(Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters)
I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. It's finally time to see what really happened the night the boy's escaped.
Please review.
1986
When Aaron scaled the basement wall and scrambled through the window, he ran. The basement was part of an old farmhouse, surrounded by fields. In the dark, Aaron could see the dust kicked up by the other boys and he tore off in their direction.
In his sudden rush of adrenaline he forgot that Spencer hadn't been pushed out first. Aaron didn't know that Joe had told Spencer to guard the door. He didn't know that the boy who lived upstairs had come in despite Spencer's attempt to keep him back. As Aaron ran he didn't realise that in their panic the bigger boys didn't help Spencer up and that he was the only boy still stuck there.
After around five minutes of running, Aaron stopped, hands on his knees, panting out breaths and huffing in air that wasn't tarnished by stank basement odours. It was then he remembered the three-year-old boy he was meant to be looking after.
"Spencer!" Aaron wrenched his head back at the building. Several boys were running toward him and he searched the crowd for Spencer. He looked back ahead of him. Surely the boy hadn't been in front of him. Aaron was too fast... unless someone carried him.
"Aaron!"
"Come on, Aaron! We have to go!"
Aaron tripped, only just catching himself. He looked back. He could hear Meat-man's booming voice in the distance too. There was a loud bang and as the boys stormed passed him, Aaron could see orange in the now tiny basement window.
Aaron stared until he was the only boy still stood there. From where he stood he could hear the crackling.
"Aaron!"
Joe's voice broke through the static in Aaron's ears and he turned back. Joe stood on the edge of the woods, motioning him forwards.
"C'mon, man, we have to catch up to the others."
"Is Spencer with them?"
Joe looked back. He hadn't seen the kid get out. He'd watched the boy from upstairs shove Spencer before 'upstairs-boy' ran back through the doors to tell Meat-Man. He glanced at Aaron and saw the desperate look in his eyes. He swallowed thickly, and said, "Think I saw him with Bailey." He paused, glancing at Aaron to see if he'd bought it. Aaron was growing but the kid seemed to do that a lot. "Now hurry," Joe said.
Aaron took one last look at the house before bolting.
Spencer raised his head as he saw the retreating feet through the window.
"No..." he mumbled, his mind going back to his parents who he missed dearly. "Mommy, Papa?" he whispered, reaching up helplessly at the dirt-washed window. He was so close. He tried again to reach, going up painfully on his toes. He fell back flat of his feet after a few desperate seconds and he sniffed.
"P-papa will find me," he mumbled, squinting up.
Spencer tried again to reach the window but it was in vain. There was a yell above him and Spencer froze, plastering himself to the wall under the window.
The door was thrown open and the boy who lived upstairs was flung down the steps. He hit the ground with a hard thud that had Spencer staggering back. He covered his eyes when the boy started to wail.
"You let them get away!" Meat-man was at the door and Spencer crossed his little fingers which were still covering his face.
Meat-Man stormed down the steps. He glanced at Spencer, the only boy still there and then up at the open window. A woman followed down the steps, her hair a mess and her night-gown dirty. She was carrying a canister and a lighter and a pack of smokes in the other hand.
"William?" she said, blinking around the dark room.
Meat-Man turned his eyes away from Spencer, focusing on the boy from upstairs. Spencer watched through his trembling fingers as Meat-Man spat on the young boy still cowering at the bottom steps. "You're no son of mine," he snapped and he stepped toward Spencer, grabbing his arm. He looked briefly at him and snarled, "You. Too small to get out? You'll burn with him."
Spencer cried out loud when Meat-Man shoved him to the floor. Spencer raised his head slightly and saw the other boy lay beside him. He had his mouth open in a grimace and Spencer noticed the boy didn't have any front teeth.
"Diana, get the pliers. We still have some time." Meat-Man motioned for the woman to go but she didn't move. Meat-Man turned, putting his foot on Spencer's back. "Now!"
"My baby?" Diana pointed at the Spencer, Meat-Man's foot still crushing his lungs.
Meat-Man looked down at Spencer and snickered. "That ones yours." Meat-Man pointed to the boy blubbering against the steps. Diana glanced at the boy but quickly stepped over him and pointed at Spencer.
"No," she whispered. "This is my boy."
Spencer peeked up at the woman. Despite the obvious lunacy going on in her mind and appearance, her face had a loving quality to it. "William, that's him... that's my baby."
"I thought he was?"
"No! I said no! I never wanted that one!"
The boy on the step rubbed at his grazed knees, sniffling quietly.
Meat-Man sighed and took his foot off Spencer's back. Spencer took a deep breath, clinging to the floor in fear. After a moment soft hands wrapped around his arms and turned him. He was brought face to face with the woman and she smiled sweetly at him. "Mine," she murmured.
"Pliers." Meat-Man held his hand out expectantly and Diana produced a pair of rusty pliers from her pocket, handing them over as she beamed at Spencer.
Meat-Man grabbed the other boy by the shoulder, pulling him up and marching him to the wall. Spencer tried to look but Diana was busy stroking his face and rubbing away the tears on his cheeks. He heard a thunking sound, and a high-pitch cry. He knew the other boy had been hit hard.
Meat-Man's voice came again. "Wait upstairs. I need to pull his teeth."
Spencer trembled as Diana nodded and gently pushed Spencer's head back. "I know but I can stay here, William. I'll hold him for you."
Meat-Man grumbled something but seemed to agree, his heavy footsteps thundering towards them as Spencer shook.
"You're my gift," Diana whispered as she held his head in place firmly. Spencer looked back to see Meat-Man sprinkling the contents of the canister around the basement, over the unconscious boy and up the walls. Spencer pressed his face into Diana's nightdress when Meat-Man stopped at the boy again and dropped the canister. He took a knife from his pocket and lined it up to the boys neck.
Spencer shrieked into Diana's dress at the disturbing sound that followed. He squeezed his eyes tightly, desperate to forget the glimpse he'd just seen of the boy from upstairs. Diana hushed him, stroking his hair and holding him close to her breast while Spencer sobbed. It wasn't long before his own head was pulled back and Spencer screeched in blind terror.
He opened his eyes for a moment to see that Meat-man wasn't brandishing the knife anymore. Instead, he held a pair of pliers. Spencer swallowed back his next scream as Diana's hands gripped his chin tightly.
Meat-man grinned. "Hold him steady, Diana. They all need to go."
Present
"You should have seen him, Diana."
"I never liked that one."
"The Robert's kid?"
Diana nodded, raising her head from her book as she did.
William smirked. "No, I liked the kid. He had guts. I was saving that one."
"What for?"
"You know... I had plans. But now." William chortled to himself. "Now he's older. Like William Jr."
"You shouldn't have gone out. Those people, they'll find us," Diana whispered. William just waved her off.
"Not before I find them. We haven't been found yet. Let me have some fun."
Diana looked William up and down. "And let them attack you?"
William shrugged. "What about William?"
Diana looked around sharply. William didn't look at her but he had a smile present on his lips.
"What are you asking?" Diana asked.
"Well... he's-"
"Please."
"Diana, I know you think I let you keep him but it was convenient. We couldn't come back without a kid but that one out there-." William pointed to the hall. "He's not our Junior. I think it's time for you to let him go."
Diana shook her head firmly. She sat up off Williams bed and looked at him for a long moment.
"Don't... I can't," she muttered.
"It's been twenty two years."
Present
Aaron walked into the room where Joe sat. Joe stood up, wincing a little as he did. They stared at each other before Aaron stepped forward and offered his hand to shake. Joe looked at the hand before chuckling and pulling Aaron into a hug.
"Wow," he said and he pulled away, looking Aaron up and down. "You clean up."
"I'd say the same about you but..." Aaron motioned to Joe's face and the other man laughed, touching his swelled and bruised face with a grimace.
"Yea... I'm normally a stud but under these circumstances I'm letting it slide."
Aaron nodded slowly and pointed for Joe to sit back down. He also took a seat and leaned closer to Joe.
"Have you given a statement?" Aaron asked and Joe nodded stiffly. "Would you give me a run down?"
Joe looked up at Aaron, his eyes sympathetic. "It'll be hell for me to retell and hell for you to listen," he said. "It was him though. I know it."
They sat quietly, letting the idea sink in. "I can give you the briefest of summaries," Joe said after collecting himself and Aaron just nodded.
"It was planned. They found a tracker in my car. That's how he found me."
Joe took a deep breath while Aaron felt sick with dread.
"I went to get my wife an anniversary gift and he just jumped me on the way back. He pulled me into an alley... I think that's where he wanted to finish me but I fought back... he must have forgotten we're not kids anymore. I got to the busiest part of town and called the police. Then I called you."
Aaron listened, his eyes on Joe the whole time. When he finished, Joe took a deep breath and leaned back.
"I saw his face. I was sure it was him, Aaron. I know it's hard to believe."
"I believe you," said Aaron. He glanced back at the bullpen behind them and caught Rossi's eye.
"That's..." Joe trailed off, motioning to Dave through the glass door. Aaron turned back and nodded.
"Spencer's father," he said.
Joe chuckled to himself. "You know when he told them stories about his dad I thought he was making them up. Kids and their imagination, ya know."
Aaron nodded slowly.
"Guess not... poor guy." Joe rubbed the back of his neck and Aaron frowned. The gesture was one of someone harbouring some kind of guilt.
"What?" Joe asked, watching as Aaron's scowl fell.
"Nothing," he muttered. They all felt guilty. Aaron himself had gone to therapy to deal with his own guilt. Joe was just going through the same as him.
"You weren't the only one who he contacted..." Aaron said. "Rossi was sent his teeth."
"What! Whose teeth!?" Joe stared at Aaron and then Dave and his face seemed to grow paler against the dark bruises.
"He took the teeth. All the boys that died, he took their teeth. And the ones he sent to Rossi were Spencer's, we had them analysed."
Joe pressed a fist to his lips and he swallowed hard. "That's... that's awful."
"And that's twice he's made contact."
Joe rubbed his cheek and smiled. "Yea, his fist certainly made contact."
"It means we have a case, Joe. We might find this guy."
The door was wrenched open, slamming against the wall as William tore inside. Spencer dropped his phone in shock, the screen falling to the floor first and shattering.
"Dad?"
Spencer pressed himself to the wall as he stared at his dad. He was covered in blood. His boots were spattered in the stuff. He'd taken his pants off which must have been saturated since his knees were pale red where the blood had seeped through.
"What have you done?" Spencer said in a hoarse whisper, his eyes scanning his father's maniacal grin and his hands which were caked in blood.
"I feel so much better," William said, swinging the door back and slamming it on its hinges. When the door shook open again Spencer looked past his father but saw no-one in the hall.
"Mom!"
He shuffled away from William, hoping the blood wasn't hers.
William laughed. "This?" He raised his hands and examined the blood. "No. It's one of your friends."
Spencer's eyes widened, the only friends he had were the team. He'd just spoken to Morgan.
"JJ?" he whispered and his eyes grew hot and wet. Morgan said Hotch had gone out too. "A-Aaron?" Spencer's voice broke.
"Old friends," said William, getting dangerously close. "What a thrill! Twenty-two years and they think I'm gone."
William lunged forward and grabbed Spencer by his collar, pulling him close enough that his bloody nose nearly touched Spencer's. "Think again," he hissed, yanking Spencer from the wall and dragging him to the door. "This time there will be no gifts for Diana, and you boy, I've put up with you long enough."
Thank for reading!
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