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

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter.

I've had a crazy busy few weeks, hopefully you guys get this Saturday or Sunday. It's currently Thursday and I've only written 400 words. Fingers crossed. Nope... I just had no motivation. I'm sorry guys.

I had some uni results back last week and I really wanted a first in my main project but I just missed out. Since then I had a seed of doubt in my mind in regards to my writing. I just didn't feel good enough anymore hence why I stopped writing this story, I lost faith in my ability. I am back now, I've gotten over it and I'm ready to prove my doubt wrong, or at least I hope I can.

I want to do a better job on the chapters but I've got work and paired with poor motivation I'm failing you. Hopefully this chapter is up before Friday. As soon as I have settled back into a better routine the stories and chapters will improve.

Anyway, sorry again and Enjoy.

"I don't understand how he killed so quickly."

Emily stared at the photo and the brutality of the injuries displayed on the body. She looked away after a moment, setting the photo down and keeping her eyes averted from it. Aaron was pacing. He had been for some time.

Emily had also watched tears dry on his face as he went slowly through the photos before he started his pacing.

Rossi and Garcia joined them, mostly because Penelope was their best hope at tracking Ed's new movement. Rossi reached across the table and picked up the photo Emily had dropped. Garcia glanced away from her laptop but quickly hid her face.

"Put it down," she said. "Please, I don't want to see it again."

"Sorry," Rossi muttered and he turned the photo towards himself so no one else could see.

"The level of violence," Emily mumbled, closing her eyes before she continued. "There couldn't have been much mess up. He pulled her over and just..."

"Caught her off guard," Rossi said, putting the photo back down but continuing to look at it. "He must have grabbed her and pulled her neck up, that wound is deep, he got himself into a position of good access."

Garcia was cringing away from Rossi as he spoke.

"He has a lot of anger," Aaron muttered and he paused for a few seconds to look at his team, none of whom argued. They knew the reason why Ed was so angry and why this new murder was an escalation. The reason was lying in hospital, alive, a knife in Ed's plans.

Aaron's phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket, turning away from the team to read his text.

"Where did Reid shoot him again?" Morgan asked as Aaron had his back turned.

"Shoulder," Emily said. "Reid said it knocked him unconscious and he didn't see anymore after that because he fell in."

Morgan let out a long sigh before he said, "he's not likely to go to the hospital if it's a flesh wound and the shoulder ones usually are."

"Hurt like hell though," Rossi muttered and he huffed out a chuckle. "At least I hope it does."

"Wish I was there to shoot him too," Morgan said, glaring down at the photos on the table. Morgan glanced at Aaron who's shoulders were hunched as he typed on his phone. "Everything okay, Hotch?"

Aaron turned, continuing to look down at his phone as he sent his message. He nodded slowly and looked up. "Yes. Sean is at the airport."

Rossi turned sharply and scowled at Aaron who tucked his phone away and sighed.

"He insisted on coming when I called," he said.

"Is that wise? All three of the unsub's biological children in one place?" Rossi raised an eyebrow, watching Hotch with narrowed eyes. Aaron frowned in return.

"He knows the risks. I didn't want him to come either but he wants to see Spencer."

"I understand but-"

"You don't understand," Aaron said quickly, effectively cutting Rossi off mid-speech. The older man closed his mouth and straightened his back, his own gaze unmoving under Aaron's glare. "You have no idea what it was like when we were told our brother was dead. Sean was Myles' older brother too. He used to ask me why dad hadn't killed him instead. And he never stopped feeling guilty. I can't deny him this."

Rossi kept his mouth closed and his eyes fell to the floor. Aaron stopped glaring at him.

"I'm going to meet him at the hospital," he said, and he looked around at his team. "I want everything you can find on this new murder. Remember, he's injured and angry but he has transport. I will brief the officers at the hospital. He might try and get inside."

Hotch didn't wait for his team to reply although they only nodded. He turned and walked away, thinking only of his brothers.

Rossi watched Aaron go, his one eye narrowed. He turned in his chair with a sigh. "Well, we can use them as bait if we have to," he muttered sarcastically, fearing the truth behind his words.

"So that's Myles," Sean said, looking into the square room window where he could see Spencer sat up in bed, listening to whatever JJ was talking about. He glanced back at Aaron who was looking through the window fondly.

"Yes but his name isn't Myles anymore," Aaron said, giving Sean a serious look, his eyebrows low. Sean raised his hands defensively.

"Spencer right?"

Aaron nodded. "He's still Reid too. I think Diana has earned the right to remain his mother. Her and William saved him that night."

Sean looked away from Aaron and through the window. He nodded. "I think I'll go in now," he said, his voice quiet and faraway as if he wasn't all there. Aaron looked across at him as his brother stepped forward, his pale face reflecting in the window.

Aaron reached out and grabbed Sean's arm before he could open the door. Sean stopped and turned to look at his brother. "Sean," he said with a sigh, releasing Sean's arm when he saw the young man wouldn't pull away. "There's something else."

Sean looked to the door and then back at Aaron. "About Spencer?" he asked, more visibly nervous than before.

"It's dad."

"You said they hadn't found him."

"Yes. That's still the case but he did something just an hour after attacking Spencer."

Sean's hand dropped from the door handle. He stared at Aaron. His hands were shaking at his sides.

Aaron breathed in. "He killed a woman," he said before exhaling. Sean closed his eyes.

"I thought he was hurt?" Sean asked and his voice shook.

"He still managed it. He needed her car. He also carved my name into her skin."

Sean turned into the door quickly, swallowing fast. He closed his eyes again and Aaron could hear his fast breathing.

"How old was she?" Sean asked finally after some long deep breaths.

Aaron looked at his brother's back and shook his head.

Sean turned. "Aaron?"

"You don't need to know."

"My father murdered another person! I want to know!"

"Yasmine Sharp," Aaron said. Sean slumped against the doorframe, holding the handle to keep himself up. "She was thirty-one."

"A-any kids?"

"No. She was married to a woman. I don't know anything more."

Sean leaned his head against the door and Aaron didn't speak again. He gave his brother a moment. He recalled how heavily the first two murders plagued Sean's young mind. He was never desensitised to it, in fact the reverse happened to Sean, he was hyper-aware of the tragedy.

When they were young and their family smaller, Aaron often found himself hurrying to his brothers room to help him through a nightmare.

"Can I see a photo?"

Aaron met Sean's eyes and he shook his head sadly. Sean understood.

"Sean, I'm sorry."

Sean nodded slowly and his hand wrapped around the door handle. "Me too," he mumbled.

The face was familiar to Spencer in two ways.

He knew it was Aaron's brother stood in front of him but there was a deeper recognition stirring within him. The realisation that he too was one of Aaron's brothers was startling.

He stared back at Sean with each of these ideas stretching across his mind.

At the same time, Sean was repeating Spencer's name in his head and pushing Myles away from his thoughts. It was hard to connect the two when his little brother no longer shared their last name. His first name didn't even fit anymore.

Despite this, as Sean looked at the young man in bed he could make out the little brother he lost all those years before.

He saw the floppy hair, that would curl in random places when he woke up from a nap and which Sean would rough up until Aaron would make him quit.

He remembered the big brown eyes the same that Spencer Reid was now staring at him with. He remembered Myles staring him down with those wide eyes with a book under his arm. Sean remembered saying no and those puppy dog eyes turning on Aaron who always gave in.

"Spencer," Sean said finally, pushing past the memories and looking at Spencer as the strong young man he had become. JJ stood, smiling back at Sean and quietly excusing herself from the room. Sean stepped aside and stood awkwardly as JJ left, leaving them alone together.

"I'm Sean... Aaron's brother..." the word brother fell slowly from Sean's mouth and his eyes widened.

Spencer smiled and shifted into a better upright position, wincing as he did.

"I know you, Sean," he said. Sean noticed how Spencer's voice rasped and he winced on the young-man's behalf. "Granted it hasn't been on many occasions. I guess it feels like we're meeting again now we know... well... khm... you know."

Spencer swallowed, his face screwing up with pain as he did, forcing a cough from his raw throat which only worsened the irritation.

Sean moved further into the room. He was still staring at Spencer, unable to stop himself counting the similarities and the features he'd once known so well.

"You're my brother," Sean said, stepping around the bed and looking closely at Spencer. A smile came to his face when Spencer's face became clearer and the link between him and Myles solidified.

"I-I guess I am," Spencer said and he smiled when Sean laughed.

"You have no idea," Sean said, choking off at the end of his sentence. His eyes continued to gaze at Spencer. "How much I missed you," he said, finishing his sentence with an emotional hitch in his voice. Spencer felt his own stomach clench with emotion.

Sean leaned forward and without thinking he pulled Spencer against him in a crushing hug that was also gentle and aware of Spencer's fragility. He couldn't believe he was holding his brother again. The nightmare he'd been living all his life seemed to ebb away as if Sean was waking up for the first time in twenty-two years.

Spencer didn't say anything. He didn't even try to tell Sean how he wasn't a hugger or in fact a toucher in any sense of the word. Spencer felt at ease and he gripped Sean back, his fingers gripping at his jacket, clinging to him in a way that felt so familiar.

It was the safest Spencer had felt in a long time.

Spencer didn't remember falling asleep. He opened his eyes to see Sean gone. His heart sank with disappointment. He wanted to talk about so much more with Sean but each time a conversation started the pauses would lull Spencer back to sleep. And no-one had the heart to wake him every time it happened, simply explaining that he needed rest when he woke up with an annoyed look directed at his visitor.

Spencer turned his head slowly, pulling on his oxygen cannula as he moved his head to the cooler side of his pillow. He saw Hotch on his other side. His body was turned toward the door as if waiting for someone to enter. Spencer watched his anxious movements. From the side he could see the lines in Aaron's face and the tiredness hanging under his eyes. Spencer felt his eyes sting suddenly as his kind made connections he consciously refused to make.

He knew what was hiding behind Aaron's tried and deteriorating mask.

Aaron was about to move his hand off the bed to rub at his jawline when he felt Spencer's hand grab his. He turned back around and saw Spencer's wide teary eyes staring back at him.

"Spencer," Aaron started but Spencer shook his head quickly.

"I know," he said. "I know and I understand. I won't push you to talk about it. I just wanted to thank you."

Aaron turned so he was facing Spencer better. Spencer squeezed his hand softly. "What are you talking about?"

Spencer smiled. "You protected me from it back then. You kept Sean and I safe."

Aaron blinked slowly, watching a tear roll down Spencer's cheek. He stared at Spencer and the state he was in. He hadn't protected him.

"I didn't-"

"No one saw this coming," Spencer mumbled, looking down at himself and swallowing thickly. "You thought I was dead for twenty-two years. But I know what he's like. I know what he did to you and I know he only got to you because you never let him get to us."

Aaron's shoulders fell as he exhaled slowly. His eyes fell to the floor before he spoke. The silence between them grew like a great balloon of trauma filling the room until Aaron spoke, popping the tension. "He beat Sean once," Aaron said, taking another deep breath and releasing it. "Mom had taken you somewhere and Ed took the day off because Sean was sick."

Spencer felt his own lips tremble as his mind began constructing the scene. A dingy little house with yellow lighting, glowing the scene with a dreary mustard glow. Spencer saw a kitchen, Sean hiding behind a chair, pale and unwell, watching his father slowly loosen his belt, his weapon of choice.

"I got in from school and I could hear them yelling from outside. Sean had thrown up so Ed hit him and he didn't stop until I came in and stopped him." Aaron paused, looking up at Spencer who was watching and listening intently. Aaron rolled up his sleeve slowly and he showed Spencer his forearm, pointing to a long scar running up the skin like a crude lightening bolt.

"He cut me for hitting him," Aaron said, looking at his arm for another moment before pushing his sleeve back down. "After that I didn't leave you or Sean alone with him. Especially when he came home drunk."

Spencer looked down. "He did didn't he?" Spencer didn't look up which Aaron was grateful for as he tried to talk past the lump in his throat, he swallowed hard.

"Yes," he said, the word raspy and pulling up a string of painful memories that had Aaron closing his eyes. He shoulders shook and he grit his teeth, trying to push the memories out.

He saw Ed. He saw him smiling, laughing, shoving Aaron onto the floor. Shoving Aaron into the wall, the counter, the door. The bed.

Aaron grasped loudly when Spencer's hand grabbed hold of his and brought him up from his memories as if he'd been submerged in cold water.

He glanced at Spencer, his hand shaking in his little brother's smaller fingers. "I'm sorry," Spencer mumbled.

Aaron gripped his hand. "Me too."

Thanks for reading.

See you soon. Stay safe