him.
Alex burst out in laughter. "I don't miss the hijinx that you and Charles would play on me, though, you bash brothers."
"Wait, the only bash brothers are Portman and Reed from the Mighty Ducks 2, you know that," Reid corrected.
"Excuse me, how dare I make such a horrendous faux pas. In all seriousness, I miss being in the field with you guys, I just get to sit around and do interrogations. You are the one who gets to be in the thick of it all."
"Don't worry, pretty soon this case will be over and you will get your turn."
"Be safe," she wished.
"Who me? I am always safe," he replied in an Irish brogue.