Reid didn't realize he was holding his breath until they turned the corner, heading down the corridor. Riley took his hand and gave it a hard squeeze, a simple way to show him she was there for him.
That was good, because he really needed her now. Quickly, he turned and pulled Riley into a hug, practically squeezing all the air out of her body. There was a sudden flash in her mind that being held this tight might not be wise in her condition. Immediately, she pushed it away. She was not in a delicate condition. Those girls had put wild thoughts in her head.
"Are you okay?" She said soothingly, caressing him on the back.
He buried his head in her shoulder. "Nothing ever changes." He said, his words muffled by her sweater. He sat up and she could see the emotion twinkling in his eyes. "I can't believe I even considered things might be different. I don't know what I ever did to them to treat me so badly. I know I'm different… I always tried to stay out of their way, and now I'm just trying to help them-"
"They're bullies, Spencer!" Riley exclaimed, her hands landing on his cheeks to keep him focused on her. "They hate themselves, so they take that anger out on other people… they envy you because you're so much better than them."
"I don't feel much better then them." He grumbled, he couldn't ignore how much he hated that man, looking at Riley with such impure thoughts, believing he could actually have her. He hated to be so possessive of her, but right now, it couldn't be stopped.
"And if you let them know that, they win." She informed, her hands left his face so she could wrap her arms around his shoulders. "You're worth a hundred of each of them. All you have to do is solve this case and then you get to leave them behind forever. And even if they don't admit it, they will always know that you were the better man by helping them."
She was right. He had to keep perspective. This wasn't about him, this wasn't about those people. It was about a missing little boy and all those potential victims. He didn't often get to stop the crime before it happened; it was an incredible opportunity.
Taking a deep breath, he didn't feel quite so upset now. Reid pulled her to him again, reminding himself that she was his. John Hillman and his gang might take away his confidence and make him feel miserable, but they couldn't take the woman he loved.
"I'm really glad you're here." He mumbled, breathing in slowly, taking in the smell of roses.
Without a word, she moved to press a kiss on his cheek. They remained in arms for a full moment before they pulled away, needing to get back to work.
Rossi was waiting for them down the hall when they arrived. The interrogation rooms were placed a good distance from the rest of the main precinct, a typical tactic to make suspects feel separated from the rest of the world.
"Are they ready?" Riley asked as they walked over.
"All set," Rossi answered. "The oldest didn't object to being questioned alone, she's waiting in Room 1. The younger one was a little nervous, but we gave her some crayons and an officer is sitting with her."
"Tell their mother not to worry. This won't take long and we'll bring them back as soon as I'm done." Reid explained.
Both Rossi and Riley were a bit impressed. "You're worried how Alexa is feeling?" Dave asked.
It just dawned on him that, yes, he was a bit concerned how she was feeling. He didn't want to admit he was sympathizing with her, shaking his head. "Habit." He explained. "We'll be back soon."
In agreement, Rossi headed back to the precinct, going to help Hotch. Reid and Riley went to the window to observe the elder daughter, wanting to get an idea of what they'd be dealing with in a moment.
Meredith Hillman sat at the metal table, facing the two-way mirror. She had no concern of being left in here, neither anxious nor angry. To pass the time, she'd pulled out a book, laying it flat on the surface, hunched over to read. Her blonde hair was wavy and long, hanging around her like golden vines. A black headband kept it out of her face. It matched the rest of her clothing, a pure jet black turtleneck with black jeans. Her fingernails were short, the matching polished old and chipped. She didn't seem like the kind of girl who obsessed over her looks, or glorified in the pain of others.
"She's not what I expected." Reid said softly as he studied the teen.
Riley looked to him. "What did you expect?"
"Another Alexa." Reid explained. "A snobby cheerleader, maybe with John's attitude. If she weren't the spitting image of Alexa, I'd think she was adopted."
It was silly for a man of Reid's age and status to be timid of a teenager, but seeing this person in the next room eased his anxiety. With his folders in hand, he stepped over to the door and casually walked inside. Riley remained at the window, watching with intent, ready to learn all she could from the scene.
Morgan wasn't sure what he despised more, working this case or the stabbing pain in his stomach. For a few days, he began to believe he was getting better. The pain only came at a few select times and each episode was duller than the last. Since the wee hours of the morning, however, it was coming back in full force, even worse. He didn't know what to do.
Emily returned to the room with a few files in hands. "I spoke to Hotch, he has some questions he wants us to focus on in our questioning. He's not entirely convinced the two men are completely innocent, which, from what I could see the possibility isn't unlikely."
She waited for Morgan's response, even just a grunt of agreement, but there was only silence. He hadn't even looked to be listening. He was seated back in his chair, almost in a relax fashion, but they way his hand pressed on his abdomen and the sweat formed on his brow, she knew some was wrong.
"Are you okay?" Emily asked with great worry.
"I'm…" He grumbled a bit to clear his throat. "I'm fine."
He was lying. She'd known Morgan too long not to know when he was lying. Hurrying over, she lowered her voice, checking him up and down. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," He groaned. He didn't want Emily to make a fuss out of this. "I just have some… cramps or indigestion in my stomach, it'll go away in a minute."
Emily hesitated. She wanted to reach out and touch him, put a loving arm around him or just brush his cheek, but they were much too exposed here. Instead, she sat on the edge of the table, right beside him. "Maybe you should go back to the hotel. I mean, if you don't feel well-"
"Prentiss, I said I was fine." He struggled to pull himself out of his chair. "It's just a cramp, it'll pass in a minute."
"How do you know that?" She demanded.
"It always does. It's nothing to worry about." He fought with himself to take a deep breath. With his hand pressing in at the sore spot, it made the battle bearable.
How could she not worry? He was standing before her, looking in as much pain as a bullet wound. "Is there… anything I can do?"
The way her eyes glowed at him, she didn't have to say it for him to know how she felt. It scared Morgan more than this terrible reoccurring pain. He breathed in deeply once again and was relieved as he felt the pain at last fade away, letting out a thankful sigh. "See, everything's fine. Focus your fears on something more important, Princess."
He gave her a weak smile, but Emily found no comfort in his words. "What? Am I not allowed to be worried about you?"
"I'm saying I don't want you to waste your time." He insisted. "We've got more important things to focus on now than how I feel."
She was very taken aback like this, almost hurt that he would believe her feelings weren't sincere. "You're my boyfriend, Derek. How you feel is the most important thing to me."
"It really shouldn't be." He insisted, and with that hurried from the room to fetch their first victim.
What had just happened? Emily didn't understand. It was as if he would have preferred if she hadn't said anything, or told him to suck it up and deal with the pain. It was no wonder she couldn't tell him she loved him, and now, she was beginning to fear that their relationship had almost run its course. Maybe it was one major fight away from being over.
That very thought impaled her heart like a spear. Just the thought of losing him was agony. She couldn't let that happen, and would do anything to make sure of that.
Meredith sat up as the door to the interrogation room opened. She watched nervously as a tall, lean man stepped in. In his hand, he held a few manila folders. Once safe inside, he closed the door behind him.
"Hi, Meredith," Reid said with a pleasant smile. He set the folders down and offered his hand. "My name's Dr. Spencer Reid, I work for the FBI, and if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you some questions."
Cautiously, the young girl accepted his shake, giving a nod. "I don't mind."
"Thank you," He said, taking the seat on the other side of the table. "What are you reading there?"
She lifted the cover to show him the title. "The Hunger Games."
Reid nodded with approval. "That's a very good book, a very good series."
"Yeah, but I've read it before." She said with a nod, carefully setting her book down.
"Really?" He asked. "Answer me this, if you could choose, which district of Panem would you be from?"
He was trying to win her trust by talking about things she liked, a technique that worked well with children and the simple minded. Meredith considered it a moment before answering. "District 4."
"How come?" He asked.
"I love the beach," She explained. "Plus, more importantly, I'm a really good swimmer, which might come in handy if I'm chosen for the Games."
"Very true," Reid nodded, leaning back in his chair to relax. If he was calm, she'd know there was nothing to worry about. "Do you know why I'm here, Alexa?"
After a nervous swallow, Meredith nodded. "You're looking for Peter."
"That's right," He said softly. "I know this has been a very hard ordeal for your family, but my team and I are doing everything in our power to find what happened to him."
"So…" Meredith said slowly. "You think Peter's dead?"
The last thing Reid wanted to do was break this news to her, but she was a different kind of girl. She could handle the truth, he could see that. "I don't have any proof, but… I've worked and studied cases like this for almost a decade. After all this time… there's little to no chance that your brother is still alive."
"I hope he is dead." Meredith muttered, hanging her head.
"Why do you say that?" Reid wondered.
Tears sprang forth from her eyes as she rested her arms on the table, covering her book from sight. She rested her head on them, the tears dripping down in the black fabric.
"If he's dead, at least he's not in pain somewhere…" She sobbed lightly. "All I can think about is how scared he must be… all alone… someone torturing him. I mean, our home isn't great or very happy, but we're safer there than lost in the world."
Reaching across the table, Reid brushed Meredith's arm, giving her a bit of comfort. "You really love your brother, huh?"
She nodded, sitting up. She wiped her eyes, "I love both Penny and Peter… they're all I have."
"What about your parents?" Reid asked. "You're aunt and uncle? Friends at school?"
Letting a sigh, she looked away for a moment, almost like she were ashamed of what she was about to say. "I try to spend as little time with the rest of my family as possible. My parents are always fighting and my aunt and uncle… they have poisonous attitudes, they always treat me like there's something wrong with me. Just because I'd rather spend my Saturday nights reading and baking cookies than going out and doing illegal things… and I have a few friends at school, but… they're not the kind of friends who really care about you… they're just there so you have a place to sit at lunch and don't feel like a loser when you have to partner up in class." She paused to clear her throat, her cheek turning a rosy red from the rush of emotions. "Penny and Peter… I know they're just little kids, but they love me. They look up to me, they don't judge me… they are really all I have… and I lost one of them."
Reid could tell at once the poor girl was blaming herself for this, even though she had no rational reason to. "Meredith," Reid softly uttered. "You did nothing wrong. You did nothing but be the best big sister to your little brother… you must have known him pretty well."
She nodded again, finding it hard to talk at first. "I think I knew him better than my mom." She shifted uncomfortably, eyeing the two-way mirror. "She's not watching me through that, is she?"
With a small smile, Reid shook his head. "No, she's not out there."
"Look," Meredith said, lowering her voice as she leaned on the table. "I love my mom, she works really hard just to keep food on the table and I know she loves us… it just feels like she doesn't really know us… sometimes, she's so angry, I feel like she doesn't care. I think that's why I got so attached to the twins, they're starved for affection. My mom doesn't have the energy to spend a lot of time with them and my dad doesn't want anything to do with us most of the time, especially me and Penny. "
Reid cleared his throat, "Well, in my experience, parents have a tendency to know more and care more than they let on. Sometimes, they can surprise you. She flew all the way to DC to beg me to take this case, that took a lot of guts."
"You knew my mother before this?" She asked, curious.
Choosing his words carefully, Reid nodded, "We weren't really friends, but I knew your mom in high school." He gave a smile. "She was the prettiest girl in school… and you look just like her, her to be honest."
Meredith blushed and looked away. "Thank you," She mumbled. Her eyes came up again as she brushed some hair behind her ear. "You know, you don't look old enough to have gone to school with my mother."
Clearing his throat, Reid skipped over the subject. "That's a long story."
Sitting at the kitchen table, Riley felt tense as her mother stepped into the room. If she didn't pay her attention, the woman may just get what she came in for and leave her alone. Pulling her book closer, Riley hunched over the pages, trying to focus on her homework.
Her mother walked over to the fridge, opening the door. After a moment, she let out an annoyed sigh. "There is never anything to eat in this house! I guess I'm going to have to do the shopping for now on!"
"I guess," Riley mentioned inadvertently. She turned the page of her Geometry book, continuing the list of problems.
Her mother shot her an angry glare, despising the very sight of her. "I thought you said you were going to clean this kitchen."
"I never said that, you ordered me to do it." Riley explained, looking up. "I'll do it, I just wanted to get my homework done first."
"Do it now, how am I supposed to cook dinner with this mess in here?" She demanded.
For once she was going to cook, not just demand for Riley to start dinner? "You know, you're here all day, you're telling me in the eight hours I'm at school, you can't pick up a sponge and wash a dish?"
She shouldn't have said that. Riley regretted it the moment the words hit her tongue, and now she was going to pay for it. Immediately, her mother grabbed one of the dirty dishes on the top of the pile and quickly chucked it towards the wall, missing her daughter by a few inches.
Riley jumped back in fear, her life flashing before her eyes for a moment. Her mother wasn't finished, either. One after another, she grabbed a plate, smashing it on the floor, her anger shattering with each explosion of shards.
"What the hell is going on in here!" Riley's father screamed as he came down the steps, directly into the commotion. He wore a raggedy pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt smudged with various stains. He looked at the scene with amazement.
"Clean up this goddamn mess!" She ordered, grabbing Riley's arm to pull her out of her chair. "You've been nothing but a little bitch since you came home, get off your ass and do something around here."
Riley twisted to wrench her arm from her mother's grasp. She flinched as her mother made an attempt to smack her, but she never struck. "You both are the two laziest people in the world, not one of you gives a damn shit how hard I work. I'm sick and tired of it!"
"Alright!" Her father cried, stepping off the bottom step. "You made your point, she'll clean up the mess. Just… go sit down."
"I can't! I have to go and get ready for work. Someone in this house has to bring in a paycheck!" She shoved past her husband to begin stomping up the stairs, calling one last shot down the steps. "Maybe I should just leave, then where would the two of you be?"
Silence in the kitchen, Riley quickly grabbed the garbage can and started gathering up the biggest pieces of the plates. Her father stumbled over to the table, his legs barely supporting his gangly frame. It was a clear indication he was coming down from a high.
"I'm sorry, Baby," Her father said as he sat down, watching her clean up the mess.
She shook her head, telling him to just forget about it. "I wish she would leave, we'd be a lot better off without her."
"Well, maybe when you graduate, you and I will move out." He said with a small smile. "We'll get a nice little place together."
With bright, hopeful eyes, Riley looked up to him. "You mean it?"
"Yeah," He smiled. "You could get a full time job and, with my welfare check, we'll do just fine. At least, until you get married."
Her hopes diminished as quickly as they appeared. "But… Daddy, I'm going to college. I've been working so hard for years to get into Harvard, I'm not just going to throw that away."
Her father gave her a pitiful expression. "Sweetie, I think it's wonderful you have dreams, but you have to realize, things like that just don't come true. Especially for someone like you."
She knew opening this door was not a good idea, but Riley was stubborn. She wouldn't stop without at least arguing her point. "Sean thinks I can do it. He encourages me!"
At that, her father became angry, slamming his fist on the table. "You don't mention that name in this house, young lady, you understand me?"
Her father and his best friend, Sean Hotchner, had had a falling out several years ago over an argument she never got the details on. It was common knowledge that Riley was still in contact with him, but it was understood she never mention it to either of her parents.
With a nod, Riley went about her work, cleaning up the kitchen. "Finish picking up this mess and then do the dishes. Then get dinner started. God knows she won't do it." He said calmly, standing up. Carefully, his slippered feet walked around the mess and into the living room where he turned the TV on at full blast and collapsed on the sofa.
Riley forced the tears down her throat, not letting herself get emotional over this. Her parents were ignorant, and all she had to do was grin and bear it. If she kept strong, someday she'd get out of her maybe find some real happiness. Someday.
Riley's thoughts had been wavering for the last few minutes, barely hearing Spencer speak as they walked down to the other interrogation room. They watched Penny through the two-way mirror, sitting on her knees in order to reach the tabletop. A red crayon was clutched in her hand, scribbling on a piece of paper. Reid wasn't nearly as worried about this conversation as the last, but indeed believed this little girl would give him the most information.
Opening the door, he stepped in carefully, not wanting to alarm the little girl. Penny looked up from her artwork, her jade green eyes lit up with interest and a little bit of fear.
Without a word, the young female officer stepped out of the room, giving the two privacy. "Hi, Penny," Reid said with a bright smile as he took the seat across from her. "My name's Spencer. Do you mind if I sit here with you?"
She hesitated, inching away from him. "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."
"That's very good, that's very safe." Reid nodded, folding his hands on the table. "But you're allowed to talk to a police officer, right? So you can talk to me."
She eyed him suspiciously. "You don't look like a police officer. Where's your uniform?"
"Well, I don't have a uniform, but…" He reached into his pocket and removed his badge, sliding it across the table to her. "I do have a badge, see? I'm a special kind of police officer. I'm an FBI agent, and I go all over the country to catch bad guys."
Penny picked up the badge in her little fingers, her inquisitive eyes taking in every aspect of the ID and medal. She seemed satisfied with it, setting it back down. "Are you going to find my brother?"
All he could see in his mind's eye was Henry, his precious little godson who asked him all kinds of questions about the world. Like with Henry, Reid didn't want to come straight out with the cold truth, giving a confident smile.
"I'm going to try my best." He answered.
"Good," She said, turning back to her coloring. "He does this all the time, but he's never been gone this long."
"Peter's gone missing before?" Reid asked, watching as she colored.
"Uh, huh." Penny grabbed a blue crayon, adding more swirls to the paper. It mixed with the red, creating streaks of purple here and there in the striations. "He usually goes down the street to the playground until Meredith or Mommy goes to get him."
"So… you think Peter ran away?" Reid wondered, a little bothered Alexa hadn't mentioned this before.
Penny was suddenly silent, her eyes looking directly at her picture, but not really seeing it at all. Her eyes were shiny with oncoming tears and she was obviously afraid.
"What is it, Penny?" Reid asked, concerned.
Her lip began to tremble, trying to fight off tears. "I can't tell you."
"Why not?" He asked kindly. "You won't get in trouble, Penny, I promise. In fact, if you tell the truth, it'll help me a whole lot."
She was reluctant, but, with sorrowful eyes, she looked to Reid. "He ran away with a monster."
A monster; that could be a clue she was making a story up. One even she believed was true, just to make sense of what had happened. "Did you see this monster's face?"
"I saw him at the park." She explained. "He kept asking Peter if he wanted to play. He said he didn't want to play with me because girls have cooties."
That sounded too real to be made up. "Was this monster a grown up?" He asked, trying to appeal to her.
"He was like a big kid." She explained. "Like Meredith… only a little bigger."
"Why did Peter leave with him?" Reid asked. "Did the monster come into your house?"
Tears were taking her over now, shaking her head. "I should have told Mommy… but Daddy would have been angry at me. They're going to be mad."
"No, they're not, Penny, I promise you, no one is mad." He assured, reaching to take her little hand. "We need to know what happened to your twin brother, it's important. Anything that you remember."
Struggling for a breath, Penny wiped her tears away from her cheeks. "Peter told him about Mommy and Daddy… how Mommy's always sad and… Daddy's always yelling… the monster said he could take him to a better place, a new home where he could be happy. Peter told me when we went to bed that he was going to leave that night, that he would wait for him in the front yard… and maybe soon, he'd send his new friend back for me and Meredith. But I didn't want to go with the monster, he was bad. Peter wouldn't believe me… and now he won't come home."
"It's okay, Penny," Reid hurried over to the other side of the table, taking the free seat and pulling the little girl into a hug. She clung to him tightly, instantly comforted, as so many people were when confronted by this man. "I'm very proud of you for telling me the truth. And I know your mommy will be, too."
"I'm scared he's going to come back for me." She sobbed lightly into Reid's shirt. "I'll never see my mommy again… or my daddy, or my sister…"
"I'm not going to let that happen." Assured Reid, pulling away to look in her eyes, comforting her with a strong smile. "I promise, nothing is going to take you away."
"Spencer," She muttered. "Are you afraid of monsters?"
"No," He said confidently. "They're scared of me. And they won't come and hurt you as long as I'm around."
She felt a bit better, her tears slowing down. Reid pulled her into another hug, helping her calm down.
Reid asked Penny to stay put for a moment and then he'd take her back to her mother. He stepped out of the interrogation room, finding Riley outside, watching the entire scene. As he saw her face, he was immediately concerned.
"Are you alright?" Reid asked, stepping over. His hand caressed her shoulder lovingly.
"Yeah, why?" She wondered.
"You look like you're about to cry." He said gently.
"Oh," she shook her head. "I guess I just feel sorry for these girls… their life sounds a little too familiar."
She glanced at Penny again through the window, feeling like she was indeed looking through the past at her younger self. She remembered her troubled childhood all too well, and no amount of drinking and running could have blocked it out.
"I know you can sympathize but you can't let yourself get emotional." He said, putting his arm around her waist and holding her against him. "You and Meredith and Penny have very different lives.
"No, Spencer, you don't understand." Riley argued, stopping, turning to face him. "You grew up in a different world, and I'm not saying it was easier or anything, it was just different. I can relate to Meredith and Penny. I can see how much pain they're in, how scared they are."
He considered that a moment, "Do you think Alexa and John hurt their children?"
"I doubt physically, but there's plenty of mental abuse there. In my experience and my opinion, I think that's worse." She insisted. "Their parents are miserable; they must fight all the time."
"That doesn't necessarily mean anything." Reid assured. He wasn't sure if he were thinking objectively or he just didn't want to side with Alexa. "I mean look at us, we fight all the time."
"Oh, no. That's different." Argued Riley. "You and I… we bicker, we quarrel, we pick little fights so we can have makeup sex in the kitchen. John and Alexa, their kind of fighting is… bad."
Her eyes glistened brightly, the tears desperate to take over. Her fingertips brushed over his chest, feeling his consoling heartbeat. "I grew up in a house like that, Spencer… I know the signs. These children are living in Hell… no wonder Peter left with a stranger so willingly. He was probably desperate to leave."
"Children living in abusive homes are less likely to be kidnapped than those who don't." Reid recited. It didn't make sense. "If the unsub's choice of victim was over money or attention… his main focus was just on having Peter. He might even have believed his family wouldn't spend much time looking for him."
"I'd say the unsub is mentally unstable himself, probably reaching out for boys who grew up in a similar home to his." Riley added, despondent.
"What he wants to do with the boys, though…" Reid trailed off, shaking his head. There were a number of obvious possibilities and none of them were good. "Let's not jump to conclusions. We'll wait for Garcia to finish the searches before we make some kind of theory."
Just as Reid was about to go back in, the two were disturbed from a cry down the hall. "Riley."
They turned to see who was walking toward them. "What's up, JJ?" Reid asked.
"I was just looking for Riley," She replied. "I just wanted to tell you Garcia's back from that… errand… you asked her to run."
"Oh," Riley mumbled slowly. She had actually forgotten. Her stomach twisted a bit, suddenly nervous. She really wanted to just forget the whole thing. "Uh… I'll be right there."
"Okay," Was all she said, hiding her smile, and turned to go back down the hall.
Turning back, she saw Reid looking at her curiously. "What errand?"
"Oh… just something for my flu." She answered, waving it off.
"If you want to go back to the hotel, Sweetheart, you can." He insisted, giving a gentle stroke to her arm. "If you're sick, I want you to rest."
She had an idea she'd be feeling much better by the afternoon. "Don't worry," she said, giving him a quick kiss before pulling begrudgingly out of his arms. "It's nothing major, I'll see you in a bit, okay?"
"Sure," Reid answered, still a bit doubtful. "Are you sure everything's alright?"
"Yes," She swore, and brushed a hand on his cheek. Without another word, she headed off in JJ's direction, certain within an hour's time, this whole scare would just be some humorous memory.