A/N so sorry for the long wait. I hadn't realised just how long until today. But good news, plot hole I've been struggling with filled. Thank Neal and Peter. Writing Five Times gave me the motivation I needed. Next time I get stuck I know what to do - write some mindless fluff lol. Thanks for hanging in there :)

...

There's a bomb. He can hear the beeping, getting louder and faster.

Spencer shoots up, scurrying away until his back hits the headboard. Heart racing, sweat damp hair in his eyes he's breathing fast and heavy. It takes a while, but eventually the daylight filtering into the small enclosed space reveals his location. He jumps up, gets dressed, washed and is running down the hall no less than ten minutes later.

Reid charges into homeroom just as the bell signals a start to the day. Offering the ever-pushy Miss Henderson his best smile, he takes his seat. No one's really paying attention to him thankfully, all too caught up in their own thing or too tired from being caught up in their own thing the night before.

"Class we've got an exciting guest today. David Rossi, famous author and profiler in the FBI will be visiting the school this afternoon and holding a talk in the auditorium. We have our newest addition to thank for this wonderful opportunity." She aims a smile at him that could dissolve flesh from bone.

Spencer squirms in his seat when all eyes land on him. Thankfully the annoyingly cheery woman goes on to discuss the upcoming parent's day on Friday. Reid's hoping he won't be here by then. Having them visiting today was going to be bad enough. Abby dismisses the class and Reid makes it as far as the door, one foot poised over the threshold before being called back. He falters, quick mind weighing up the pros and cons of pretending he didn't hear. Before he commits to running Abby's by his side, hand warm and firm grasping his arm, guiding him back into the newly empty classroom.

"I'm going to be late." He looks pointedly over his shoulder, grip tightening around his backpack strap.

He's praying she's not going to start asking questions about Rossi again. He's summarily disappointed when she opens her mouth.

...

Hotch pulls into the grounds and just like the last time they were here there's a welcoming committee already waiting on the lawn.

"I was just expecting Mr Rossi." Miss Henderson greets them, annoying plastic smile still in place. "Not that it isn't nice to see all of you again."

"Well Mr Gables offered a tour of the school and we thought today would be as good as any." Emily smiles, sensing Hotch is in no mood for the polite cheeriness being aimed his way. "Is he here?"

"I'm afraid Mr Gables had to leave on a personal emergency. But I can arrange for a tour, it's no problem."

Before anyone can ask further she turns and disappears inside, expecting them to follow.

"Personal emergency?" Emily murmurs out the corner of her mouth.

Hotch hums in acknowledgment of her concerns, Rossi shares his look. Gables was their only 'in', without him they were working blind.

"Whatever happened, it happened quickly and quietly." Rossi whispers in her ear while Hotch walked ahead with his biggest fan.

"We need to check in on Reid." Hotch isn't looking her way, but she can tell from his tense posture he's worried about more than just the case.

"Leave it to me." Emily murmurs, jogging forward and calling much more loudly, "Oh Miss Henderson?" She catches the young teacher on the steps leading to the first floor classrooms. "I'm really interested in your sports programme, any chance we can start with the gym?"

...

"Ah no you don't," Morgan grabs Reid by the arm as he tries to sneak past and into the changing rooms, "sit your skinny butt down now."

Reid falls down onto the bench with a huff, Morgan taking a wide stride stance in front, completely blocking him in.

"Someone will see." He hisses.

Mindful of their compromising position Morgan seeks to ensure this is quick. "Someone seeing will be the least of your worries, what the hell do you think you were playing at yesterday?"

"I was doing my job," Reid scowls, biting down hard on his bottom lip to stop the retort he really wants to make from popping out. "I needed to find out what the other kids know about the murders. I can't do that being a good boy and staying in class now can I?"

Morgan leans in, lowering his voice to a hiss. "Ever think you could have been the next victim?"

"It was a calculated risk." Reid whispers back, knowing full well that's exactly the kind of stupid move he promised he wouldn't take.

"Kid you may have managed to escape a telling off by Hotch, but I promise you, do something like that again today and I won't be so understanding."

"Fine. Can I go now, Sir?"

Reid stares Morgan down. He may be in the weaker position, both literally and figuratively, but that by no means meant he couldn't hold his own if Morgan continued to push him.

"Push-ups, on the field. You got 5 minutes or I'm coming back in to drag your ass out. Understood?"

Reid bit back a protest. Morgan his friend was of course pissed off, but Reid was smart enough to get that Morgan the teacher was also going to have to make an example of him to keep the rest of the class in check.

"Yes sir," Reid puts on his best sorry not sorry look he's perfected over the years and head held high, disappears into the changing rooms.

"Looks like Morgan's found a way to punish Reid." Hotch comments, watching the activity on the track field.

Stood by his side, playing the dutiful wife Emily smiles in amusement, imagining the retribution to come once they're back in Quantico and all is back to normal.

"How's everything going?" Miss Henderson sneaks up on them.

"Good," Emily smiles, "Spencer seems to be learning his lesson. I'm sorry for his behaviour the other day."

"That's okay, it's not uncommon in new starters, and I can tell Spencer has some deeper issues. I certainly hope we can fill those voids in his life."

"What do you mean by that?" Emily jumps on the assumption they are somehow responsible for the voids, forgetting for a moment she isn't actually his mother and any 'deeper issues' are a lot more complex than anyone here could even began to understand.

"Well, you're both busy parents, like most who send their children to us." Her voice is low, almost robotic as she stares out onto the playing fields watching the kids run back and forth in a never-ending relay. "I'm not judging," she blinks and turns to face her, adopting her usual squeaky-cheeriness, "but I feel children aren't born bad. They learn by mimicking those around them, and of course acting out is usually the best way to get the attention they desperately crave. The assumption that money makes up for everything means kids like these get left behind."

Rossi left the auditorium as close to running as he got at his age.

"So, how'd it go?" JJ saddles up to him with a teasing a smile, catching him by surprise.

"Oh, you know." Rossi forces levity into his tone. "If these kids are the hope of the future..."

"That bad huh?"

Rossi grins and pats her arm, JJ gets the hint and moves them along.

"So, I did find out something useful." She starts as they walk side by side along the mostly deserted corridor towards the library.

"Please tell me you found the unsub so we can get out of this nightmare."

"Not quite." A grimace. "But I've been watching the group Reid told us about. There's definitely something going on."

"More than joints in the woods?"

JJ looks guilty. "You know?"

"I know." Rossi smiles.

"Does Hotch?"

"I've been sworn to secrecy just like you. So probably yes."

"She means well." JJ defends Penelope.

"Oh, she's very clever. She's managed to share a secret that really shouldn't be a secret, all the while protecting the one person who the secrets about from ever knowing. It's genius."

"So, we all we know but no one can talk about it." JJ's smile turns tense. "Doesn't protect Spence from being put in that situation again though, does it?"

Sigh. "No, but it does mean we can keep an eye on him. Undercover is dangerous no matter what role you end up playing. That's why there are cops and agents who are trained to ensure they can handle it. We get through this I guarantee Hotch will turn the FBI inside out before we get ordered on an undercover again."

Someone enters the library.

"I hope so." She whispers. "Enjoy the rest of your visit Agent Rossi. It was really nice meeting you." She winks and walks away.

Rossi smiles. At least something's weren't changing. Turning to go Rossi had no plans other than to catch up with Hotch and Prentis on their tour but seeing who entered had him moving towards another display.

The kid known to them as Brent had strolled in with his crew of misfits. Jessica, the girl Reid introduced as his way in with the little crew in tow. They hadn't noticed he didn't leave and proceed to have what they probably thought was a hushed conversation. Too much heavy metal in earphones dulling their hearing enough to think they were being quiet. Kids are stupid. Rossi's kind of glad isn't one anymore.

...

"JJ what is going on? Why is no one answering their phone?" Garcia shrieks the second she swipes the little green button on her phone. "I was getting worried!"

"Getting?" JJ muffles a laugh, because she really needs to let go right now and Garcia in full on rant is also a source of adorable amusement.

"Oh, you'll know when I'm really worried and-"

She has to cut her off there, because as much as she'd like this to continue and brighten her day, they have other problems. "Garcia, there's been another murder."

It was during the period before lunch that a 10th Grader sounded the alarm. Hotch and Emily were making their way back to the auditorium, hoping to meet up with Rossi when the kid was seen running across the field adjacent to the dinner hall, screaming for all he was worth. It didn't take either Agent long to interpret what he was screaming about, and it took extreme restraint to stand back and put on a suitable expression of confusion and then shock on their faces to ensure their cover wasn't blown. Their escort, and constant shadow excused herself, asking they return to the reception and wait for her there.

"We can't just stand here while they trample all over the crime scene." Emily paced the meeting room they'd been quickly filed into by a helpful member of the admin staff.

Rossi gazed out the window, watching the local sheriffs walking the scene. "At least we have a good view."

"We need to trust the sheriff's department to follow our instructions and we can review the scene via the photos later." Hotch spoke without looking up from the phone he'd been watching intently for the past five minutes.

"If the bodies are our of missing students and it's the same M.O then the time between kills is lessening. This isn't going to stop, it's going to get worse." Emily looks first to Hotch, who doesn't react, to Rossi who returns her pensive gaze.

"And our killer will be looking for a new pair of victims."

Rossi turns back to the window, trying to gather as much as he can from the body language of the personnel on scene if nothing else, but before he can express any of his conclusions the door swings open and in walks the last person they'd expected to see.

Spencer's in the middle of his tenth lap, part of the punishment bestowed upon him by Morgan when they get summoned back to their dooms. Since he didn't finish his run yesterday, he'd do it today and then some was the explanation, spoken with a sly smile and wink which only motivated him to screw Morgan over more the next time he had the chance. Childish of him, he realised around lap three. Honestly didn't know what was becoming of him, since being here Reid has said and done things he'd never dream of back home. Maybe it was the lure of being undercover, he isn't him here, he's Spencer Hotcher. A pain in the ass, full of himself teenager with the smart-aleck attitude to match. At least that's how he's cast himself. Moulding his alter-ego into something Reid has never been, in his own mind at any rate. Apparently from the insults thrown his way under the guise of encouragement Morgan would beg to differ.

Walking back up from the field, given no explanation other than the school would be closed for the reminder of the day, Reid and his fellow classmates speculated on exactly what could have happened.

"I bet Gables topped himself in the dinner hall," one boy laughs up ahead, his comments filtering loudly back to the rest of the group. "He always looked one slash away from slitting his wrists."

The girl next to the boy who Reid knew as Kelin makes an 'Ew' noise before hitting Kelin in the chest and calling him gross, all the while laughing herself.

"They found Beth and Janus." Jessica startles him.

Reid turns to her, searching her face for any hint of deception, wanting to ask outright but fighting internally for the right words so he didn't come across as too eager. "What makes you think that?"

"Come on, we told you about the bloody bandage man and all the student's who've been murdered here." She looks at him from under her lashes. "Telling me you think we're lying?"

"No," Reid's quick to defend, too quick he realises when she frowns at him. "I mean, it's an urban legend, right? No one's actually seen him."

Jessica stops walking and Reid pulls back too, leaning in to whisper in his ear. "Nobody's survived an encounter to tell their tale."

Reid doesn't know what to say, he turns to face her, but her eyes seem to see through his, enraptured the silence expands like a living thing between them that becomes stuffy and suffocating.

"Hey!" Morgan's voice hits first, dragging his attention away from Jessica still standing, staring before him. "You two move it. Keep up."

Reid adverts his eyes, mutters an embarrassed 'yes sir' and puts as mush space between him and Jessica as he can without making it obvious he's trying not to look at her. When they reach the top of the field they encounter a crowd of students milling around, a yellow tape preventing any forward movement.

"What's going on?" Spencer asks of another boy standing slightly back from the masses, seemingly watching the commotion instead of trying to join it.

"They found a dead body on the field."

Reid's eyes go wide. Looking around he doesn't see Jessica anymore but his gaze meets Morgan's. All annoyance with the other put aside they agree to a silent plan. One of them needs to attend the crime scene and luckily Spencer has a FBI Profiler Grandfather who just happens to be visiting the school today.

...

"What are you doing here?" Emily is the first to respond to Reid who quickly slips in and shuts the door.

"We don't have a lot of time, I don't know what's happened with Mr Gables but there's a new man in charge. I got Mrs Henderson to talk to him and agree to let you look at the crime scene." Reid looks to Rossi.

"They agreed to that?" Hotch steps forward, taking Reid by the arm and drawing him to the corner away from the door and window.

"Yes, well, so long as he shares anything he sees directly with the school first."

"Who's the new guy?"

"I don't know, I saw him earlier in the week, when Gables was with you guys. I didn't know he'd gone until I approached Mrs Henderson just now." Reid looks nervously around, as if he thought the room was bugged or something.

Hotch watches Reid interact with the others, staying mostly silent himself as he fills them in at his usual rapid-fire speed about his interactions with the girl he'd befriended, the conversation with Abby Henderson and his suspicions that though the profile points at a young copycat, he felt there must be an older adult engineering it all.

"Where do we go from here?" Spencer concedes once he's finished, sounding completely spent.

"We proceed as planned, what's done is done. Now we have to concentrate on catching this unsub before he chooses his next pair of victims'."

"He's spiralling." Reid agrees.

"That's why it is imperative you Morgan and JJ all keep to your stories," Hotch states firmly, looking Reid dead in the eye. "Do not draw unnecessary attention to yourself." Hand still grasping Reid's upper arm Hotch turns to address Rossi. "Dave let Reid take you down to the crime scene, then send him away…"

"What, Hotch no-"

"Dave," Hotch repeats, making it clear his and Reid's discussion is through. "Gather what you can."

Rossi's already walking towards the door and Hotch loosens his grip, allowing Spencer to slip away. Honestly, he was expecting more of a fight, and though it's a nice surprise to finally not have his orders called into question on this trip he can't help but feel this is only the calm before the storm. Hotch only hopes they make it home before it hits.