A/N: Hello again, everyone!
Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds. No copyright infringement is intended.
My apologies if I had made any mistakes but enjoy the chapter!
Élise, JJ, Alvez, and Simmons already had a bad feeling. Especially when Reid and Garcia weren't picking up their phones.
But it wasn't until they saw the pool of blood that had them worried.
And the trail of it.
And they were right indeed.
Agent Quinn was lying on the ground, shot in the stomach, but still alive. Alvez quickly went to get the ambulance while Élise stayed with JJ.
And they soon see skid marks.
And more blood.
Élise started to panic as she walked over to Garcia's car and found their items; their phones and bags. Including Reid's gun, which Élise soon took. "Oh god…" She was on the verge of fainting; Reid would never go anywhere without his gun.
Or his phone.
They all knew something happened to them.
Élise started to rub her head again. She desperately needed something; it was always a good thing she kept some painkillers in her bag or in her desk. When she found some Advil,
"Ahh!"
She had a moment from her experiences with...
She shook her head and just simply put the Advil away.
When Prentiss announced Meadows was behind Merva's escape, Élise had her hands on her heart and head and had to take a seat; now her headaches were happening again but hid it from the team. She knew there was something off about Meadows but couldn't understand why.
And when Prentiss announced again that Meadows hacked into Garcia's computers, Élise needed some time to be alone.
Or at least offer her assistance to Alvez and Simmons, who were on Garcia's computers.
She stared in disgust over Meadows' control over Reid but knew he had no choice.
"Mmm..." Élise felt a headache coming.
"Ahhh!"
Élise exhaled and had her hand on her chest, trying to take deep breaths.
"Ahhh!"
"Oh, God..." Élise felt a flashback coming back; Alvez and Simmons noticed this.
"Can we get you anything?" Simmons asked. "Maybe something to drink..."
"I don't want anything to drink," Élise snapped, started to rant. "Reid's not having anything to drink. Garcia's not having anything to drink. Oh-ho! But when Meadows and Merva die and go to hell, they won't ever have ice cold water again; not their ghosts or their ghosts' ghosts will ever again and I don't give two shits and a fuck if I have to personally go to hell myself and make sure they don't ever get ice cold water and..." She stopped herself, feeling another flashback. "I'm sorry. Excuse me."
Élise needed another minute and left the room.
"Why didn't anyone warned us not to piss her off?" Simmons asked Alvez.
Alvez noticed this and followed her.
"Hey." Alvez caught up to her.
"Don't arrest them." Élise blurted out.
"What?"
"Meadows and Merva. The yoctosecond I see any of their ugly mugged faces, I'm going to kill them." Élise started to rub her head again. "When I get my hands on Merva and Meadows, I'm going to personally send them to hell, even if in a handbasket with a bow and a note attached and leave on the front steps of hell." Now her head started to hurt. "Damn! What's wrong with me?"
Alvez had his hand on her shoulder, "You're stressed out."
"Oh, geez. I don't know that," Élise said with sarcasm. "Of course, I'm stressed out because..."
"It's more that than: you're starting to have flashbacks from what happened with Griffin. You've been taking deep breaths and rubbing your head to calm yourself and not think about them. It's understandable. Perfectly understandable."
Sighing, "Yeah, I guess I am. Guess I'm not over my PTSD."
"PTSS. Post-Traumatic…"
"…Stress Syndrome." Élise continued for him. "I'm trying to get used to that term. Reid told me about that because that's what they're calling it now because it's not a disorder. It's an injury. I'm sorry about this. It's just that...God. We're in an All-Hands-On-Deck situation mode and I don't want Anastasia to grow up without her father and I don't think I can make time for my feelings. Every damn minute counts. I just feel so helpless."
"You're not helpless. You can ask anyone, even me, for help anytime, okay? There's absolutely no shame in that, especially with what you went through with Griffin."
"Okay," Taking another deep breath. "And thank you. Tell Prentiss I need some time to get myself together."
"Take all the time you need." She watched Alvez walked back to the conference room and she started to walk in the other direction.
Meadows chuckles as she and someone else was dragging a handcuffed Reid, "I meant what I said. I think you should consider yourself lucky I didn't go after your mother or that precious daughter of yours. What's her name? Anneliese? Anamaria? Oh, I remember, Anastasia. She's what, eighteen months? Where did the time go? Her growing up so far. I'd bet if I had taken her, it would have made you cooperate better."
Reid hissed as he faced her, who still had a smug look on her face.
"Listen well. Because I'm only going to say this once, bitch. If your dirty fingernails even touch my daughter, if you breathe on her, hell, even in the same presence as her, hell, if you keep thinking about her, I'll take your ass out RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW, BITCH!"
"Spencer…" Garcia tries to calm him down.
"Shut up, Penelope," Reid snapped. "You're not going to get away with them. You're going to rot in hell."
Meadows smirked at him, "I'd say "watch me," but you won't be here to see it."
Élise took a seat on the nearest bench, clutching to her head when she heard footsteps.
"Hey."
She looked up and saw Rossi before he sat next to her.
"Hey." Elise sighed heavily. "I can't help but feel it's my fault they got kidnapped."
"Elise…"
Élise had this sick feeling in her stomach. "Rossi, what if something happens to them?"
"Don't think like that." Rossi encouraged.
"I can't help but feel responsible. I mean…I couldn't help but have this bad feeling about Meadows. I don't why I…And in all honesty…I should have stayed with Reid."
Rossi replied, "Had you, you would have been hurt. Or worst, with them or dead even."
Elise quietly asked, "Do you think it was my own fault for what happened to me with Griffin?"
"You can't blame yourself for your ordeal." Rossi comforted her.
Elise scoffs, "I studied Psychology. And English with a little bit of Political Science, but still, I should have known..."
"We all miss things. But this seems to be more than just Merva and Meadows. I know we're in an All-Hands-On-Deck situation, but you can tell me anything, if not everything. You don't have to but…I'm all ears."
"Spencer and I kissed under the mistletoe." Elise burst out before whispering. "While you guys were all were playing in the snow at your party."
"I know."
"And to be honest with you, I…" Elise stopped when Rossi asked, "You know?"
"It's my mansion so I know everything. And I most definitely saw you two; from what I saw…you two were pretty into it."
Elise looked away as she developed a blush on her cheeks. "Was it wrong?"
Rossi asked back, "Was what wrong?"
"Kissing Spencer?"
"You can't help who you..." Elise bit down on her lips as she looked down. "I won't tell anyone, okay? Scout's honor." Rossi and Elise got up and gave each other a hug.
As Rossi walked back into the bullpen, "Took you both long enough," Rossi whispered to himself, smiling.
Élise answered her cell phone. "Hey, Hotch. Yeah, we're still finding them and…oh. Anastasia can't go back to sleep? Yeah, that happens sometimes. It would only take Reid singing 'Smile' to her." Élise batted her eyes and whispered to prevent herself from crying. "I can send you a video of Reid singing to Smile from my phone. Yeah, he gave it to me and he said to use it to calm her. Okay. I'll send it to you and let you know of anything, okay? Later."
Élise sat down on the nearest bench, sending the video to Hotch. Since there was no one, she freely allowed her tears to flow. If anything had happened to him…he told Élise she would be her guardian. Élise felt touched that she almost cried herself in front of him but didn't. They needed to find them.
The team, including Élise herself, would be lost without them.
And Anastasia would have to grow up without her father.
And...she had to pull herself together before going back to the team.
Unbeknownst to Meadows and the rest of the Believers, Reid, Theo, and Garcia had already came up with a plan to escape.
But only Garica managed to escape.
Élise had just got off the phone with Hotch. He texted her back that the video of Reid singing Smile helped Anastasia go back to sleep before Élise told Anastasia her father loves her more than everything else in the world, including himself. At least there was still some good news about that. She knew just how much Reid loved Anastasia. To Élise, it did not matter if he was not her biological father; he raised her and treated her as if she was. As she put her phone away, she was just about to go back to the office when,
"Garcia!" She ran over to her and sided by her side, trying to calm her. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Do you need anything?" Walking her into the bullpen.
"Oh my god." JJ noticed them. "Are you hurt?"
"They're at a warehouse with…" Garcia said in a dazed manner. "18 minutes from here. I can take you there. You have to hurry. They have Reid. He's been bleeding."
As the team quickly moved out, Élise stood behind JJ to comfort Garcia.
Élise got off the phone with Prentiss and said that the warehouse was cleared out in a hurry when they got there and the Believers killed Theo, the couple's son.
Meaning they still have Reid.
Garcia tearfully admitted that Meadows made her make the vehicles untraceable or she'd kill Reid.
Élise gave Garcia her assurance that it was not her fault and reminds Garcia of her strength and uniqueness and they will find Reid and bring him back home.
Reid had a flashback moment from a conversation he had with Cyrus,
"I can't tell you the number of times I've investigated abuse charges against small religious groups. Almost all of them turn out to be false.
"What do you think of that?"
"Doesn't really matter what I think."
"It does to me."
"Why?"
"Because God wants to save you. I mean, that's why he sent you here. That's the reason."
"Reid told me about Cyrus, including the beating you took for him, Prentiss," Élise said as she was cutting up the pictures of Merva and Meadows with the scissors she threw at their faces over the trashcan.
"Yeah, I did."
"Is there anything that could have some significance to where they could be heading?"
"Okay," Garcia typed as fast as she could. "He was born under the name Charles Mulgrew. He was convicted in Kentucky at the age of eighteen for three counts of statutory rape. Once he was inside, he found religion and became a model citizen."
"That's it." Élise figured. "They could be heading to Kentucky…"
"Since that's where he was practically 'reborn.'"
"Great work, Garcia." Prentiss praised as she noticed Elise packing up her stuff. "What are you going?"
"I'm coming with you to Kentucky."
"That'd be dangerous; you're a civilian and..."
"He was there for me when he saved me from Griffin; I want to do the same for him. At least let me come and wait with the paramedics or you're all going to have to forcibly remove me from the SVU and plane. Your choice."
"Fine. Let's get into the air, narrow down which city before we land. Let's circle back to the religious compound Cyrus brought to the cult. Reid and Cyrus quoted scripture a lot. 10:23 could be a lesson."
"You want me to stay with you, Garcia?" Élise asked.
"I'll be fine. Just get him home. Safe and sound."
"Yeah-yeah." Élise headed with the team.
Reid began to have memories of happy thoughts. There was the memory of JJ asking him to be Henry's godfather. Then Michael's godfather. Hank…Spencer Morgan's godfather. And now, he is an actual father to a blooming toddler girl, Anastasia. And even thoughts about...
Meadows soon led him into a tent with cot beds and before he knew it, the henchman grabs him from behind and one of the members injects with something, causing him to lose consciousness.
Élise gulped down a cup of ice-cold water and prayed for the team to send Merva, Meadows, and the rest of the Believer straight to hell.
Had it not been for the team-and Reid stalling the team a bit, he would have been a goner.
Elise picked her nails and rubbed her stomach as she was patiently for the team. When she noticed some people coming out of the shadows,
"Spencer!" Elise cried as she practically ran over to Reid and immediately hugged him—he hugged her back instantly, almost pushing JJ out of the way.
"I'm so glad you're okay," Elise whispered. "We almost lost you."
"You didn't." Pulling back from the hug; Elise observed the bruises on his face, "Are you okay?"
Élise's dark eyes pointed directly at Meadows as she was being taken into a SWAT car. Patting his chest, "Not just yet."
Élise tranquility but fiercely walked over to Meadows. This sick daughter of a bastard and bitch. She stared her with direct intensity. She had to fight every inch of her body not to kill Meadows in front of everyone else. She even wanted to spit at her.
Instead, she gave her a winning smirk for a moment…
Before using every ounce of energy she had to deliver a hard slap across her face, a quick hard backhand slap, and then a quick but hard punch to the face, which almost caused her to fall unconscious and to the ground before being taken away.
This shocked some of the team.
Fixing herself up and cooling off her hands before blowing on her knuckles, she calmly walking back to Reid,
"I'm better now." Élise smiles as she resumes hugging him, which he quickly accepts. "Let's get you out of here and checked at. But I have to ask: did any one of them hurt you, too? Because if they did...I'll kick their ass for you." She gave him a wink and tongue click.
Reid lightly chuckled. "No. I'm good." He winked and his tongue clicked back at her. Élise giggled.
"I think I'm more scared of Élise than Reid," Alvez whispered to Simmons, who soon agreed.
As Elise and Reid continued to hug each other,
"Spencer? SPENCER!"
"Spencer," Élise said with relief, sitting on the edge of his hospital bed. "You're awake."
Reid soon noticed he was sitting up in a hospital bed with IV tubes taped to his arm and an oxygen cannula under his nose and hooked to his ears. "What happened?"
"You're in a hospital. You passed out in my arms. You were out for a few hours."
"Oh. Well, the last thing I remembered was…"
"I know."
"Where's the team?" Reid asked.
"They went to get some food after getting some rest." Élise
"You didn't go with them?" Reid wondered.
Élise unzipped her bag and pulls out a snack bag of mini pretzels. "Want one?"
"No thanks."
"I got an extra one just in case you want it. I'm sure it beats most of the hospital's food. And besides, I can always eat when we get back home. Oh! I called Hotch and I had him and Gina Sharp look after Anastasia at a safe house; they'll drop her off with Garcia when we're on our way home. And just to really be on the safe side, I had your mother placed in protective custody and look after."
Reid sighed in relief. "Meadows said I was lucky she didn't go after her or my mother."
"Well then, she's lucky I didn't sock her face or slap it any harder," Élise commented back. "And I mean, really, really lucky."
"Did you know that a punch to the head can actually kill you?" Reid said.
Élise chuckled. "Is there anything you don't know?" She placed on her hand on top of his hand. "But, seriously, Spencer...I'm really glad you're alright. And alive."
He placed his other hand on hers. "Thank you so much, Élise. For a second, I really thought I wasn't going to make it."
"Well, you did make it. And you won. Big time."
"Are you sure I can't get you anything to drink?" Élise asked Reid as they were on the plane ride to home, fixing up the pillow behind his head and blanket that covered his legs. "Water? Soda? Ginger-Ale? Coffee? OJ? And I'm not talking about..."
"I'm fine, Élise," Reid assures her.
"Or maybe you want something to eat? I think there's some leftover chicken tikka masala or maybe some…"
"I'm fine. Really." Élise smiled back in comfort.
Reid and Élise gave each other a quick smile as they flew back home.
Especially after Reid mentioned that he loved them.
Once the team stepped out of the elevator, Reid immediately rushes to hug Garcia, thanking her for everything before rushing to hug his darling and blossoming Anastasia after Hotch and Gina dropped her off; showering his child with kisses and 'I love yous.' He let out a big sigh; he feared he was never going to be able to see anyone ever again. Not his mother, not his team, not Garcia, not Élise, and most certainly not Anastasia.
But now, it was all over.
It was finally all over.