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As one, the team turned to Dr. Reid, questions in their eyes, and Spencer didn't know where to begin. He knew these people would help him get Lily back, but he also knew they were all wondering why he hadn't told them anything about her.
"Reid, we don't have much to go on. We need you to tell us everything you know about her." Hotch prompted sternly.
The team watched him silently while Reid sat and stared at his hands, his shoulders slumped. Then he stood up, walked to the front of the room, and looked at the empty whiteboard. Slowly his shoulders straightened, and he turned to face his teammates.
"Her name is Lily St John, and she's a freelance photojournalist. We met online. We chatted off and on for about a month. We would talk about anything under the sun except our true identities." He shrugged his shoulders apologetically.
"What can I say; it was nice to talk to someone who understands you without knowing your name. We have a lot of the same interests. The chat room we met in was for Star Trek."
Spencer laughed bitterly before continuing. "We're both insomniacs, and we bonded over descriptions of nightmares. Anyway, after about a month, I decided I wanted more, so I took a chance and told her who I am and what I do for a living. I advised her to do her homework and Google my name. I gave her my phone number and asked her to contact me if she wanted to talk after her research. She called me back in less than an hour, and we have been together ever since. She is kind, compassionate, outspoken, and opinionated. She's beautiful, and she loves me."
Spencer's voice broke a little, and he angrily dashed away, a tear rolling down his cheek.
"My nightmares went away because of her. She has given me hope that I can do this job and remain apart from it because she exists. I don't know what I will do if she doesn't survive this ordeal. I can't bear to think of her face taking its place in my nightmare world. I would rather die first!" He said, his voice rising to a level none of them had ever heard from him.
Gideon stood and placed a hand on his shoulder. Spencer flinched away, but then he turned to Gideon and said, "I have to be strong for her.
Morgan said, "I am going to talk to security and see how we got the tape." He grabbed the packaging and headed out the door.
"Gideon, can I speak with you for a moment in my office?" Hotch said.
The two of them left the conference room. Reid turned to Elle and said, "What do you think? As an expert in sexual crimes and murders? Where do we go from here?"
Elle stood up and said, "I don't believe this is sexual for our Unsub."
"Why not," Reid asked her.
"Because he said he wants you to come after him alone. Reid, this Unsub wants you and you alone. Lily is superfluous to his plans."
"But why not take me instead," Reid asked. "I can't even shoot straight!"
Elle stopped pacing and said, "Reid, your lover is only a means to an end, and that end is you." Kidnapping Lily is a game for the Unsub that only he can win, or so he thinks. The perp took Lily to involve you, but that isn't the only reason. He wants to torture you emotionally because he somehow knows what will hurt you the most."
Reid looked at her with shock on his face. "My God, he said," How can I be so stupid?"
Elle smiled broadly at him. She could almost see the wheels of his magnificent brain turning.
"Reid, remember you said to Hotch once that he kicked like a nine-year-old girl? You didn't allow what he said to you in that situation, as awful and degrading as it was, to hurt you and make you helpless. Don't let the kidnapper do it to you now. I see the pain in your eyes, and I will not rest until we have her back."
Reid grinned and said, "Alright, Ms. Kickass, let's get going!"
Elle smacked him playfully on the arm and turned toward the door.
"Elle?"
"What?" She turned back to see him with pink cheeks and red ears.
"You said "lover" earlier. How did you know?"
Elle grinned and said, "Really, Reid, we are profilers."
Reid groaned, "Does that mean Morgan knows too?"
"What do you think?"
"Oh, man, I must stop wearing my heart on my sleeve." He said, looking very much like a boy who'd lost his favorite toy."
"Come on," Elle gestured to the door, "Let's get to work."
Hotch and Gideon entered his office. Hotch sat behind his desk, and Gideon sat in a chair.
"I wanted to talk to you about Reid and find out if you think he can handle this." Hotch began.
Gideon rubbed his chin thoughtfully and said. "I don't know. The Unsub is trying to break him and using an innocent woman. We have no choice, Hotch. I believe the Unsub will hurt or even kill Ms. St John if we take him out of the game. You know he would never go along with sitting on the sidelines as well as I do."
"You are right as usual, Gideon. Let's not test how much he can take. We need to find Ms. and the Unsub fast."
"Hotch, I hope you and the others understand why Reid told me about Ms. St John and kept it from the rest of you."
"I think we all figured that something was going on, and I know that Morgan has been trying to get it out of him for weeks. But I understand Gideon; you are like a father to him, and you would have figured it out much quicker than the rest of us.
Gideon stood and said, "We need to get going with this. We know very little about the Unsub, so we need to know more about Ms. St John. I want to send Reid and Elle to check her home. She lives in Washington, DC, and I have already alerted CSI there."
"Okay," Hotch agreed," If we have to invade Ms. St John's privacy, we might as well have her boyfriend do it."
"That's what I think," Gideon said as they walked into the bullpen to find Elle and Spencer. Morgan was the only one at his desk.
"Where is everyone," Hotch asked, looking around.
Morgan said, "Elle lit a fire under Spencer, and they took off to DC to look at her place."
"Good, I was just coming out to tell him that's our next move."
