Disclaimer: I don't own criminal minds.

See end of chap for notes.


"Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won't come in."

-Isaac Asimov-


One of the very first things that David Rossi learned in Nam was how dangerous pretense could be. Walking into a situation thinking that you had all the answers was a recipe for disaster and knowing not to was a lesson that had been hard taught. But he had learned it then impressed it on Jason the first time the idiot went and got himself shot. Impressed it on Ryan when the man was first learning how to back track a perp through a profile. Impressed it on every single class he ever taught, in all three of his books, and every time he held a lecture. Because false pretenses got people killed and made people easier targets.

At his age, not that he was old but he had entered early retirement, he thought he knew the lesson. Thought he had a good grasp on it. Thought he was somehow immune to human nature to rely on previous knowledge to draw new conclusions and certify them as fact.

'Only fools are certain and assured', the Michel de Montaigne quote that he used in lectures the quote he parroted while Jason told everyone to 'think outside the box' both good advice but neither stopped the hissed breath from escaping his lips as he stepped into the house on Orchid Avenue.

He knew that there would not be any signs of the Reid family in the house. Time has a way of destroying evidence and the price point did not speak to a quick sale but rather someone who renovated and flipped the house. The differences were even visible on the outside. New red door, new windows, fresh coat of paint, sod and landscaping. All different from the overgrown mess that was shown in the pictures. The realtor was a portly man with a red face that almost seemed to be choked by his white Oxford. He wore a brown sport jacket that probably had not button closed in a decade and had a grey tie that was being blown by the wind.

After the annoying pleasantries of the day they entered the house. The realtor opened the door and allowed Rossi to step in and just stare, take note of the beige like off white walls, the painted foot boards and after a small buffer zone of tile the new sand colored carpet stretched from one end of the room to the other. Rossi took a few more steps in and scanned using his recall to try and recreate the crime scene in his mind. The books that lined the walls, the singular termite ridden couch, the sheet tucked in and the door that had years of wear and tear. He had to give it to whomever renovated they had not done to bang up a job. The realtor was talking. Something about the style and the updates. Dave just nodded tuning in just enough to make it look like he was really interested. The dining room and kitchen had new white colored tiles that stretched from the plastic runner that separated the living room from the area to the runner that separated the hallway from the area and all the way against the back wall. The cabinets had not been changed still a pine tone with white countertops. The fridge and pantry sitting behind the U shaped counters. He stopped in the middle of the U eyes trained on where he suspected a blood stain still sat beneath the polished white tile.

It was a good 30 feet from this spot to either exit. The biggest question of the logistics of this whole thing hit him again. How did whoever did this move Spencer after he fell. How was it that there was this one blood spot then nothing else.

He had spent to long looking. The realtor cleared his throat eyes narrowed and not softening after Dave blinked back to reality and offered him a reassuring grin. The bathroom was like every other bathroom he had ever seen.

The house fit his mental floor plan to that point. He then made the cardinal error of believing that the rest of the house would fit as well.

He was wrong.

The back bedroom, he had determined belonged to the mother, was small and much longer than it was wide. It was now carpeted with the same color as the living area. It held one small closet and nothing else. He thought of the report of the photo of Diana's bedroom and realized that it wouldn't fit so this room had to belong to the one stained mattress that he assumed Spencer and Julian shared. He looked into the closet tapping until he found a hollow spot toward the middle of the closet no doubt having covered the cubby hole Julian had mentioned. The realtor said something about loose floor boards and rubbed the back of his bulging neck. Rossi once again just smiled.

So this is the room that Julian was in if her story was to be believed. And if this part was true then the rest of her account held very little water. If she had been in the front room it would be feasible that she saw the man before Spencer peeled her away from the window and hid her. But from the back room there are no sight lines to the front or the back to give a positive id.

His heart fell and something rose in his throat. Maybe the child was just confused. Maybe the worse that happened here was some bad police work. He went to the front of the house as the realtor showed the master bedroom.

Dave wondered when the next flight was and if he would be home by tomorrow night. He pulled out the photo and folded it in his hand. Maybe this should be the picture's final resting place. Here in the place that the boy called home. Who knew maybe ten years from now someone else would come across the photo and figure out some missing piece he missed.

The last thing they looked at was the hall closet.

By this point both knew the rest of this showing was going to be fruitless. So as they finished up and the realtor went to sign in on the form in the kitchen and Dave shut the doors of the hall. Starting with the bathroom and moving clockwise. Resting his hand on the frame for a moment of each apologizing to the house for not being able to give it closure.

He placed the boys photo on the top shelf of the linen closet tucking it into the corner where it wouldn't be easily found before shutting the door. Then he went to shut the master bedroom door and he stopped short. Hand resting against the white painted wood he remembered that this was the place that Spencer had been attacked his last act holding a door key and facing this door as if to lock it.

Why.

When Rossi thought of this front room belonging to the children the answer was clear. Another layer of protection for Julian. But now the knowledge that it belonged to the mother instead had his brain reeling.

Why turn your back to lock the door of an empty room when your attacker is behind you.

There had to be noise right no matter what was happening their had to be noise that is what spurred the boy into action.

The back door had not shown signs of forced entry if he remembered correctly so that meant either the attacker was in the house or came in the front. Either way they would have to get the frying pan from the kitchen and that couldn't have been quiet. So why lock the door. Why not tuck yourself away and wait.

His first thought was valuables. The boy locking the door to keep the attacker away from the things in Diana Reid's room. But the picture did not show any valuables he could think of and he doubted that the house in the state he the pictures showed boated many high value items.

The other thought was protection. The boy locking the door to keep the attacker away from Diana Reid.

"Is everything alright sir?" The realtor asked now standing in the front of the house looking back at Rossi.

"Yeah," Rossi said with a nod watching the man leave the house before slipping the photo back into his pocket. There were the normal platitudes then the two men went their separate ways.

Once he made it back to the car he drove off not wanting the realtor to see the inner turmoil he was feeling at the moment. He had hoped the house would provide clear answers not repeat the same question. Damn this hamster wheel of a case he didn't remember it being this hard to feel like he was getting somewhere.

"Che palle!" He intoned hand slamming against the wheel?

"What about the balls?" A voice intoned behind him and he jerked his head back meeting a pair of brown eyes before the small child pointed forward "car" the girl said making him slam on the brakes and directed the rental car to the shoulder of the road before hitting the car ahead.

He then took a few calming breaths hands gripping and releasing the wheel trying to starve off his impending panic attack.

"Jules I told you we had to stay quiet." A second voice called from the back and Rossi stepped out of the car shutting the door behind him and pacing the side of the road.

After a few minutes and a lot of curses he sat down and looked into the rear view mirror where he could see the faces of the two children.

"Get in a seat." He told them and they quickly complied the boy helping the girl climb over the seats to sit down before doing so himself.

"Now, do either of you want to tell me what in…." he took a deep breath "the world you think you are doing?"

"We are…" The girl started but the boy reached over tapped her shoulder and shook his head. Rossi turned his gaze on the boy.

"We um, saw you going into the house and um…" the boy mumbled.

"You forgot to interview Ethan."

"Jules."

"All interviews, whether with victims, witnesses or suspects, are termed "investigative interviews". The information gathered in an investigative interview is tested against available facts. These interviews provide high-quality material that enables the guilty to be brought to justice and the innocent to be exonerated. They increase public confidence in the investigating agency, be it local or federal, particularly with victims and witnesses of crime." The girl said in a soft monotone that had Rossi's hard gaze on the boy turn to one of surprise as he twisted to look at the girl.

"That's from my book."

"Page 142." The girl nodded as if telling him the page number would make the verbatim quoting less of a surprise.

"Julian saw you get out of your car. I was going to try and get her but then you walked out and…" the kids hid. Rossi's brain supplied the end to a very poorly thought out lie. He thinks for a few minutes he should turn around and return the children back to where they hitch hiked from. After all he did not ask for stowaways especially not these two.

"And where are you supposed to be?"

"The library. It's Saturday and Mrs. Jennings doesn't like us underfoot."

"Mrs. Jennings?"

"Yes." The girl said once again in a tone that stopped the conversation.

But the girl did pose a good argument. Or well recite one at least. He hadn't talked to the boy and it's possible that the boy given how close he was to the girl could shed some light on Spencer that the people he had talked to would not be the wiser to. After all Ray knew more about him than anyone else when he was in high school.

The question is could he forgive himself for having these conversations with children who no matter how precocious were under age and couldn't really consent.

A question that fought against the feeling in his gut that asked if he could move on if he didn't.

He sat there at war with himself until he felt his own stomach rumble reminding him that it was almost noon and the only thing he had consumed that day was a singular cup of bad coffee.

With that his stomach decided for him.

"Alright. Have either of you ate?" He asked unsurprised when both kids shook their heads. Figures.

"Alright then I will tell you what. First we are going to get some food and then you and I are going to have a talk." He said pointing at the boy and the girl. "Capice?"

"Did you know that 44 states have laws regarding safety belts in all motor vehicles that aren't busses? New Jersey was the first state to pass the law on March 1, 1985. The state of Nevada added the law July 1, 1987." The girl started rambling.

"Umm I didn't." Rossi said as he started the car.

"Some states have primary…"

"Julian words please." The boy said.

"I am using words." The girl stared so calmly Rossi almost laughed. He did have to bite back a chuckle at the look of pure annoyance that took over the boys face though.

"Fine." The girl huffed. "Agent. Rossi, sir. You aren't wearing your seatbelt." The girl said before looking at her companion with a matching annoyed glare.

"Better?" She asked, her tone slightly biting.

"Much thank you." The boy bit back at this point Rossi buckled and drove off.


a/n- okay so question originally my idea was to have a BAU team made mostly of guest characters (Ryan from 1.15 'unfinished business', Kate from 2.02 'p911', Cooper from 5.18 'the fight' and suspect behavior, and Garret from 10.19 'beyond borders' and the show of the same name. would you all like to see that or would it be better to put the criminal minds cast baring Reid and adding Ryan back in time to run the case? I'm asking because I have both concepts in my head and can't figure out how best to go about it once the team shows up.

Also Rossi is about to make some really bad decisions coming up. You are warned.