A 187 IQ, an ability to read 20,000 words per minute, an eidetic memory, three Ph.D.s and a masters in Philosophy, Spencer Reid was a certified genius. He was one of the smartest men in recorded history, surpassing many of the greatest minds, including Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking.
Yet for thirty seconds, he was nothing but a mindless moron.
Reid couldn't even think, his brain coming to a complete halt. At first, he wasn't even sure if he heard her right, crippled with shock. Riley's breath stuttered with fear as she waited for his reaction. She was silently screaming for him to say something… anything… just so she knew he understood and hadn't had a stroke.
"Preg… what?" He finally managed to utter.
"Pregnant." Riley repeated, starting to feel lightheaded again. She feared she might fall over in a minute… Reid seemed so distraught, so she wasn't sure he'd catch her.
"You're… pregnant." He finally uttered, gaining his motor function back. He took a step back, eyeing her up and down. There was a bit of difference from a few moments ago, but suddenly she was completely different being, a vessel for a new life. She looked so scared… after everything they'd been through, he'd never seen her so scared. Even when he'd come back from the dead.
"Are you sure?" He questioned, stunned.
"Like I said, I haven't been to a doctor yet." She stammered. Her tears seemed to cease for a moment. She'd been crying so much today, she'd need to gulp some water so as not get dehydrated. "However, I did take a test this morning… it was positive. I'm pregnant, Spencer."
"Oh… my…" Reid backed away, needing a moment to let this sink in. He'd been thinking about children for a long time now. He wanted so desperately to have a family with Riley, but knowing her anxiety about it, he wouldn't push her. He brought up the subject every now and then, but he never brought it down to ultimatums. It would be better if she came to the conclusion on her own.
But it seemed all that was irrelevant now… and it was finally happening.
Finally, he broke into the widest smile. "Oh my God…" He cried with an eccentric laugh. "I… I can't… believe this, you're pregnant! We're… we're having a baby!"
"Yeah…" Riley said softly, not exactly ready to jump with joy. "It would appear so."
"Oh my God," He said again, and at that rushed forward, instantly pulling her into her arms. Riley practically collapsed on him, so emotionally exhausted, she had no strength. She forced her negative emotions down. He was so happy, the last thing she wanted to do was hurt Spencer. This was exactly why she didn't want to tell him.
He was laughing and crying at the same time, holding her closer. "I am so sorry," He moaned, squeezing her as close as he dared in her condition. "I had no idea this is what you meant by a problem… I am so, so sorry.""
"Spencer… don't… don't be sorry." She groaned, clutching to him desperately. He smelled so good, breathing it in comforted her a bit. She needed his support so much right now, but couldn't tell him how she was feeling. It was like those first four months all over again, before she left for Seattle… when she wanted him so much, but every instinct was telling her not to burden him, that the best she could do for him was get away before either of them got hurt, before she ruined what could be an incredible life for him.
"No," Reid pulled up to see her face, his arms keeping her close to him. "I feel terrible… I should have known… maybe if we hadn't gotten wrapped up in this case, I would have noticed-"
"Spencer, I didn't even think of it." She explained. "If JJ hadn't suggested I might be, I would still think it was just the flu."
"I should have known, as soon as you started eating those apples." He said, staring to laugh, almost hysterically so. Everything that had just happened, everything he was going through on this case… none of it mattered. A moment ago, his entire world was unraveling. Now, he had a new perspective. Everything made sense again.
"Spencer," She said again. "I think we need to talk about this."
"Definitely, definitely we need to talk about this. A lot," He said smiling. "We have a lot to figure out, so much planning to do… but… oh, it's going to be so wonderful."
Riley wasn't so sure. She was starting to feel she wasn't so keen on terminating right away… but thinking of that just made her hate herself even more. Not only was she stupid enough to let herself get pregnant, now she was feeling she actually wanted it. That was so much more selfish than having either the coffee or cigarettes.
"I don't mean planning." She explained. "Just… talking things through… I'm really confused right now."
Before he could ask about what, the door opened at the entrance again. Reid looked behind him, taking Riley's hand. He couldn't remove the smile on his face if someone paid him. Hurrying over, he saw Emily had stepped out, looking for them. She was the first person he got to tell.
"There you guys are." She said with relief. "Everything okay with both of you?"
"Better than," Reid cried as they walked up. "Did you hear the news? We're going to have a baby!"
"Yeah I… I heard a rumor." Emily said, a little amazed. She looked to Riley with a prideful smile. "Congratulations, you guys."
"Thanks," Riley nodded, unable to look at her. Emily knew immediately just because Reid knew didn't mean everything was fine and dandy about this. And now that he did know, soon the chips were going to hit the fan.
"Uh," Emily said, changing the subject. "Reid, we're ready to give the profile… if you're coming."
"Yeah, I'm right behind you." Reid called. Emily stepped back inside, giving the couple one more minute alone.
"I promise, when I'm done we'll sit down and talk this over. I know you must be scared, and you have every right to be, but… you just wait. Everything is going to be great, you'll see."
"Uh, huh." Riley said, nodding. "I, uh… I think I need to go to the Ladies' Room again."
"That's great!" Reid exclaimed, practically giddy over the fact she was vomiting so much. Riley looked surprised. "I mean… I know it's uncomfortable to throw up, but… that usually means the baby's healthy and there's a lower chance of miscarriage."
"Oh… well…" She was definitely feeling nauseas now. "That's a good thing."
"Yes, it is…" He said, staring deeply into her eyes. It was hard to believe just a few minutes ago, his temper had taken complete control of him… nor a few hours ago, they were fighting. He was so happy, utterly and completely happy… she wanted more than anything to be happy with him.
His one hand cupped her cheek, the other pushing back her curly hair, a bit disheveled after the straining day she'd been through. She had never looked so beautiful… maybe it was his imagination, but she was already glowing. "Oh, Riley…" He said, so soft and gentle like. "I think I just feel in love with you all over again… I can't believe you're having my baby."
At that, he leaned and brought her into a kiss. Riley couldn't help but fall into it, letting out a soft, pleased moan. Her hand reached to clutch onto his shirt, their lips moving in the harmony they perfected many a year ago.
Their lips parted and Riley had no words. "I'll see you in there in a bit and we'll talk. I love you."
"I love you, too." She called as he hurried to get inside, leaving her alone. He rushed down the hall, wanting to get there before the team had to start the profile. "No matter what, I will always love you."
Her eyes closed as she let her tears fall. As she cried, her hands came up to rest on her stomach… thinking of what was in there… what she'd been so desperate to protect before… Spencer's baby… her-
"No!" She cried, shucking her hands off her stomach. Instead, she covered her face with them, crying all alone. She just couldn't let herself give in. This wasn't about what she wanted… because what she wanted was to be a good mother. And that just wouldn't happen.
"I don't understand, where is he?" Harper was demanding from her husband. There was no reason any of them were needed in the profile, but after the fun they'd had in the conference room, they didn't want to miss this.
That was until before. Jeremy had indeed been keeping a look out, but saw the other agents track down John before he could stop them, he abandoned him immediately. He wasn't about to go down for this. John was going to be furious when he got back up here.
"I don't know, he uh… got in trouble about something." He said with a shrug. "I guess the g-men were pissed so they found a reason to put him in lockup."
"Bastards," she muttered, glaring at Agents Hotchner and Prentiss, who were talking by the doors. "I can't believe this, that kid's even more of a big baby than in high school, needing his little friends to stick up for him."
"Yeah, he didn't have any friends in school, remember?" He teased. While Harper ranted, he eyed the agents cautiously… what did they know? Were they going to come after him, too?
Meanwhile, Emily was talking with Hotch. Reid hurried in just as the rest of the cops were assembling, catching his friends' attention immediately.
"Reid," Hotch said, intercepting him. He sounded serious, but wanted to be gentle just the same. "I'm sorry if I came down too hard on you out there. I was just concerned for you. I was just as upset about that as you were, but I knew I had to look out for you, too."
"Forget about it, Hotch." Reid waved it off. "There is nothing you could say to me right now that is going to upset me. But thank you for your concern."
Hotch was surprised. Reid had a tendency to brood about things, bottle up his emotions until they exploded. But this… he wasn't even pretending, he really was okay. Had he turned over a new leaf and decided just to let his anger go?
If that were a surprise, what happened next was a shocker. Without another word, Reid hurried off to the front of the room where the others were waiting. As he went, he saw Jeremy and Harper in a heated discussion, obviously hearing about what happened. They eyed him with caution and disgust respectively as he was about to pass, but Reid barely noticed.
"Hey, how are you guys doing?" He asked them with a smile, stepping off without another word.
The two agents gaped at the scene. "Did that just happen?" Emily asked, looking to Hotch.
He paused for a moment until the realization hit him. Looking to Emily, he inquired, "Riley told him about the baby, didn't she?"
"Yeah, but I don't think Reid knows the whole story." She explained, looking nervous herself. "It was so sad… he's so happy about this."
"That's a good thing. He's going to want to keep this baby at all cost, he'll talk it through with Riley and do anything to get her to see his side of the story." The faintest smile slipped out as he nodded with confidence. "It will be alright. Now, come on, let's go."
They were the last two to gather with the others. The whole room was at attention, the team of profilers stood before the room of cops and detectives, finally bringing light to, until recently, was an unknown serial case. As usual, the BAU's unit chief took point, leading off the presentation.
"We are looking for a white male in his early to mid twenties." He began. "His preference of victims are boys between the ages of 5 and 7 years and they're always a member of twins."
"His interest in the boys are unknown, though we do know it's not of a sexual nature." Rossi continued. "There's been no sign of trauma on the boys besides a few bumps and bruises and, of course, the ultimate cause of death. Which has varied from smothering, a broken neck, and drowning."
"We believe this man, like his victims, is a twin. Not just any twin, but what is known as a twinless twin." Morgan explained.
"What's a twinless twin?" A young officer asked, diligently making notes.
"It's a reference used to refer to a person who was a member of twins, but the other died at some point, either in or out of utero." Reid explained, back in his usual element. "Being connected to a person in the womb irreversibly changes someone psychologically, and when that person is suddenly gone, it can be devastating."
Morgan continued, "Since the unsub sticks to a preferred age, we believe his trauma happened at the same point of life. Something killed his twin and now he's forcing these boys to do the same so he can relive it."
Another officer asked, "What purpose would that serve for him, though?"
"Really, we can only guess. We may never know." Rossi informed. "He was very young, it's possible he's just trying to understand why his brother died. Then again, it's also probable he committed the murder himself, whether by accident or maliciously. Whatever it is, he is forcing himself to relive it over and over."
"This man does not have a criminal record. We know this because of the lack of sexual trauma. This man relates as easily to the boys as a pedophile, but since his interest is not sexual, there's been no reason to incarcerate him. Since none of the boys had any kind of drugs or alcohol in their bodies, odds are the man doesn't either. That rules out any illegal substance charges. We suspecting the most you'll find on him are parking violations."
"And we know he has to drive because the boys are being brought into Utah." Hotch added.
"He has no interest in the second twin, and he has no preference whether the boys are from dizygotic or monozygotic pairs, nor whether the unwanted twin is a boy or a girl." Specified Reid. "We suspect this means, though he had a brother, he was indeed a fraternal twin. Identical would suggest he'd target boys with the same features as he had as a child."
Emily spoke up next, "He targets boys in abusive families, and not necessarily physically abusive. More than likely just neglect. Children that are left alone while the parents work, who's parents ignore them a lot of the day, parents with their own abuse charges or possibly in the middle of a divorce."
Along with that, JJ added. "This kind of environment puts incredible stress on a child and when this man comes along offering them a life where they can play and be loved and just be a kid, they don't need much convincing."
Hotch knew he should be listening, but as JJ spoke, he found something to distract. Alexa had at last returned with her daughters, entering the squad room. Realizing what was going on, she said something to her eldest daughter, Meredith, who nodded – somewhat reluctantly – and took her sister from her mother. The two hurried over to the lounge while Alexa rushed over to listen to the presentation. She had been very interested in hearing this, anxious to know more about the man who took her son.
She moved to the front, keeping her distance from her so called friends. Instantly, she locked eyes with Hotch. He knew it had to be his imagination when she saw her gasp slightly at meeting his eyes. He looked away quickly, feeling his face get warm, but in that split second… that sensation he felt… he suddenly felt like a kid again.
The others were looking at him to continue. "Uh…" he had to think for a moment to know where to come in. "I think that's it, don't you?" He asked, looking to the others desperately.
None of which could believe he'd forgotten. Aaron Hotchner, always organized and prepared was a blank on what he was supposed to say. Immediately, JJ filled the gap, an expert at thinking on her toes. "We suspect the reason the first two boys were smothered is because he had difficulty controlling them. More than likely it was before he developed his preference. He went after boys he could easily grab when he knew they should be coming willingly."
"He wouldn't know they'd come so easily if he himself didn't live in a similar environment. He may or may not be married and have children of his own, but if he is, he may involuntarily be repeating this pattern with his children. He won't kill them however because none of them are twins." Rossi concluded. "We have our technical analyst looking through DMV records of someone who matches the profile, but no luck yet. We'll keep you informed, we suggest you start looking through old case files from a twenty years ago of similar deaths of these boys."
The officers took their notes and headed off, ready to set to work this investigation. The group gathered together, looking to Hotch curiously.
"Are you alright, sir?" JJ asked, concerned. Always seeming the mother of the group, showing concern for each and every one of her friends.
"Just tired." He said quickly, rushing to get away. "Excuse me."
Pushing through the group, Hotch hurried off, trying to ignore the eyes all around him… especially the jade green ones he felt burning into his back.
He rushed to make it to the conference room, hidden by the pillars from most prying of eyes. Alone there, Hotch let out a few deep breaths. He didn't know how to deal with this… he'd never felt himself so distracted before, like he was that foolish rookie all over again.
And as the one who remembered Hotch as a rookie, Rossi wasn't far behind, joining him. "What's going on with you? Are you alright?"
"Yes," he grumbled. He did not want to discuss this… he couldn't believe he was letting this happen, even a little.
"Are you sure? Because you seem upset, and I don't think it's about Hayley anymore."
"What would you know about it?" He groaned, turning around. "As soon as one wife was out of the picture, you were on the prowl for the next one. Maybe I'm just having trouble letting a woman I loved go to another man."
"That's deep, Aaron… lying." He said, trying not to smile. "This has nothing to do with Hayley getting married. This is about that blonde number that's been staring at you every chance she's gotten today." He said, trying not to smirk. "And who's been catching your eye since… oh, back in Quantico, I think."
"If you're referring to Alexa, Dave, you don't know what you're talking about." He snarled at him. He wanted to hurry away, deal with this on his own with Rossi's all too amused smirk on his face, but there was no way out of here. Even if he could get past Rossi… he'd have to walk by her again and that would twist his stomach into even more knots.
"I know exactly what I'm talking about." He insisted. "Just admit it, you like her. Look past the immoral complications of not only the fact she's a victim's mother, but also that she happens to be married and just let yourself admit it. There's nothing wrong with having a crush."
That was right. It was just a crush. Hotch hadn't had a crush like this in a long time, not since he first walked into that auditorium and landed eyes on that beautiful sophomore. Either way, though, there was nothing wrong with it. People had crushes all the time, mostly on people they couldn't have, people they could never meet. There was nothing wrong with this besides the fact he was letting it affect his work.
"You're right," He breathed. "It's foolish, I know… we've just been getting along well, we've had some really nice talks and… she's a lot of fun to be around. I know Reid doesn't like her, but he only knows who she used to be. Now she's funny and kind and… you have to admit, she's very beautiful."
Beautiful. That word stuck like bugs to a strip of fly paper in the older man's mind. "Careful, Aaron, you're playing with fire there." Rossi said, a bit more seriously.
Confused, "You just said there was nothing wrong with this."
"Not if you're staying away from her. If she were just a victim, I wouldn't even be standing here, but… she's a married woman. Now I'm good at what I do. I, like the others, can see that marriage hit the rocks a long time ago… but until divorce is actually on the table, you don't want to be the breaking point for a marriage or even a factor that severs it… believe me, I know."
"What, you broke up a marriage in your time?" Hotch asked with a tilt of his head.
"Yes I did. My third wife was married when we first started dating, got married soon after she got divorced and… well, as you know, it didn't take long for the flame to fizzle out." Rossi said. "Just be careful, Hotch, you're a much better man than me. Breaking up a marriage will break you."
He understood. Rossi hadn't come in here just to warn him about being professional, he cared so much about his friends like that. "Thanks for the advice, Dave."
"Anytime," He said, heading back into the precinct. Hotch stood alone for a few minutes. Surprisingly, his mind wasn't buzzing, as he thought it would… as it should be after giving the profile… but all he could think about were those jade green eyes.