Chapter 07

BAU Headquarters
Quantico, VA

Spencer stared at them a long moment, then chuckled. "I'm not an alien." He said as he all but tossed his bag into his desk chair. "CODIS hates me. It always has." He retrieved his coffee mug and turned to the pot, having to part the soldiers to get to it. "Look at Agent Hotchner's notes."

"This could be why." Someone else said.

"This is not why." Spencer replied. "This is ridiculous. I was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, not on another planet. My parents are a lawyer and a professor of medieval history. Mom's obstetrician is probably still alive, go ask him. Knowing my mother he probably remembers her."

A woman stepped out of the crowd. "We'd like to run some tests."

"No way." Emily said. "He is not going anywhere and no one is running any tests without four of my people on him at all times. I've seen this movie."

"More than willing to give a blood sample but we draw it here." Spencer agreed. That ought to settle this nonsense. He started pouring coffee.

"Maybe we could talk to your parents." Someone else in the crowd said. "Is your mother still alive?"

Now they were getting serious again. Spencer rounded on them. "My mother is a schizophrenic with co-morbid Alzheimer's. She's too fragile for any kind of interview. I'll challenge any warrant you try."

"What about your father?"

Spencer considered this a moment. "You know, last I heard he was in excellent health. Go for it. He is a practicing lawyer but I'm sure you can get around that."

A number of them smiled and hustled off to track down William Reid. In the meantime the DIA agent who spoke turned to Emily. "We'd like to look at some form of custody."

Emily's eyes turned cold. "Like I said, I saw that movie. We're on rotation which means we're probably going out on a case today."

"He's not going anywhere."

"He is surrounded by FBI agents."

"Who he's been fooling for over a decade."

"You don't even know he is who you say he is."

That point quieted DIA for a moment. "He stays here." He said. "My men stay on guard, just in case."

Emily weighed this. "Two."

"Fair enough." After some discussion the flock left, leaving two armed soldiers on guard by the doors.

Who were still there as the rest of the team trickled in. "Does anyone know what all the commotion is?" Penelope asked as she and Luke came in a few moments later.

"The DOD decided Reid is an alien." Emily said.

"And we're surprised by this?" Luke asked. In reply Emily waved at the door. "Oh they are serious." He said.

"We're stood down until they sort it out." She said.

"At least I get to see my dog tonight." Luke went to get his own coffee.

Penelope smiled at him. "So have you not been dating because you're hiding tentacles under your sweater?" She asked Spencer

They shared a laugh over that and then she went off to her lair. Spencer pointedly ignored the soldiers and started in on the ever present pile of paperwork. At least he could get something done while they sorted the computer out.

A few minutes later JJ and Matt came in, having dropped the collective at school and daycare. They were accompanied by the woman from earlier, accompanied by another woman who was carrying a blood draw tray. "Okay, someone want to share?" JJ asked.

"The DOD thinks Reid is an alien." Luke replied.

"And this is news?" In reply Luke pointed to the door. JJ turned to look at the solders there. "Seriously?"

"We're here to do a blood test to confirm." The first woman said. She turned to Spencer, who was ignoring her. After watching him for a few moments she turned back to JJ. "Does he always do that?" She almost whispered.

"What? Read like that? Yeah. He's….Reid. He does that."

The two women turned to stare at him some more.

JJ cocked her head and considered this. "You know Spence…."

"Don't!" Spencer replied. He did not need his friends going there. He turned to the two women who immediately started putting on biosafety gear. "I've been injured in the field on numerous occasions and been in surgery three times with no ill effect to the medical teams. You don't need more than the standard precautions."

"Oh. Right." The first woman said. She set about preparing for a blood draw.

Meanwhile JJ and Matt settled in at their desks. "Do you have any idea how excited Henry is going to be." She said. "My godfather is an alien. I can hear him bragging now."

"Just remember, if you take Henry to Mars for a visit you have to take Jake too." Matt said. "Or else I'll never hear the end of it."

"Deal." Spencer watched as they took a full set of vials of standard red blood. When they were done he smiled politely and watched them scurry out. "I wonder what they think I'm going to do." He asked as he rolled his sleeve down.

"Tentacles." JJ suggested.


Four hours later Spencer went to join Penelope and Luke at the cafeteria, only to be stopped by the guards. "Okay, this is ridiculous." He said.

"We'll bring you the special." Penelope replied.

"Thank you." Spencer went back to his desk to grump.

It worked out though because Emily came over a few moments later. "They're bringing your father in." She said. "They just landed. I got them to use our interrogation rooms. Dave is going to be in on the questioning. You can watch if you like."

"Thank you." He knew she probably had to call in a lot of favors for that.

"We're going to clear this up, don't worry."

"I hope so."


A little while later he was standing behind the mirror in a crowded interrogation booth while Dave and someone from the DOD sat down with William Reid. William looked older, thinner, but still as sharp and intelligent as ever. The man from the DOD started. "As you probably know, a delegation from the Intergalactic Federation of Planets has recently opened diplomatic relations with Earth."

A sort of hopeful eagerness came over William. "Is the Quadranian delegation with them?" He asked. "Did they survive the war? Have they come for us?"

Spencer felt his world fall apart around him.