A/N: Hello again, everyone!

A shout-out to Quilter1993, fishtrek, vermilion aura, and crgrif1.

Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds. No copyright infringement intended.

My apologies if I made any mistakes but enjoy the chapter!

Warning: mention of a sensitive topic.

Get ready for Part One of one of the most infamous yet one of the most memorable aftermath Criminal Minds episodes of the series, Magnum Opus, but in the Remix.

Previously on Criminal Minds…

"Hello."

"Zug…zwang."

"…In an endgame of chess, no matter what move the player makes, they're at a disadvantage, and it'll just get worse…"

"Ahhh!"

"Remember me now, bitch?"

"D-Diane…?"

"Ugh!"

"You'd sacrifice yourself for her!?"

"ÉLISE!"

"THAT'S MY SISTER..."

"No…"

"Aaron…We lost our unborn child."

Élise sighed as she placed her free hand—she's still getting used to her sling—on the porcelain sink and stared down at it. She lifted her head up and saw her reflection in the mirror.

"Ooh…"

She grimaced, now having flashbacks of her ordeal.

"Ugh…"

A sharp inhaled escaped Élise's mouth.

"Hello, bitch."

"Whoa!" Élise turned around when she saw Diane's reflection in the mirror, only to find no one. Panting, she placed her hand on her heart to calm her before spinning around again, turning on the faucet, and splashing water on her face.

Drying her face with the clean white washcloth, Élise properly hung it back before walking out of the bathroom, seeing Reid sitting on the edge of the bed with his head down. She took a few steps and stood behind him.

He was sadly staring at the sonogram photos of the unborn child she and Reid lost, thanks to Diane Turner.

"Ugh!"

Élise blinked her eyes when she memorized Diane kicking her.

Reid exhaled and slightly turned his head. "Whoa!" he jumped off the bed when he noticed Élise standing behind them.

"Sorry, babe."

Reid closed his eyes and sighed again before opening them and looking at the sonogram photos. Élise walked up next to him and stared at them.

"If only…" she whispered.

Reid nodded. "Yeah," asked Reid when he placed the photos in small separate boxes. "What should we…you know…name…?"

Élise had her hand over her face. "You know, Spen, I..." she wiped her hands with her sleeve and sniffed. "I just…" shrugging, "I don't know. I'm just…"

Reid was just as unsure as Élise right now. It was bad enough for her not to tell him, of all people, someone was stalking her, but to see her going through the ordeal, ending with her being shot and losing their unborn child in the process…

Reid started reorganizing his satchel. "So…uh, I booked some suites at the Four Seasons Washington, and since the hotel doesn't allow dogs up to 15 pounds, let's go see Opal at Rose's place since she got her rest after landing a few hours ago."

"Great," Élise was indifferent at this point. "That's great."

The hospital door was knocked on three times before someone popped their head in. It was Mr. Micha and Brenda.

"Hey," Brenda breathed. "You want some visitors?"

"Sure," Reid tried to sound upbeat.

The door opened a bit, and it was Séraphine and Isaac being carried by Ms. Geneva.

"Hi…" Séraphine waddled her way to her parents; Reid picked her up.

"Hey, honey," Reid kissed her cheek. "Have you been a good girl?"

Séraphine shook her head. "Yah!" her eyes caught sight of Élise. "Hi, mommy."

Élise murmured, "Hi."

"Wha hapened to you, mommy?" Séraphine innocently asked.

Élise lied, "Mommy just took a tumble, but I'm fine now," she opened her free arm, hoping someone could get Séraphine to hug her. "Bring it in."

"I doun't wan to hurt yoo, mommy," Séraphine pouted.

Élise smirked. "You're not gonna hurt me. A hug and a kiss from my girl is exactly what mommy needs right now," she groaned to herself when Séraphine hugged her and braved a smile.

"I think someone wants his mommy," Ms. Geneva approached and brought Isaac up to Élise. "Go to mommy."

Sharply inhaling and exhaling, it was a miracle she managed to hug and kiss her six-month-old son without breaking down and crying. In all honesty, she wanted to just stroke his chin and cheeks. Sniffing, she adjusted her arm chest. "So, uh…let's go see Opal, no?"

Élise walked out of the room, leaving almost everyone confused.

Élise distantly stared at the window; Reid was driving, and Séraphine and Isaac were in the backseat, probably doing whatever toddlers and infants their month ages do. Her head was back against the headboard and dazed off for a moment. It was like everything felt numb to her. Diane stalked her, abducted her, and mind-tortured her as a captive and hostage. And for her to be the one to….

Élise gulped, responsible for taking her and Reid's unborn child.

"Why, Diane?" Élise went back to her time with Diane during her captivity. "We were friends."

Diane growled, placing the black .45 handgun under her chin. "You lost that right a long time ago because you couldn't stand that I was better than you."

"Élise…? Élise…?"

Élise jerked her shoulder away when Reid touched it. "Huh?"

"We're here," said Reid, unbuckling his seat. "I'll get the kids out of their seats."

"Yeah, you go do that," replied Élise before muttering to herself. "Because I can't do that due to the arm sling I have to wear, and now, I feel more sore than whenever I do my arm exercises."

Reid opened the door for her while carrying Isaac in his car seat, allowing her to exit the car and take the elevator to get to Rose's place. Rhythmically knocking on the door, they waited for Rose to answer the door, and when she did, she smiled.

"Hey, everyone!"

Reid waved before the family stepped into her apartment, "Hey, Rose."

Rose eyed Élise. "Hello, Élise."

"Hey," Élise whispered.

"Oh, I'm so sorry for what you had to go through," a sympathetic Rose went up to Élise and hugged her. "I swear, I would have loved to use my late husband's CIA contacts…"

"Uh, Rose…" Élise said without actually saying that she was hugging her a bit too tight.

Rose's eyes beamed, remembering Élise was in an arm sling. "Oh, sorry, Élise."

Élise gave her a slight smirk, still not feeling up to it. "Mmm…"

Rose turned to Opal, who was relaxing in the pink memory foam dog bed before her dark eyes spotted the family. She let out a bark before walking up to them and cuddling Élise's legs.

"How is she?" asked Élise as she kneeled to pet her fur.

Rose answered, "Doctor said she'll be fine after being sedated. It wasn't anything serious, but they wanted to keep her overnight just in case anything changed."

"You're okay, girlie," said Élise, stroking her fur. "I owe you for the rest of my life," she whispered to her. "But that doesn't mean you'll be getting away with everything."

Opal barked twice before going to Reid and caressed his legs, growling as she did so.

For about thirty minutes to an hour, Rose conversed with the family about her destination wedding trip while talking about the big move happening soon and changes that'll happen.

Reid and Élise went back to the hotel for the children to have their naps. On her way to the other room, she started scratching the back of her itchy neck and covered her mouth with her balled fist. She plastered a smile on her face when she walked in and approached her son in his mobile crib.

"Hey, little boy," Élise whispered. "Mommy's gonna take you out of that crib of yours now." she squatted and tried to use her free hand to scoop him under his upper back. Trying to bring her forehead down to his chest and the shoulder, Élise took a hard fall on her derriere, causing Isaac to wake up and cry.

"Aw, sweetie…" she kissed the top of his head. "It's okay…"

"What the…" Reid rushed into the room, finding Élise still on the floor, tending to a weeping Isaac. "What are you doing, Élise?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Élise asked the obvious. "I'm nursing my son."

Reid sighed. "Come on," he helped Élise up after taking Isaac into his arms. "Shh-shh, it's okay, little man." Isaac easily calmed down.

"There we go, Ziggy," Reid put Isaac back in his crib. "I'll be back for you soon, okay?"

"Daddy…" Séraphine walked into the room, carrying her favorite teddy bear. "I wanna swim…"

Reid petted her head. "Soon, honey, okay?"

Élise grunted as she walked out of the room. Séraphine pointed to Élise leaving. "Mommy…"

Reid ran his hand over his face. "Mommy's really tired these days..."

"I wan er beter…" Séraphine's big eyes widened.

"Yeah, me too," Reid breathed; he worried this was affecting Séraphine in her own innocent toddler way. "Go watch the rest of the Disney movie, okay?" he guided her to the living room, picked her up, and got her watching the movie on the television again.

"Okay, daddy."

Reid smirked. "That's my girl." he gave her a kiss and left her there. Soon, he drew in and blew out as he walked to the master bedroom and saw Élise going through the dressers.

"Ow…" she groaned, clutching to her injured arm.

Here I go, said Reid in his head. "You should have asked me for help."

"I'm not helpless, you know," replied Élise bluntly. "I just have an injured arm."

"Due to being shot," Reid reminded her of the injury that could have taken her life. "Remember?"

Élise annoyingly rolled her eyes. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. I recall you trying to do things when you were recuperating during your leg days."

"At least my leg injury wasn't caused by me being stalked," Reid remarked.

Élise slammed the dresser, not liking where this was heading. "What are you getting at?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Reid needed to know why she didn't tell him about being stalked. "You know, I would have dropped everything to help you."

Élise defended her actions. "I was having it handled; you didn't need to worry."

Reid exclaimed. "And look how that turned out; your source ended up dead before we even found out who he was. I was worrying for you as if I lost my damned mind. I know you would, too, in my shoes."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Élise scoffed.

Reid exclaimed. "You should have not kept this a secret!"

"One: lower your voice when you're talking to me," Élise didn't appreciate Reid yelling. "And two: I know for a fact you kept secrets from me."

Reid folded his arms, challenged by Reid's words. "Like when?"

"The Anthrax case; where you yourself almost died from the deadly bacteria," Élise placed her hand on her hip and tilted her head.

Reid wagged his finger. "That is completely different, and you know that."

Élise hissed. "Look. I don't need you to come to my rescue every time I get you into some trouble. This was my problem, not yours."

"Élise, when you're married, you give up the I's and me for us and we!" Reid cried. "You should not have kept this from me! Look how keeping secrets did to Prentiss when Doyle went after her and indirectly us! It was completely stupid, irresponsible…"

Overwhelmed with sudden emotions, Élise shrieked, "GOD, DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW THAT NOW!?"

"Now, you're finally getting it now!?" Reid had his hands on his waist and nodded.

Élise started tearing. "YES! And look where it got us." sniffing, "I lost our could-have-been third child. I have to live with that for the rest of my life."

"Yeah," Reid whispered, agreeing. "You did. Maybe next time, when you think about keeping secrets like this, think about what could have happened." He lifted his head, huffed, and puffed. "Now, if you need me, I'll go take our children to the pool."

"Yeah," she breathily shuddered. "Y-y-you go do t-that. I-I-I need some time alone."

"Okay," Reid left the room without giving Élise a kiss. Or that he loved her. Normally, he wouldn't do that but now was not a good time.

Élise was now alone in the room. She could hear Reid getting Séraphine and Isaac and taking them to the pool.

At least now, she didn't have to worry about anyone seeing her cry.

"Alright, little man," Reid carefully yet securely held Isaac in his arms, allowing him to splash around in the water of the hotel's two-lane indoor lap pool. "Are you having a good time?"

Isaac stuck his tongue out.

"Ahhh," Reid mimicked Isaac back. He turned his attention to Séraphine, sitting on one of the lounge chairs. "Enjoying yourself, Fifi? Watching Ziggy play in the water?"

"Mmm-hmm."

Reid exhaled, deciding that an hour was enough for today. "Okay, little guy." he got out of the water and dried himself and Isaac off. "What do you guys want to do next?"

"Fod!" Séraphine bounced. "Fod!"

Reid asked Isaac, "Want to go to eat now?"

Isaac stuck his tongue out again.

"I take it as a yes," Reid fumbled around his bag for his phone, speed-dialed for Élise, and placed it to his ear.

Immediately, the call went straight to voicemail. "You have reached Élise Bastien. Please leave me a detailed message, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you, and have a good day."

"Huh," Reid was surprised for Élise to have her phone off, especially after what she went through. "Let's go surprise mommy, kids." he coated on his face for the children.

"Yea!"

Making it to the door, passing by a couple of people and politely greeted them. He opened the door and allowed Séraphine to go in first before he and Isaac walked in.

"Mommy…" Séraphine waddled into one of the rooms. "Mommy…"

Reid cried out, "Lise…" after putting Isaac down in his play crib, he peeked inside the master bedroom. Taking a thorough look around the suite, Reid took notice something was wrong. There was one less luggage bag in the master bedroom.

And that bag was Élise's.

And if that wasn't something, her phone was sitting on the pillows.

Reid looked inside the master bathroom and closets before walking back into the living room with Séraphine standing by the play cage.

"Wear's mommy?" she innocently asked.

Reid cocked his mouth to the side. "I'm wondering myself, too, Fee," he rummaged through his pants pocket and whipped out his phone when he noticed it vibrated.

He noticed it was a video message from a private number. Considering how the last time he got a message was an electric voice saying 'Zugzwang' twice. Nevertheless, he pressed on play and began watching the message. At first, it was a dark background, making him grimace a bit, but then, he felt his skin getting paler and his mouth opened when the video soon focused on Élise. He lowered the volume to make sure the kids didn't hear.

She sighed and licked her lips. "Hey. I bet you're scared out of your mind, and I wouldn't blame you. But, uh…" she sighed again. "Look, you don't have to go to the police or blame yourself. I'm not in any danger, and no one is making me do this…but please. Don't come looking for me. Or ask the team to find me. You were right. I am responsible for what happened. My abduction, Diane, my PI, Duane, our unborn child…but I'm gonna fix it," Élise started to get teary-eyed. "I'm no good to be around, especially not you or our children. I know in my heart, mind, body, and soul you're going to take great care of them. You're better off without me. I'm sorry for having to do this. I love you all."

Reid shakingly exhaled, allowing a tear to fall from his eye. He couldn't believe it.

Élise was gone.

And the worst part was that he doesn't know when she'll be back.

This same numbness that was running through his body when he saw Arthur's name on the caller ID. Answering it,

"Hey, Spencer. Did you get a message from Élise?"

"Yeah," Reid whispered. "Yeah, I did."

Élise leaned back in her window seat and looked out the semi-cloudy sky view. She knew it wasn't like her to just up and leave her family the way she did. But in truth to herself, Élise was never going to be the same as she was before. The traumatic experience for the past few days completely changed her.

And because of it, she got abducted, held hostage, captive, and tortured by an old former friend. Along with that, she lost two good friends and, more importantly, her and Reid's unborn could-have-been third child.

Élise meant what she said; she didn't want anyone looking for her. Not Reid, anyone in their families, and even the team to come and look for her. This was something she needed to do on her own, even if she didn't know when she'll be back.

But then again, who knows?

A/N: I hope you like the twist!

And another note, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME THIS WEEK!