SSA Derek Morgan and Dr. Spencer Reid sat silently in the front seat of a standard black SUV. The BAU team had split up to catch a possible unsub- Hotch, along with Rossi and Prentiss were searching the unsub's small suburban home while Morgan and Reid headed into town to his place of work. Morgan shifted in his seat and turned to look at Reid.
"Everything ok, kid? This might be the longest you've ever gone without talking."
Reid slouched farther into his seat, staring out the window. Blurred houses and trees rushed by, but nothing stood out that could warrant Reid's attention. It didn't take a profiler to recognize he was deflecting Morgan's attention. After another minute of painfully uncomfortable silence, Reid sighed.
"I've just had a weird feeling all day. Something isn't right here, but I can't figure out what we're missing."
Morgan laughed. The way Reid had been acting, Morgan was expecting something much worse than a funny feeling to be bothering his friend.
"Look, kid," he started, "We all have funny feelings sometimes. Comes with the job. Don't let it get you down."
Something akin to indignation flashed across Reid's face. "Actually, there are countless examples of people's funny feelings-"
Reid was cut off by the walkie talkie sitting in their cupholder crackling to life. Hotch's tinny voice warbled through.
"Morgan, Reid, the unsub is here. Change directions, asap. Garcia texted you the address."
Reid picked up the walkie talkie, "On it."
Morgan swerved the SUV into a U-turn and sped off in the direction of the unsub's house, siren blaring.
Outside of the unsub's house, the rest of the BAU and the police prepared to raid the house. Officers strapping on bulletproof vests littered the unkempt front lawn and police lights flashed all the way down the small neighborhood road. Light poured out from multiple windows in the unsub's house, and the agents could occasionally catch fragments of movements from the inside. They knew he was in the house, and he was fully aware of the group amassing in his lawn.
Morgan slammed the SUV into a stop on the street and jumped out of the driver's seat. He and Reid walked briskly to where Hotch, Rossi, and Prentiss stood staring at the lit window above their heads. Hotch nodded at the two men and briefly caught them up on his plan.
"The three of us will lead a large team into the house. Morgan, Reid, I want you two to divide up the remaining officers and watch all possible front and back exits. This guy isn't getting out of here unless it's in the backseat of a cruiser."
Morgan and Reid quickly nodded and set off towards the remaining four officers that Hotch had designated.
Morgan filled their small team in on their task. "Two of you go with Dr. Reid around to the back yard, and two of you stay in the front with me. Divide amongst yourselves. This unsub is a slippery bastard, and we're in charge of making sure he doesn't sneak away"
Just then, Hotch shouted out a command to the rest of the officers. He kicked down the door to the house, and the team barged in, guns drawn and ready.
As Morgan started to jog toward the front of the house, he realized that all four officers were following him. He whirled around, confused by the sudden disregard for his orders.
"The hell...? I said half with me, half with Dr. Reid!" he shouted.
The officers exchanged uneasy glances, none of them moving from their positions behind Morgan.
"Are you deaf?" he bellowed, internally crafting a scathing lecture to the commanding officer at these cops' precinct.
"Sir," one of the men began sheepishly, "We don't want to go with Dr. Reid."
"We aren't picking teams for dodgeball, officer. I gave you an order!"
"Look man," another cop spoke up, "We knew what we were getting into when we signed up for this job but going with Dr. Reid is a death sentence. This is the first chapter of a fanfiction, and we're unnamed characters. If you went with Dr. Reid, you'd just get knocked out or some shit, but any of us? We'd get killed off faster than you could say unsub. It's how the authors show the audience how dangerous their villain is."
Morgan stared incredulously at the officer. "Fanfiction? Characters? Just get your ass to the back of the house with Dr. Reid or I'll make sure you never go out in the field again!"
Suddenly, a shout came from inside the house. Morgan's gaze shot up to the nearest window, just as a gunshot shattered the remaining tranquility of the cool autumn night. Morgan ran for the front door, stopping in his tracks as Hotch and the remaining team crashed out of the house.
"Everyone ok?" he asked, trying to keep a facade of calm. "Unsub wasn't in the house." Hotch said, "The gunshot came from outside."
Morgan sprinted to the back of the house, shoving aside damp tree branches carelessly.
"Reid?" he called out cautiously, both hands gripped steadily on his gun. "You good, bro?"
Silence. Morgan took a few careful steps around the side of the house, primed for an attack. He was confronted by a sight that probably shouldn't have surprised him after his discussion with the officer. A shattered pot and broken branches denoted clear signs of struggle, and the officer guarding the side entrance lay still, blood coating his jacket. Reid was glaringly absent.
Morgan ran to the side of the fallen officer, pressing firm hands onto the exit wound of the bullet. The man's eyes flickered open briefly as he gasped with pain before falling back into unconsciousness.
Loud blaring sirens indicated that a large ambulance had joined the numerous police cars on the street. Paramedics jumped out, and, with well-practiced efficiency, loaded the man into the bed of the ambulance.
Morgan stood, staring numbly at his blood-soaked hands.
"Reid?" Prentiss asked quietly.
Morgan shook his head, still staring at the retreating ambulance.
"Reid's missing."