(Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters)

Thanks for sticking with this story.

Enjoy

Spencer scowled when he saw that his messages weren't going through to his brother's number. He paused for a moment before realising he'd been blocked.

"One down," he muttered and he turned off his phone.

"Reid?"

Spencer jumped, nearly dropping his phone as he glanced around. "Hotch."

Aaron narrowed his eyes at Spencer's phone and the young man tucked it away in his pocket. He looked up at Aaron and saw the unit chief was still frowning and Spencer's awkward smile fell. He dropped his head into his hands. "I'm sorry," he said.

"What for?"

Spencer pulled his head from his hands and raised an eyebrow at Aaron. He motioned to his phone. "For being distracted."

"I told you to take the time off."

"I know... I just wanted to work through this. It's just... family issues."

Aaron nodded. He knew all too well about family issues.

"I will sort this all out before the next case though. I'll leave my phone at home."

Aaron shook his head. "No, we need to contact you. Just use your work phone for work and not personal."

Spencer snorted and when Aaron frowned he explained himself quickly. "I Uh... haven't got a personal phone... just a cord phone in my apartment."

Aaron laughed then. "You need to act your age, Reid! Rossi even has an iPhone."

Spencer smiled to himself. The distraction was a welcome relief.

The rest of the case seemed to flash by for Spencer. One moment they were discussing it the next he had his vest on and gun out in front of an old gas station.

"Morgan, you, Reid and Prentiss go around the back."

Spencer looked across at Hotch who was advancing toward the front of the building.

"Reid."

Spencer followed Morgan around the back with Emily behind him. Once inside the building Morgan searched the back room while Emily took the rooms on the right. Spencer continued forward to a door he assumed took him into the front of the shop. He could hear Morgan yell, giving the clear in his room, and Emily a moment later.

Spencer carefully stepped over boxes and plastic wrappings left to crumple on the floor. He got to the door and hesitated. He pressed his ear to the door and listened.

He could hear JJ. Then Rossi, his voice a little louder. Something along the lines of 'drop it' and Spencer felt anxiety clench up his throat. He gently pressed down on the door handle so the door opened a pinch. He could still hear Emily and Derek rattling around in the rooms behind him.

Morgan called his name but Spencer was holding his breath as he caught a glimpse of the view on the other side of the door.

JJ and Rossi had their guns raised in his direction. With their backs to Spencer was Hotch and the unsub. Spencer recognised the man's greasy blonde hair from the pictures Garcia had sent over.

Spencer's hand fell from the door knob when he saw the stance Hotch and the unsub were in. Hotch had his hands raised and the unsub had his arm around his neck and from the frightened look on JJ's face Spencer assumed the unsub held a knife or a gun.

Knife, Spencer thought as he looked at the angle of the unsub's raised arm.

"Y-you drop it!" yelled the unsub in a deep southern twang. JJ hesitated but slowly lowered her gun.

"On the floor, sweet-cheeks."

JJ dropped the gun but Rossi stood fiercely with his raised.

"G-go on!" the unsub said, shaking Hotch as he did. He nodded toward Rossi. "I said drop it! I'll slit him! I'll cut him like a pig!"

Spencer slowly stepped through the door as he watched Rossi's eyes flick to him briefly. His face remained the same and he looked back at the unsub and cautiously lowered his gun. Spencer raised his.

"G-good," the unsub said and he adjusted his grip on Hotch who just kept his arms up. Clearly the unsub was nervous when talking to men so he turned back to JJ. "You gonna let me walk outta here, okay," he said.

"You killed five people, Clive, we can't let you go."

The unsub became incensed and from JJ's gasp Spencer assumed the knife was pushed harder against Aaron's neck. Spencer stopped moving and aimed his gun.

"You're gonna!" the unsub snapped and one of Hotch's hands clenched suddenly in mid-air.

"No!" Rossi said. He looked at Spencer and then at the unsub. "If you hurt him then that's it. You won't ever leave this place."

"I jus' wanna get out."

"Not like this. Put the knife down."

"No!"

"Do it!"

"What're you gonna do, hey? You ain't got your weapons! Don't move!"

JJ had seen Spencer then. Emily and Morgan would get there any moment. Spencer hoped they did.

"Drop the knife," Rossi said again.

"I wanna get out first!"

"We can't-"

"Then he ain't gonna live!"

Spencer saw the unsub's arm move suddenly and he fired his gun.

The unsub's arm dropped as did the knife, which was longer than Spencer had imagined.

"The hell-"

The unsub stumbled backwards trying to look where the shot had come from. Aaron, now free from the knife, lunged at the unsub, shoving him into the floor and pressing his knee into the guy's back.

Spencer had hit his shoulder, just below the collarbone. Not a fatal shot.

Hotch snapped a set of cuffs over the unsub's wrists as Morgan and Emily burst in, their guns raised.

"I was calling you!" Morgan said, smacking Reid's shoulder as the young man holstered his weapon. He glanced over at Hotch and in turn the unsub and he sighed. "I hate goin' around the back," he muttered.

Police started to come in as JJ retrieved hers and Rossi's weapons, handing his back to him as Rossi looked up at Spencer.

"Good job, kid," he said when Spencer shuffled around the officers and joined them.

Aaron nodded in agreement and he rubbed at his neck where he'd been nicked by the blade.

The others started to leave but Aaron stopped Spencer at the door. Spencer was shocked to see him smile.

"Thank you," he said.

"You'd do the same for me," Spencer said and he returned the smile.

Spencer was still so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he barely noticed getting into a car. He sat there thinking about everything his dad had told him and how his one brother had reacted to him.

Spencer looked down at his phone and clicked off the blocked number. He gave a sigh and was about to turn the phone off when he saw the other number. He stared at it for a long time before glancing up at Rossi and Emily in the front. They were absorbed in their own conversation so Spencer went back to looking at his phone.

After a few minutes Spencer finally noticed something strange about the number. He recognised it.

The combination was something he remembered... someone he knew. Spencer felt his breath catch in his throat as Hotch's name floated through his mind in connection to the number.

It couldn't be.

Spenecr tapped the number so he could see it better and he read the numbers over and over to himself. It was Aaron Hotchner's number.

Spencer glanced at the window. They still had twenty minutes until they got to the jet. He started typing but stopped after a moment. Instead he typed one word.

Aaron?

Spencer sent the text and held his breath.

"-Saturday, Reid?"

Spencer's eyes shot to the front of the car and he saw Emily watching him. He smiled awkwardly.

"Yea?"

"Were you listening?"

"No, sorry."

Emily shook her head but her smile remained friendly.

"Rossi is going to cook Saturday evening, you're coming," she said simply and she winked.

Spencer swallowed as he felt his phone vibrate. He kept his eyes on Emily as he nodded. "Sounds good," he croaked. He waited until Emily turned to the front before he grabbed his phone.

He read the text with his nerves through the roof.

Who's this?

Without thinking Spencer typed another one word message back.

Myles.

He bit his lip and suddenly regretted the text. Aaron started typing back.

I can have this number tracked.

Spencer dropped his phone. He hadn't thought about that. He was lucky Hotch hadn't recognised his personal phone number like he had done to his.

Spencer rubbed his face slowly. That just meant he was going to have to tell Aaron the truth soon. He could do it now. Spencer grimaced.

Maybe texting wasn't the best way.

Spencer picked up his phone again to see another message.

You're sick.

Spencer's eyebrows fell sadly and he stared at the messages. After a few moments he decided to try and explain.

I'm sorry

He started and his finger paused on the send button before he started to type again.

I just found out about this all. I know about your-

Spencer paused and changed the 'your' to 'our.'

Father and what he did. If we met would you let me explain?

Spencer sent the text and saw the tick beside it that meant read. But Aaron didn't respond.

Spencer didn't look at his phone again until they were on the airstrip. He glanced across at the other SUV and watched as Aaron joined them and struck up a conversation with Rossi.

Spencer pulled out his phone and began to type again.

Please. We have the same mother, I just want to meet you all.

Spencer sighed as he sent the text. He looked ahead of him as Aaron checked his phone, breaking eye contact with Dave as he did. Spencer gripped his phone tight, hoping Aaron didn't look his way but at the same time praying for him to do just that.

He watched as Aaron swallowed and quickly dropped his phone back in his pocket, shaking his head at Rossi as they started walking to the jet. Spencer watched them, his phone still out, hanging between his fingers like the disappointment over him. Morgan brushed his shoulder as he walked by and turned so he was walking backwards.

"Yo, pretty boy, you coming or what?"

Spencer shook his head and stumbled forward.

"Yes," he mumbled, then a little louder, "Yes, I'm... I'm coming, hold on."

Spencer looked down at the message and huffed. He switched his phone off and slipped it back into his pocket. He hurried after Morgan onto the jet and found himself a seat which happened to be right across from Aaron.

He pulled his book out too and read for a while. At some point he couldn't keep distracting his mind from the situation and he started glancing up at Aaron and fidgeting.

Eventually Spencer stopped anxiously shifting in his seat and he stared at Aaron as he read the case file obliviously. He felt the words on the tip of his tongue. "I'm Myles..."

Aaron looked up, his eyes blown wide. Spencer shut his mouth quickly, his cheeks brushed red.

"What?"

"Um... I-I-"

Aaron cocked his head to the side. "Myles?" He whispered. His face suddenly twisted with emotion. "Myles!"

Spencer shook his head and opened his eyes. Aaron was still reading the case file.

Spencer mentally scolded himself for playing out scenarios in his head.

He stood up and excused himself for the bathroom.

Aaron glanced up at Spencer for a moment before looking back down at his phone which he'd hidden behind his file. He'd send the message. He had to.

He stole himself and clicked the send button.

He looked at his phone as the message delivered but went unread. Just as he was putting his phone away a soft ping came from across him. He glanced up and saw Spencer's phone poking out of his bag.

I'll leave it there. I hoe this long chapter made up for the shorter ones.

See you soon, stay safe.