The next morning came all too soon. Spencer hadn't gotten any rest, even though he'd gone to bed well after midnight. After he'd gotten home, he was busy dealing with his mother, waiting for her to come out of her delusion so he could put her to bed. By then it was around three, but he couldn't fall asleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he was back on that field... all those faces, laughing at him, throwing things at him, the chilly desert air hitting every inch of his skin... Every time, it forced him into a fit of tears until finally, he gave up, pulling out some books and read until the sun came up.
He thought about staying home today. It wouldn't be hard, all he had to do was tell his mother he didn't feel well. She wouldn't question it; she trusted his judgement better than her own doctors. But the school would call and would request to speak to his mother. He couldn't risk that happening and she not be coherent. The school, which so easily turned a blind eye to his other problems, wouldn't hesitate to report their belief that Diana Reid wasn't fit to care for her child. That would bring in the police and social services and Spencer would be taken away from her. He couldn't take that. She was all he had.
And so, just like every day before this, Spencer braced himself and arrived at school on time. He sat in homeroom, listening to the sniggers and whispers behind him, forcing himself to ignore them. Everyone knew about what happened. At least thirty kids were there yesterday, it must have spread through the walls like a wildfire. The first bell sounded and he headed to first period, moving slower than normal. He knew what was waiting for him in there.
Spencer stepped into the Advanced Biology classroom. As soon as he entered, the chatter died down a bit, soon followed by stifled giggles. He could feel his cheeks flushing red behind his glasses, but Spencer ignored it, hurrying to his seat. As usual his lab partner, Jeremy Bundle, inched his chair away from him. An obvious gesture that indicated he wanted nothing to do with the abnormal boy. Spencer quickly pulled out his latest book and began reading, trying to block out the rest of the world.
It was the bustle of movement that distracted him from his reading. The two girls who almost always were together hurried in, talking animatedly. Spencer felt himself blush profusely again, and pretended to turn back to his book. Secretly he watched them... especially her.
Alexa looked as beautiful as ever. She was wearing her scarlet and gold cheerleader uniform, her blonde hair was loose and free around her shoulders and she had a bright smile, her pink lips around her perfect gleaming teeth. It wasn't fair, why did she have to be so pretty?
She and Harper spotted Spencer as they sat at the counter. At the sight of him, they almost burst out laughing, stopping it with flow of fake coughing. They took their seats, right across the aisle from Spencer and Jeremy.
"So, what did you guys do last night?" Jeremy said kindly, looking at the girls over the top of the young boy's head.
"Oh not much," Harper giggled, pulling out her books. "Just had some fun with friends. What about you?"
Their conversation was definitely staged. All three of them had been on the field yesterday. In fact, Jeremy had been the one to remove his sneakers and toss them into the fountain in front of the ticket stand, which was donated by his own parents.
"Hung out on the football field, then went home and ordered pizza." He replied. "And what about you, Spencer? Do anything interesting last night?"
Spencer wouldn't give them the satisfaction by responding. He turned the page, pretending to be so engrossed in his book, The Mummy, the Will, and the Crypt.
"You look tired," Alexa mentioned with a chuckle. "Were you out late or something?"
The room was practically vibrating with the silent laughter. Spencer's face was hot and burning. He understood a lot more about the world the most people did. How people could hurt someone without the slightest bit of regret was the greatest anamoly in the universe. He certainly couldn't do it. He hated to think of someone in the slightest bit of pain, always wanting to step in and stop it.
Before another comment could come forth, Mr. Dixon stepped in to begin class. Everyone quieted down, ready to turn in homework and take notes. The giggles quieted, but didn't silence, springing up at odd moments during the class. Mr. Dixon certainly noticed, but never said a word, not wanting to get involved. It was like that for the rest of the day, the longest school day of Spencer Reid's.
Horror crossed through this place every day, and yet Reid always felt so welcome in the BAU. This was the first place he felt he belonged. Through it, he finally became a part of a family. In a round about way, it brought him to the love of his life. He was free here. This was his safe place. His home, his sanctuary. He loved it here.
Correction, he used to love it here.
Alexa Lisbon once again had to mess with him. In a matter of seconds, she stepped into his world and tainted everything. Whether it was a day or a mere matter of minutes, it would be with him forever. He'd seen some of the most horrible things in the world. He'd seen children die, buildings explode, he'd looked death in the eye more times than he could count, and yet he'd relive all those moments over ten times to avoid going into that conference room.
Through the blinds, he could see her. She sat at the round table, a cloud of depression hanging around her. Were he a lesser person, he'd feel pleased that she was in such sorrow. But Hotch's words surfaced in his mind. She's a grieving mother and and she's grasping out for someone to help her. The thought of an innocent child suffering made him want to throw up worse than Riley'd been doing all day.
Well, he might as well get this over with. Taking a deep breath, Reid trudged the rest of the way across the catwalk to the open door of the conference room.
Riley finally felt well enough to escape the bathroom. Nothing much was left in her stomach, but the nausea lingered about her for the time being. She needed something to settle her stomach. Crackers or maybe some 7Up... no, that wasn't it. What did she need... perhaps she'd know when she saw it. And with that thought, she headed to the kitchenette.
Emily and Morgan were gathered in the bull pen with JJ and Garcia when she arrived. That was her first stop. Their focus was on the blinds of the conference room. She spotted Spencer through the window. Hotch confronted him for a moment. His body language suggested a very stoic and demanding manner. Spencer's response to that was something so cold, it sent a chill all the way down here. In a moment, Hotch stepped out, leaving Reid alone with none other than Alexa Lisbon.
"What do you think's going on?" JJ asked, standing beside Emily as she leaned on her desk.
"I don't know, who's he talking to?" Emily wondered.
"Someone named Alexa Hillman." Morgan replied. "I've never heard him mention her before." Suddenly, he noticed Riley had joined the group. "You know her?"
"Not particularly," Riley said with a shake of her head.
"But you do know her." Emily noted, looking to her curiously.
Startled, Riley backed away a bit. "What makes you think that?"
"If you didn't at least have an idea who she was, you'd be watching them like a hawk, concerned over what they're talking about. That means either you know her personally or you know what they're talking about." She answered.
Riley gave a roll of her eyes, "I hate profilers." She grumbled as she folded her arms and leaned against her husband's desk.
"You and me both, Honey Bunny." Garcia agreed, giving a laugh, never turning from the window.
Riley watched with caution as Spencer took a seat, his back to them. She wasn't about to reveal anything to others. And while she did know who she was, Riley didn't know what they were talking about up there... or how it was effecting Spencer.
Everyone's attention returned to the windows, waiting for some clue as to what was going on. All except one. Garcia took a glance at the young therapist and went to look back when she quickly doubled back. Something about her appearance was disturbing.
"Riley, are you alright?" She asked, concerned.
"Yes," Riley replied, caught off guard. "Why do you ask?"
"You look a little pale, that's all." Garcia replied. "Are you sick?"
"Oh... yeah," She answered. "I've got a touch of the flu."
"Sorry, Parker," Morgan replied. "You probably caught it from me."
"Really?" She asked, intrigued. "Are you throwing up?"
"Every morning. And I keep getting dizzy and... every now and then I get this atrocious stomach pain."
"I've got that, too, minus the stomach pain." Riley admitted. "Well, at least I've got that to look forward to."
Emily, however, looked to Morgan with worry. "I didn't know you were sick."
"It's just a small flu bug." Morgan shrugged, as if it were nothing. "It's not enough to keep me from work, it's nothing to worry about."
"How long have you had it?" Riley asked.
"About four weeks now." He admitted without batting an eyelash.
"A month?" Emily exclaimed. She was stunned by this, appalled that she'd never noticed it. "Maybe you should see a doctor."
"Relax, Prentiss, I'm fine." He grumbled, waving it off. "I haven't even gotten a fever of 99 degrees, I'm fine."
She wasn't convinced in the least, any bit of fever was a cause of concern. Emily opened her mouth to argue but stopped short. She caught sight of Garcia and JJ looking at her inquistively, wondering where this sudden concern for him came from. She backed off and shrugged. "Well, I can't very well have a partner who's barfing on the unsub, can I?"
"I don't know, it might be a fresh technique to bring them down." Riley teased with a grin, getting a laugh from the others. She caught Emily's eye before turning and heading off to the break room. There was no point in torturing herself over there when there was nothing she could do. Besides, her nausea had rapidly morphed into an awkward hunger and she needed something to satisfy it. And as she left, it didn't surprise her when Emily followed.
Riley made a beeline for the refrigerator. Emily rushed in, lowering her voice so the others wouldn't be attracted. "Four weeks? He's been sick for four weeks and I never even noticed?"
"Sweetie, he probably hid it from you." Riley assured as she searched through the fridge for something to eat. "I know I've been hiding my flu from Spencer for two weeks so he wouldn't worry. And I'm sure Morgan did it for the same concern."
Her nose wrinkled as she scowled at the lack of sustenance. She was craving something, but she couldn't determine for what. The shelves were bare except for a few things. There was water and creamer and a few labled lunches. She squatted down to continue her quest.
"Why would you catch his illness and not me?" She exclaimed in a light hiss.
"Believe me, I'd trade with you in a second," Riley informed, glancing at her. She quickly returned to her search. "Look, everyone's immune system is different. Maybe you didn't catch it because it's better than his and mine. Trust me, if it's meant to be, you'll be throwing up in a week or so."
"Thanks," Emily said with a roll of her eyes. It didn't make her feel any better. Some girlfriend, not noticing when her boyfriend was sick. And she believed she was in love with him.
Riley barely heard her as her eyes spotted something in the produce drawer. There was a bag of fresh green apples inside. The plump, round fruit was calling out to her. She could hardly resist.
"Are these for anybody?" She asked, desperately. If they weren't, she just might take one anyway.
Emily glanced at the drawer, knowing the cleaning crew replaced the food in there every few days. Most of the people left the fruit and vegetables alone until they rotted. Healthy food was not incredibly popular around here.
"Help yourself." She informed. Riley quickly grabbed an apple and went to wash it. Clean now, she bit into it without even bothering to dry it. Instantly, the tart sweetness hit her tongue and immediately began to satisfy her need.
"I'm sure Reid will be in in a moment." Hotch informed as he set a mug of hot tea before Alexa. He took the seat beside her, a mug of his own in hand.
"Reid," She mumbled, her hands wrapping around the porcelain. Every inch of her skin felt like it had been crawling since the minute she realized her baby was missing. Gripping the cup gave her a sense of stability. "It's weird hearing him referred to like that... it's like he's a completely different person."
"If I'm correct, Reid was twelve-years-old the last time you saw him." Hotch said lightly. "He is a much different person."
He was twelve. Alexa remembered the last day she saw him. Graduation Day, standing at the podium as he gave his Validictorian speech. John and their friend Jeremy were ripping their programs into balls and flicking them at the poor boy. She and her best friend Harper could barely contain their giggles. Just the thought of it now made Alexa sick to her stomach. How could she have been so cruel to that little boy?
"I can't imagine what you must be going through." Hotch mentioned, misconstruing her grimace as one of worry for her son. "I have a son about your boy's age, and if he went missing, I would be doing just as you are to find him."
"Thank you for understanding." Alexa muttered, looking up to meet his eyes. "Most people think I've lost my mind because I've been sticking to this. I'm not clinging to false hope, you know... I just want to know what happened to my baby."
"How old did you say he was again?" Hotch wondered.
"Six," She answered. "He and his twin sister Penny turned six on April 9th... it seems like yesterday I was bringing them home from the hospital."
Hotch always felt for the victims as well as their families. He, however, knew how to remain objective on the job. He never let his emotions get in the way. So it surprised him when, as Alexa's left hand rested on the table, he reached over and took it in his. Her palm was warmed from the heat of the tea, her fingers clutching him tightly, returning his grasp. Her skin was a bit calloused and rough, indicating she had little personal time, focusing more on work and her family. Though he had learned little about the man, Hotch had a sense John Hillman was not a star husband. But, having never met the man, he couldn't really judge.
At last, Reid arrived, stepping into the room. His hazel eyes focused coldly on the despondent woman at the table, who looked to him with frightened eyes. They were green, older man noticed, a soft green that reminded Aaron of a lilypad on the pond.
"Alright, I'm here," He grumbled. He was acting like an adolescent who's parents were forcing him into a family function. It was unprofessional and Hotch wouldn't stand for it. Despite their history, Reid had the image of the FBI to uphold. He had to act professional.
"Well, I'll leave you two alone." He said. As Hotch stood, he gave Alexa's hand one more squeeze before releasing his grip. Her hand returned to the ceramic mug, needing something to hang on to.
He didn't leave right away, however. He stood before Reid, stepping closer to him to disclude anyone else from the conversation.
"Reid," He said. While he spoke softly, there was a demanding tone about his words, sharpening the younger man's ears. "I know this is hard for you, but this isn't about you. I realize the two of you have a history, so that should tell you, however hard it is for you to listen to her, it's that much harder for her to come to you. You don't have to be her friend, you just have to listen to her. You will treat her as any other mother asking for your help, understood?"
He couldn't get his throat to work. His head barely moved as he nodded. It was enough for his boss and Hotch took his leave, leaving the two alone. Reid's eyes lingered on the carpet until he heard the door close.
Silence. It was unbelievable just how deafening silence could be. He knew she was staring at him, wondering when he'd make his first move. Or perhaps just for him to meet her gaze.
He couldn't stay standing here forever. The sooner he was done here, the sooner he could get on with his life. At last, he braced himself and stood, straight and tall, meeting her eyes.
She'd been waiting for him. Alexa almost trembled as their eyes met. But it gave her the push to speak. "I can't believe how grown up you are."
"Yeah, I'm a lot older with my clothes on." He grumbled, his eyes narrowing into slits, and was satisfied as she shrunk back. Thinking of that innocent child once again, he purposely walked to the other side of the room to take the seat across the table from her. Not in the mood for pleasantries, he cleared his throat. "Alright... you're here. Start from the beginning."
