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

So, a few things before you read, first, thanks to everyone who reviewed. My test was negative, so that's great.

To the guest reviewer, I understood your point in your first review and I understand things are tough on everyone. I agree, we just need to grit our teeth and bear it. I would just like to point out though, that I was following the rules set by the government here in England, as many people do, I know it's easy to point fingers at people who catch it but it's not that simple. Sometimes shit happens, which was what happened to my friend and nearly me, we were very cautious and yet he got it.

So yes, be safe, be careful, but we can't stay in lockdown forever, and if you catch covid while following the rules well what can you do.

Saying that, I understand there are people very vulnerable out there. I haven't visited or been close to my grandparents for a long time now because I would be devastated if I unknowingly gave them covid.

What I'm getting at is as long as you're following the rules and being sensible with the people you're with or visit then you're doing good. I hope you're all keeping safe and well.

Anyway! Jeez, sorry about that.

Enjoy.

"Rossi!"

Dave turned at JJ's scream. She looked desperate, her hair was coming out of her ponytail in wisps or blonde and her lips were peeled back in a grimace.

"Let us in," she whispered and she pulled in a shaky breath, one that verged on sobs, similar to when Henry would cry and then sit hiccuping with overwhelming emotion. "You keep leaving us in the dark. But Hotch's missing and Spencer left his hospital room."

Rossi started suddenly. "Spencer's not in the hospital?"

JJ glanced nervously at Emily but it was Morgan who offered to fill in the blanks. "Garcia called the hospital to check on him. He checked himself out an hour ago."

Dave stared at them, his eyes wide; he looked back at Aaron's car, then at his.

"Garcia's already tracing his phone," JJ said softly and Dave turned to her again.

"Has she found him?"

"Last place she had him was miles away, he must have got a taxi or something." Morgan rubbed the back of his head and shook it. "I've tried calling him."

Rossi frowned and muttered, "what's he doing..." He pulled out his phone and paused. "Did he answer?"

Morgan shook his head again and Dave sighed. "We find Aaron first," he said and he clicked on Garcia's name in his phone before pressing it to his ear.

"But Spence shouldn't be travelling," said JJ and she walked toward Dave, clasping her hands together anxiously. "Rossi he nearly died, he shouldn't even be out of that hospital."

Rossi looked back at her with an equally worried expression but he didn't say anything until Garcia picked up.

"Rossi, I-I tried tracking Spencer and-"

"Focus on finding Aaron," Dave snapped and JJ started to protest. Dave pulled the phone quickly away from his mouth and he cut JJ off before she could argue. "Aaron is with the unsub, he could be killed at any moment."

"But Spencer isn't well!"

"Spencer knows what he's doing," Dave said and he pressed his mouth into a thin line and thought about the stupid determination of their youngest agent. He shook his head but couldn't help smiling at the thought of his own stubbornness. He took his hand away from his phone. "Penny, locate the car that hit Aaron. I need you to find exactly where they've gone. As soon as you've done that find Spencer, do whatever you need to. Just find them."

As Aaron sat in the chair that his hands and legs were cruelly tied to, and with thoughts of William Reid sending his heart racing, he started to realise that he was probably going to die.

Aaron squeezed his eyes shut. In the comfort of his own darkness Aaron saw Jack. He saw him in the bath, laughing and blowing at the bubbles. He saw him smacking his high chair, smearing mushed carrots all over it and himself.

Aaron saw Haley, before the divorce, he saw her in her wedding dress, saw her pregnant. He saw her posing with high heels in the mirror.

Aaron laughed softly, tears falling past his lips.

He saw his team. He saw them laugh and cry and... Aaron shook his head fondly at the memory of Morgan trying to flag down a taxi after too many drinks.

Aaron opened his eyes finally and he took a long breath in. It's just a man, he thought. William has always been just a man.

"Just a man... just a person."

"That's the place," Morgan said and he pulled over. He glanced at the girls in the back. He tried to smile at them before he turned and looked at Rossi's car which pulled up beside them. He saw Rossi staring up at the house with a frown.

Garcia hadn't been able to follow William Reid's car very far. However, she had been informed of a home invasion within the fifteen mile radius of the car's last sighting.

So, she sent the team there, praying they found Aaron there.

Morgan got out of the car and walked over to the police officers. The girls followed. JJ glanced hesitantly at Dave who slowly got out of his car, but she just smiled his way and continued toward the house.

Rossi watched the three of them talk briefly to some officers before walking up to the house.

He scowled at the large suburban house and slowly turned to look at the rest of the street.

He had almost turned 180 degrees when something in the house opposite caught his eye. The house was just as big and new as the one they'd been called to but in the window of this one Dave saw a women. She was staring out at the house where the police were gathered. There was something in her hand which she was holding tightly, but her gaze was lost, as if she wasn't seeing the flashing lights ahead of her. She only stood for a moment more before turning and gliding away like a ghostly apparition.

Dave continued to look at the window as the woman's face ignited one of his memories. Rossi recognised her from photos on Reid's desk. He realised she was Diana Reid:the woman who got to raise his son instead of him.

Dave grunted as he reached for his gun and without even looking back at the other house where the rest of his team had disappeared into, he made his way to the house opposite.

Spencer got out of the taxi and handed the driver some cash. He found the house quickly: his mother had told him the address and even the colour of the house, a muted blue, so it wasn't hard for him to find it.

But it was the action on the other side of the street that caught Spencer's eye first. There were several police cars on the curb, a couple of their lights still flashing and lighting up the evening sky. Spencer frowned, wondering if his mother had lied.

He looked down at his phone and then to the police cars. Whatever they were doing there didn't look 'urgent,' one of the police officers was leaning against his car and laughing at something the one across from him had said.

Spencer looked back up at the blue house. His hands were sweaty, and they shook as he gripped his gun. He quickly rubbed his palms off against his jacket so he could grip his gun better. As he switched the gun from one hand to the other, he saw blood streaking both his palms. He only had to look down a little further to see the blood had come from Rossi's Jacket which was dark with it. Spencer swallowed back his panic and took a deep breath, wiping the blood on his pants and trying desperately to forget it was there.

He just hoped no-one else would get hurt.

He picked up his heavy feet and took a step toward the blue house

Dave got to the front door undetected and he slowly pushed the handle down. It was open, which would make getting inside a lot easier than having to kick down the door.

He opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind him before anyone realised he was inside. He raised his gun and walked slowly down the hallway. He stopped at the first room, an empty study, and swung his gun around. Once he'd cleared it he entered the kitchen.

It looked as if the kitchen was newly fitted, the appliances with stinging his eyes with their shine and the island still had plastic wrapping around it. Dave quickly turned the corner where he'd seen parts of a different room connected to the kitchen.

It was then that he found Aaron.

Dave nearly dropped his gun, but he managed to hold onto it until he'd gotten into the room. It was empty, and aside from the dirt scuffles and blood smears on the carpet around Aaron's chairs it too was immaculate.

Dave hurried over to Aaron and pressed his fingers to his neck. He blew out a sigh of relief when he felt Aaron's warm skin and the strong pulse thumping under his own shaky fingers.

Dave glanced around before he gently shook Aaron's shoulder. The younger man groaned and turned his head away.

"Aaron," Dave hissed, shaking Aaron a little too roughy. He winced when Aaron suddenly sat up straighter, his face scrunched in pain.

"Dave?" Aaron barely had his eyes open but he could make out the shape of a man, and the white, emblazoned letters of 'FBI' on his vest.

"Shhh, just give me a minute, kiddo." Dave holstered his weopen after another quick glance around.

"Where's the team?" Aaron said, his voice croaking, forcing him to clear his throat.

Dave opened his mouth but he realised he didn't know where the team were, and, more alarmingly, the team didn't know where he was. Which was a very dangerous move on his part. "They're right behind us," Dave said, trying his best not to let his dishonesty show.

Rossi dropped to his knees and unwound the rope at Aaron's left foot.

"Dave-"

"Don't touch him!"

Rossi grabbed his gun and swivelled around quickly. He was still on his knees as he raised his gun to the person in the doorway and he hesitated.

"Move away from him," Diana said, her voice strangely calm. As smooth a butter, Dave thought with a sense of irony as he stared at the gun in her hand. He looked up at her face and she looked back with an unreadable expression: a blank canvas of emotion.

"Mrs. Reid?" Dave said slowly. He got up to one knee but Diana waved the gun at him frantically.

"No!" she yelled. "No, no, you stay there!"

Dave froze, one of his knees still pressed into the dirty carpet. "Mrs. Reid, this isn't the way," Dave said and he attempted to get up again and Diana fired a shot.

Dave jumped to his left, dropping his gun as he did and colliding hard with the wall. His shoulder burned and as he got up and turned he noticed the tear on his shirt-sleeve where the bullet had grazed him. Blood had already started to branch out across the fabric and despite the pain, Dave knew it was only superficial.

"Stay down!" Diana said and she glanced quickly at Aaron. Dave followed her glance and felt his stomach drop.

William Reid grinned back at him and he pressed the ten-inch knife closer to Aaron's neck.

Dave looked at Aaron with a desperately apologetic look. He should have told the team where he was going.

Aaron was trying to keep calm but he had started to tremble as he stared at William's hand, the one holding the knife.

William laughed and pulled Aaron's hair to expose more of his neck.

"It's nice to finally meet the famous David Rossi."

Next chapter will be the final collision, the penultimate chapter, or so I hope.

I'm sorry if this chapter is a little all over the place, it's a crazy time in the narrative I guess.

Thanks for reading, let me know your thoughts it the reviews.

Hopefully the next chapter will be up Friday, but I've been posting Sunday's recently, so either day.

Stay safe.