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

Thank you Anareris, fishtrek, Cherubim, Ferret54, R Leaf, it's Morley to You, Lady Lunera, and Yeegaber for reviewing last chapter.

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Spencer stared hard at the chains holding his arms up. If he was fast enough he could twist his hand, probably break something in doing so, but slip his hand through. He glanced up at his other hand and grimaced. Having one hand free would be useless, he'd have to break the other.

"Any ideas?"

Spencer turned to look at the stranger in his attic. He shook his head and Bailey sighed, turning to look up at the roof where the two half's met. Spencer looked at him for a moment. He was older than him, and probably a little taller. He reminded Spencer of the kids at school who played baseball on the weekends. His father had tried to teach him but that had ended with the bat being swung against the back of his legs and Spencer having a limp for the rest of the week.

Spencer looked away from Bailey and toward the door.

"Your old mans a psycho." Spencer turned back to see Bailey watching him. Spencer nodded.

"You don't have to tell me," Spencer replied quietly.

"How..." Bailey paused as Spencer met his gaze. "Uh... well, how have you... lived with him? Don't you know who he is?" he said and he watched as Spencer frowned.

"He's horrible, I know," muttered Spencer.

"Yea but... he's... he's a-a murderer!"

Spencer looked down at his legs. "I didn't know." His eyes started to burn as he kept his head low. After several minutes of silence he said, "I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I'm sorry," Spencer said loudly, lifting his head but avoiding Bailey's eyes.

It was Bailey's turn to scowl. "Why?"

Spencer huffed. "Because I didn't know. I-I'm an FBI agent-"

Bailey raised his eyebrows. He knew Aaron Hotchner was some kind of agent too.

"And I never... I didn't see it." Spencer sniffled, glancing quickly at the door where he thought he heard something.

"That's not your fault... he's your dad."

Spencer tore his eyes away from the door slowly. "And he's awful... how did I never see it." Spencer let out a breath and his eyes widened. "M-My dad's a murderer."

Bailey chewed on his lip. "Listen, kid, they haven't found this guy. It's been twenty-two years and they've never found him, don't beat yourself up over-"

The door opened, cutting Bailey's speech short. Both men looked up as William stepped inside with a tool belt around his waist. Bailey instantly jerked back, his breath sticking in his throat.

"Oh god... oh god, oh god!" he cried, kicking against the floorboards and the chains holding him to them. He shuffled back, pulling the chains with him. He painted heavily as his chains rattled along with him.

"Please..." he whispered, staring at William's belt as tears started to drip from the corners of his eyes.

William was smirking at this display as he stepped into the room. But it wasn't Bailey he stepped toward. He grinned when he stood in front of Spencer, his fingers hooked into his belt.

"Let's go, boy."

Dave sat back in his chair, his eyes still on the photos. Lined up on the table was an image of each boy (taken before their kidnapping) in the order they were taken. He avoided the sixth boy from the end, though he caught a glimpse of his son's crinkled eyes. He looked instead at the boy two ahead of Spencer.

'Wally Adams' was tagged to the front of the photo. The young man had been found on his porch. He'd had a brain haemorrhage, but the crime scene photos couldn't capture the internal damage, only the trail of blood from his nose to his chin.

Rossi tutted in the silence. Wally was the first death which didn't bode well for the other survivors. He sat up and leaned toward the table. He touched the photo of his son sadly and gave a weak laugh, imagining if his son was still alive, the poor kid would still be in danger.

"What are we gonna do, hey kiddo?" Rossi pulled his eyes away from Spencer to the boy just one in front of the end. Aaron looked just as serious when he was young as he did now. A pang of worry went off in Dave's mind and he hunched over the photo. He glanced up at the office window but couldn't see Aaron through them.

The unsub wasn't hitting the boys in order. Dave rubbed at his temples, he's hitting whoever's closest, he thought. He looked back at the photo of Aaron... that meant Aaron could easily be the next target.

Spencer stumbled across the living room and fell to his knees. His back arching as he tried to catch his breath. A heavy foot slammed into his back taking him the rest of the way down.

"Oh come on, Junior, you can do better than that!" Spencer gritted his teeth and got his hands under him only for a sharp smack to the back of his head to buckle them. He felt forward, his cheek taking the brunt of the fall. Spencer winced and blinked at the floorboards. His cheek stung as did his chest and he tried narrowing his eyes to focus his vision. He barely noticed the hands yanking him onto his back.

"Pathetic," William hissed as he painfully gripped Spencer's hands and wrapped a length of rope around them. Spencer, still dazed, prodded the inside of his cheek with his tongue. His teeth had grazed the skin, leaving the bitter tang of blood and the feel of shredded skin behind. He squinted up at the ceiling while his feet where chaperoned together.

His father's face came back into view and Spencer was finally able to pull himself back to reality. He tried to reach up and push William away but a frown fell over his brow when he found his arms stuck. He looked down. They'd been tied together with thick rope.

"Dad," Spencer whispered, raising his eyes up to William's face. The man was grinning. "Please, you don't have to do this," said Spencer quietly. He tried to move a foot but found them just as incapacitated as his hands.

"Do what?" William asked, his face becoming falsely puzzled. Spencer stared at him as a smirk overrode his features again. "What exactly am I going to do?"

Spencer breathed in deeply. "Kill me," he whispered, his gaze falling away from his father's smug face.

William chuckled to himself. He brought his leg over Spencer so he was straddling the young man, making Spencer feel more uncomfortable. "Why would you think that?"

Spencer stayed quiet, he looked up trying to see what was behind them, maybe the curtains were open... if he made a signal or something-

William grabbed Spencer's face, forcing him to look back at him. William's fingers dug painfully into the growing purple glow of his cheek.

"I asked you a damn question." William pulled his head back only and cleared his throat before spitting into Spencer's face. William let go of Spencer's arms and Spencer gasped, his face twisting in disgust. While Spencer squirmed, William reached into his tool belt from behind. When Spencer has managed to get some of the spit off he was faced with a set of horrifying utensils. William gave the pliers a squeeze.

"It's been a long time coming, boy. And there are some traditions I still enjoy," he said and on the last word he seized Spencer's mouth. His fingers moved nimbly, and found a pressure point that had Spencer's jaw loosening, allowing William to yank it open.

Spencer could only splutter in terror as his mouth was forced open and the pliers disappeared from his view. He screamed as best he could around his father's dirty hands. He could feel the pliers scrape his gum and he thrashed desperately.

"Ah ah. You can't forget traditions, junior," William said and he grunted, his hands firmly gripping the plier handles before he twisted.

Spencer writhed on the floor when his tooth, despite valiantly trying to stay rooted, twisted with a crunch. He was drooling and screaming as William yanked again sharply. Spencer could still feel the tooth, attached partly to his torn gums, squelch as it began to detach.

"This was easier before," William grumbled as he gave another cruel twist. "Ah," he cried and he pulled the pliers from Spencer's mouth with a proud smile. Spencer shut his mouth and closed his eyes, his tongue seeking to comfort the loss in his mouth. He turned his face away from William and moaned.

William deposited the tooth into a small container before slipping it back into his pocket. It rattled a little before settling along the seams of the pocket.

Spencer gulped blood back, resisting the urge to gag.

"Just a few more things," William muttered, ignoring Spencer's whines as he plucked a small strip of paper from his pocket. Spencer's eyes snapped open again when William's fingers were back in his mouth. He tried to bite down but William's grip was ruthless. William shoved the wad of paper into Spencer's mouth and quickly closed it, sealing his hand over Spencer's lips.

"That's a message you need to deliver," he said. Spencer looked back at him, his eyes wet from the pain. "It's very important, boy," he added.

Spencer didn't have time to think about what the message could say because tape was suddenly pressed against his lips, locking the message inside his bloody mouth. Spencer felt oddly like a bottle carrying a secret treasure map.

Spencer forced the paper under his tongue, fighting back the urge to gag from the blood and the crinkling paper against his sore gums. He blinked up at his father. William grinned, leaning over Spencer who was helplessly lay beneath him and forced to endure William's predatory gaze.

Spencer's brow tilted down at the far corners of his eyes which only made William sneer more.

"Poor little Spencey," he said, his breath ghosting Spencer's ear as he sat up and smiled down at him. Spencer tried to shift, grunting behind the tape as William's legs and arms fenced him in. "Uh uh, you're not going anywhere, little boy."

"Mrrrm." Spencer glared up at William's smug face, feeling sick from the nickname he'd used.

William just continued to smirk and Spencer made a valiant effort to turn over but William seized his neck and held him to the floor. Spencer's eyes widened as he desperately tried to pull air through his nose. After a minute of Spencer choking on lack of air William let go and laughed. Spencer sucked in quickly, in case William strangled him again.

"It's good to finally be able to do this," William said in a low hiss. Spencer's breath shook. "'Mummy's not protecting you now."

Spencer whimpered behind his gag, glancing into William's eyes and then looking away, toward the door which was shut.

"She's not coming this time, boy. This was meant to happen a long time ago."

Spencer watched with a bewildered gaze as his father withdrew a knife from behind his back. He stared at it before letting out the breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. It came out through his nose: strangled and panicked and his chest dipped and rose fast with the next one. William placed his hand over Spencer's moving chest and he chuckled.

"I should be apologising," he said, gripping the knife tightly before carefully trailing it up Spencer's neck, letting it linger there for a moment while Spencer panted, his wild eyes trying to keep watch of the knife.

"I'm not as young as I was... neither are you. I haven't the time to..." William paused, a grin swelling his gaunt cheeks. He swiped the knife across Spencer's cheek, leaving a thin red line. Spencer rasped painfully behind his gag, his nostrils flaring as he tried to stay calm. "Cut," William said, the bite to his words causing Spencer to flinch. "I used to go slow. And yes, they were loud and they moved so much. But after a while, I could dissect them without much more than a whimper."

William pulled the knife away from Spencer's face and the young man drew in a deep breath. The corners of his eyes were wet and he could feel a tear trail down the side of his face and into his hair. He blinked hard, focusing back on the knife which was still firmly in William's grip.

"People change." William sighed and he adjusted himself, his knees squeezing Spencer's thighs tighter together, keeping him from moving. "Methods change. And you, well, you my boy, have been loyal. They left me but you... you stayed."

Because I had no choice, Spencer thought between ragged breaths.

"So I'll make this a little less graphic for you. They all think you're dead anyway."

Spencer frowned taking his eyes off the knife to peer at his father and try and understand what he meant.

But then, when he looked back to the knife it was gone. A sudden tightness enclosed around his chest, and he felt his breath leave him all together. Spencer stared up at his father as pain started to lace perfectly with the tightness and his chest felt like it was splitting in two. William looked back at him, his eyes lost for a moment. He looked down at the knife embedded in Spencer's chest and he laughed shakily. Spencer tried to breath out but after pain came agony and he couldn't hold back the muffled shrieks.

William pretends not to listen as he flexed his fingers on the knife. He listened to Spencer gasp and yell and convulse beneath him all the while holding the knife in the position he had hoped penetrated his son's heart.

Spencer knew he was going to die. An overwhelming dread flooded him, nearly overcoming his agony. The sort of dread that comes when one thinks too deeply into their inevitable death. Play dead... Spencer squeezed his eyes shut. He wasn't sure he could act dead, especially since he was fully aware that he was quite literally dying. Play dead, he thought again and Spencer drew in a breath, shaking in his attempts not to show pain. He thinks he got your heart. You'd be dead by now... so play dead!

William seemed to sense the slowing movement from Spencer. He lifted his head. Spencer kept his eyes closed but he couldn't stop his tormented nasal breathing.

Spencer gasped when William withdrew the knife. His chest felt hot and he could feel the sharp tip of the blade brush past his torn flesh.

Spencer tried to even his breathing again when the knife unexpectedly stuck him. This time in his abdomen. Spencer felt the urge to scream and he jerked suddenly. He managed, however, to go still right after and, in one split decision he held his breath.

The knife was withdrawn again but Spencer didn't make a sound. His throat was burning with screams and his eyes bled tears but he didn't move.

He heard William grunt and pull away. The man stood up and there was a silent moment. Spencer's chest started to burn with lack of air and he could feel blood gathering along his tied-up arms.

His legs were grabbed then and he was yanked suddenly. Spencer let out a breath carefully, wincing when it hitched on its way out.

"Will?"

Spencer wrenched a quick breath through his nose and held it.

William had dropped his legs.

"Diana?"

"Are you downstairs?"

There was a pause before William was grabbing Spencer's legs again and yanking him toward the front door.

"Stay up there," he yelled, giving Spencer a chance to breathe under the noise. "I've... made a mess. Stay up there."

Spencer managed to steal a wince unnoticed when his body was dragged across a doorframe, stirring up unbearable pain. He heard the door slam closed behind him and then his arms were grabbed. Spencer let them hang limply under William's grip. He was more focused on biting back his screams of pain at each movement William was subjecting his body to. Finally, he was raised up, his legs pulled up after him.

William crammed his son's body in the trunk of his car. He manoeuvred the still young-man's arms, tucking them alongside his bleeding body. Spencer held his breath so hard he thought he might pass out. William watched him for a moment before grunting.

The trunk slammed shut and Spencer's eyes shot open. He breathed raggedly, desperately refilling his lungs. His vision swayed a little, either from the pain or the lack of air. He whimpered, still holding back. He could hear the front door open. He reached down searching his numb chest before a scolding agony clawed at his chest. He pulled his fingers away from the moist skin and he squeezed his eyes shut... waiting. He could feel the thumping of his pulse in his ears. It was much too fast. He sucked in another breath, holding in a howl of pain. The car door slammed shut. Spencer bit down on the piece of paper still in his mouth.

When the engine roared to life Spencer screamed.

Rossi rejoined the team eventually but he didn't speak much. Aaron noticed a couple sideway glances his way by he tried to keep his attention on the case.

"He has to be operating in the Vegas area," said JJ as she looked over the map they'd set up. She ran her fingers over the marked spots and sighed. She turned and smiled weakly at Morgan. "We could use Spence right now," she said and Morgan smirked. They both glanced at Rossi who was frowning down at a report. JJ grimaced, "Reid I mean," she whispered.

Aaron looked up. "He's travelling then," he said. "The locations are all over the place."

He stepped back from the table and frowned thoughtfully as he looked at the map. "He-"

Aaron's phone went off, cutting him off. The rest of the team looked away from what they were doing.

Aaron pulled out his phone and pressed it to his ear. "Hotchner?"

"Come on," Morgan said, turning back to the map. "We need to narrow it down."

"When?"

Rossi was still watching Aaron.

"Hold on," Aaron said and he pulled his phone from his ear and laid it on the table.

"It's the sheriff. A 911 call has been made in connection to the case," he said, hitting speaker.

"My team are listening, carry on."

"Someone found a body a few minutes ago on Woodcrest road. we were closest so we're on our way now."

"Another of our victims?" Emily asked.

"Yea... it's pretty brutal, worse than the last one."

Aaron swallowed thickly. "Bailey?" he asked, his voice coming out shakier than anyone expected.

"No. We don't have an identity on this one yet. We're heading there now, I suggest you guys make your way over. You can take a look at the body before it's moved."

"Dead then," Dave muttered with a sigh.

"Sounds like. The 911 call said they found a dead body, we sent some ambulances too but from the description the caller gave, this kid was a goner."

That just happened. Whoops. Don't worry, this is not a death fic.

Thanks for reading, let me know what you think in the comments.