Title: Salutarem Via

Summary: After an international mission comes into light, Reid has to face the fact that his team will now need to know one of his biggest secrets: his life way from the BAU.

A/N: Hello, people of the internet! I have come back with the first official chapter of my first multi-chapter story. I am hoping to get another chapter out as soon as possible hopefully in a week or two . I hope you guys like this beginning. If anyone has any questions, you are all welcomed to send me a PM. Also, updates are going to be slow. I am a college student with a full schedule, so I will update as often as I can but that may be once or twice a month. I am sorry about that. Life kind of sucks like that.

Please review!

Shout out to Sue1313, noobz40, starfire25, and OhWell1960 for being my first reviewers of this story. Those lovely reviews made me more enthusiastic to write this story.

Disclaimer: I do not have the pleasure of owning Criminal Minds. That honor belongs to CBS.

Chapter One: Together Again

"Where you used to be, there is a hole in the world, which I find myself constantly walking around in the daytime, and falling in at night. I miss you like hell."-Edna St. Vincent Millay

Having spent the last week paranoid, Reid finally experienced some good news when he entered his apartment and a gift sat neatly on his coffee table. He knew who it was from and why it was sent.

Reid scurried over to the table where a bouquet of dahlias and begonias waiting to be searched, so Reid did. He searched for the very small and important letter that was meant to confirm his suspicions. Within his search, he came across the note saying...

The usual spot at the usual time. Hope to see you there...

Reid went to his room making plans to lose the trail that he had on him on the weekends. This was most definitely going to be difficult, but he was not a genius in government work for nothing. He impressed them, and now he has to impress her.

In the darkness, a child soundly slept drifting into a wondrous dream. That little boy never saw it coming...the hands in the night.

He did not even get the chance to scream.

Spencer ran to the subway erratically fully knowing that his behavior would fit under his profile that his followers would surely have of him. He could easily lose them in the crowd without giving away his knowledge about the situation. They would have to wait out there for him to arrive back home.

He jumped into his train car and sat down with the note in his hand. He kept looking at it trying to imagine how this meeting was going to go.

He was worried. Her request for his presence means something and usually not anything good. She must have need to see him in person, if she would risk their safety. She was overly cautious and would never overtly put them in danger unless absolutely necessary. He also knew that she should not be involved in any cases that had his name on it including this one, especially this one. He was well aware that she had a hand in choosing the team for the mission which is how he ended up on the lineup, but that she rarely left her office in the Pentagon dealing with all the bureaucrats. This had been a an exception.

It was hard for everyone.

He sighed when he remembered the last time her saw her. She looked beautiful with her brown hair blowing in the wind, and the only thing lessening her beauty was her grim expression and her black clothing. He saw her from afar, but her presence at Maeve's funeral brought him comfort.

He dug into his messenger bag for his book. He read Zettels Traum in the original German hoping that it would entertain him longer than it would normally. One thousand three hundred thirty-three pages in a language that he was not completely proficient in, but it still should not take him more than forty minutes give or take a few which means that he had about ten minutes to just sit here and do nothing.

Thirty-seven minutes later, Reid was stuffing the book back into his bag checking the time. About ten minutes to go just as predicted. When he finally looked up, he noticed a mother-son pair staring at him. He tried to relieve some of his nerves at being gawked at by giving them a soft smile recognizing their existence.

There was four minutes of awkward silence. The boy looked at his mom as if pressuring her to ask something...she finally opened her mouth to ask, "How can you read that fast? Can you read that fast?"

Reid laughed, "I get that a lot. Yes, I can read that fast. Our unconscious mind can process eleven million bits of information making it possible to read that fast. It just takes dedication, practice, and intelligence. Most people that speed read tend to have higher IQs and it is easier for people who have ADD, ADHD, and Dyslexia because of their shorter attention spans...sorry you probably didn't want to know that."

The young mom appeared to be in her late twenties to early thirties, while her son could not be more than five or six years old. She gave Reid a flirty giggle, "No, I think that is fascinating though it was a little egotistical to insinuate that you have a high IQ."

Reid blushed stuttering, "I...well...um...I don't believe that intelligence can be quantified in that manner, but I do have a high IQ in most people's perspective. It isn't ego. It's just a fact like how each train car can carry 250 people at a speed of about ninety kilometers or about sixty miles per hour is just a fact."

The mother scooted back into her seat simply smirking at Reid with her little boy saying that the strange man talked a lot like a computer. Silence was again taking over the car, as Reid tried to regain his concentration about the task that was merely minutes away.

The robotic voice announced his stop, and he stood up giving one last glance to the mother-son duo before hopping off the car into the crowd of people.

He walked toward a little café that was filled with people, though it was not too noisy preventing comfortable conversation. He asked for a table and sat down. All that was left to do was wait.

He hoped she would show up.

They enter the blue bedroom hoping to awake the sleeping boy just find the bed sheets on the floor and no boy laying inside the warm cocoon. Toys were in disarray everywhere.

The man called the sweet little boy's name, while his wife simply screamed.

Reid sat there looking over files waiting for her to show up. He knew she would not be on time, but as he glanced at his watch one more time he began to wonder if he placed to much trust in her. Just as that doubt crept into the corners of his mind, he shook it out. He knew that she has gained his trust over the years. There was no other person he trusted more and for good reason. He would wait as long as he need to wait, because this was the only chance they have to meet in person. Leaving all doubt behind him, Reid went on reading his files and taking notes whenever appropriate.

Five minutes later a feminine voice spoke in front of him, "Two hours is a long time to be waiting for someone. Must be someone special."

Reid replied without a second thought, "No one like her."

The voice carried on, "Is she worth the wait?"

Reid moved his head upward unable to hide the smirk that was forming and answered, "Always."

The woman pulled a chair out staring right at Reid, a smile on her face, "Hey, Billy Boy."

She sat down as Reid straighten up. He responded with a chuckle at the nickname, "Hey, Addie. Long time, no see. How's life been since the last time we did this?"

Addie gave him a small, sad smile, "It could have been better."

Reid's eyes mimicked her uneasiness, and they simply stared at one another for a moment soaking in the other's presence. Trying to memorize their physical figures before they walked out of each other's lives once more fully acknowledging the fact that this may be the last time they would meet in person.

He turned away first, too overwhelmed by her flawed perfection, before looking up and saying, "You didn't have too much trouble getting here, did you? No problems along the way?"

Addie gave a hard laugh, "No...no, not at all, Reid. You know me. I am a ninja: quick, quiet, and unnoticeable until it's too late."

Silence settled between them. Both of them wanted to salvage this easiness before they had to speak about the problem they have to face. No one wanted to speak first becoming the bearer of bad news. Addie's expression became pained at the look Reid displayed currently. She was the last person who wanted to bring danger into his life, and now his life might just end too soon because of her.

Sighing Addie finally broached the subject, "We don't have a lot of time."

Reid nodded agreeing, "Yes, I know."

Addie continued, "My hands are tied when it comes to this. I coined my last good favor to contact you, so I am not going to be of any use in locating any of the others. What I can do is this." She handed Reid a small phone before adding, "It is untraceable, and it can only call two numbers: a phone just like this that I will have with me at all times and the head of my security team in the States, Javier Ortiz. If you ever need to call me, those two numbers are the only ones that will be safe for us to talk. They are tracking all of our personal electronic devices. Nothing we own is safe. Do you understand?"

Reid quickly nodded and took the phone on the table. He stashed it in his messenger bag beneath paper documents and books, so no one on his team would accidentally come across it, "Yeah, I got it. You going to be okay?"

Smirking, Addie said, "Me. Oh, yeah, I will be fine. They messed with the wrong team. I have eyes and ears everywhere. They will make the mistake every other sick bastard does, and when they do I will know. They will be locked away for such a long time that they will even miss those strong, pungent smells you can taste in the air. I will bury them, so deep that no one will remember their existence. I promise you that, Spencer."

Reid nodded once again emitting only silence just sitting there waiting for her to take the lead.

She moved her head slightly and ended their time together with these last words, "It has been ten minutes, and that is the most we have before they notice anything. Use your bravery in battle, Reid, and you will find His name and He will be with you." She stood up about to leave him behind when she thought better of it twisting her body to face Reid once more before departing, "Be brilliant, Billy Boy. Be brilliant and nothing will stop you. I've seen what you are capable of and all you have to do is be brilliant."

Reid admired her as she walked away from the café, and he knew he was seeing her for the last time. Something in him knew that everything would be different after this...he would be different. She would be different. His team would be different.

Reid sighed readying himself to catch the train headed back to Quantico.

The couple called the police wanting to find him as soon as possible. He was only four years old and they could imagine how scared he must be. He was all they had in this world.

As officers filed into their home, she just cried for her little boy back and he requested for more help in finding him.

The husband told the officer of their history and of any possible suspects, "He's our grandson. Our son died two years ago and his mother, our daughter-in-law, is a drug addict. We took him in and my wife and I just want him back."

The officer reassured him, "Don't worry, sir. We are calling reinforcements: the best of the best. We are going to find him."

Opening the door to his apartment, Reid's heart rate began to quicken as noises could be heard. Ready for a fight, he burst through the door only to see JJ and Morgan.

"Whoa, Pretty Boy! Take it easy, man." Morgan said with a tone of surprise.

Reid saw the look of worry on JJ's face before apologizing, "Sorry. I just wasn't expecting you. Something up?"

JJ stared at Reid for reassurance of his words and found nothing out of place, so she answered, "Yeah, a boy, age four, went missing from his home last night. We are on the case with only ten hours before he will be missing for twenty-four hours."

Reid acknowledged the urgency of the situation and rapidly went into his room grabbed what he needed to head out, while Morgan added, "We are running point from Quantico. Hotch went to the police station to talk to the LEOs on the case. We are meeting up with Rossi and the new guy, Glover I think, at headquarters."

"You could have just called," Reid pointed out.

JJ appeared to be upset replying, "We tried, but we couldn't reach you. Morgan and I volunteered to come and get you."

Reid's expression turned grim taking out his cell to check. Seeing that he did indeed have five missed calls, seven text messages, and two voice-mails, he announced, "Sorry. I must have had bad reception where I was. Let's not waste anymore time." As he said those things, Reid stalked his way out of his apartment.

A man looked calmly to the scared boy, "Don't you worry. You are going to be happy soon. I promise."

The boy sniffed crying, "I wanna go home. Please, take me home."

The man, angry, yelled, "This is your home now. Don't cry, because I don't like kids that cry, 'pecially boys. Boys ain't suppose to cry. They are men."

They walked into the bullpen with the boy in mind and a completely focused mind. Rossi and Glover were already there waiting. As the rest of the team joined the circle, Rossi hung up the phone.

He turned around and greeted everyone officially introducing the new addition, "Hey, well, we have no real time for pleasantries, so let's get right to it. This is Nathan Glover. He worked for the New York department in the White Collar unit. Glover, this is Derek Morgan, Jennifer Jareau and Spencer Reid. Now, with that out of the way, let's get down to business. Hotch says that the found a toy that belongs to Adam Jenkins about two miles from the house and a sweater about six miles. We know Adam lives with his paternal grandparents. Dad is dead and mom is receiving treatment for a nasty drug problem. So, JJ and I will go see the grandparents. Morgan and Glover go to visit the mother. Her program involves weekly trips back home, and she should be home this week. Boy Genius, Hotch wants you to make a geographic profile with the information about Adam's stuff we found. He said he was going to send you more information to you personally. No, time to waste."

Everyone took turns looking at each other before going to work.

Two hours in and they were not any closer to finding Adam. Reid had colored the map, but with each new clue he felt dissatisfied with it and changed it. Not to mention, Addie flooded his thoughts constantly. Something about the end of their conversation seemed wrong like something she would not say or could not say. Adelaide Lancaster was a Linguist and she never said anything without a purpose especially if she knew they only had a lousy ten minutes together.

Something was hidden in her words, and she wanted him to figure it out. Of course she did. She told him to be brilliant, so that was exactly what he will do. First, he will find Adam and then he will be so brilliant the sun will envy him.

They have been on the case for four hours and all they had was a twenty mile radius of where the unsub might be and a profile that fit none of the characteristics of the people living in the determined radius. Reid had double, triple checked his math.

Morgan spoke up first, "We are looking for a white man in his mid to late thirties. He blends into the neighborhood meaning he doesn't look threatening or dangerous. He could be a delivery man or someone in a uniform, though not someone in law enforcement. He is not that smart as he left evidence, but he can't be on the slow side either as he semi-cleaned the crime scene leaving no fingerprints."

Everyone stayed quiet as they independently went through the name of suspects they had...Reid's face perked up as an the answer to one of his problems came to him. Hotch was giving orders sending most of the team to re-interview everyone of importance. Reid was left with alone.

Rearranging the geographical profile one last time, Reid's mind sped through his conversation with Adelaide. Everything seemed normal until the very last part. Addie was an atheist or at least an agnostic, so her preaching about God appeared to be abnormal. The nonsense about his bravery in battle was odd as well, so that was all a cryptic message for him.

He worked on the map for an hour adding as much detail as he could. Then it hit him. Garcia means brave in battle and Samuel means the name of God. Manuel means God is with us.

Reid whispered to himself, "You are a genius, Addie. You really are." She gave him everything he needed to find the other members of their team since her hands were tied. She warned him he would have ten minutes, but that Garcia's computers were safe enough for him to track Manuela and the Samuels Twins. He hoped that was brilliant enough for her, brilliant enough for all of them.

He ran to Garcia's door, but he halted outside to think about what he was going to say to her. Thinking quick on his feet, he opened the door.

Garcia, draped in her colorful attire, moved her chair to face him. With a smile adorning her face, she greeted him, "Hey, Boy Wonder. Come to seek the queen of the digital and technological world. Well, you have found her. What can I do for you?"

Reid masked his real intentions and began playing a well acted part. Feigning pain, he grunted, "I...um...I wanted to get away from the bullpen. I...um..."

Garcia laced her expression with worry asking, "Are you in pain? Is it your neck? You know no one will judge you if you decided to take some medication for the pain, Reid."

Reid placed a small smile on his face replying, "I know. That's not why I don't take narcotics, Garcia. I just...I just want some quiet time, and I thought Garcia's batcave might be the best place to do it. Is that okay? Me using this room?"

Violently nodding, Garcia said, "Don't worry, my sweet. I will be back in fifteen tops with tea and other things that will help with the pain that I will know after I google them."

Reid shared his gratitude, and as Garcia slowly closed the door behind her, his demeanor completely transformed. Gone was the painful expression and in its place was one of determination and calculation. Reid forcefully sat on Garcia's chair and violently began hacking his way into the government's hidden database. Reid silently thanked himself for paying attention to both Garcia and the Samuels Twins as they worked their magic on the computer.

He had been on Garcia's computer for four minutes with nothing to show for it. He couldn't...could he? He started to login into the system when he realized he would not have access to it anymore, not since he stopped consulting for other agencies two years ago. Nothing Adelaide did was accidental. There must be a reason she was two hours late, a reason why they met at that café, a reason why they met at that day and at that time.

The café's address starts with the number 18 and ends with 2. Zeros were never used; they were unimportant. The café was west on it's street. They usually meet around noon at the café, but Addie was two hours late. Addie was also a linguist. Words were her life...what did she say that could be taken out of context something about air and burying them. Miss the strong, pungent smells you can taste in the air. That obviously meant the word acrid. Burying them, so deep could she mean the phrase deep six connecting the idea of burying someone six feet into the ground in a burial. That would indicate...Reid quickly typed in 182W14AD6.

Their on the screen was everything he could need about their mission. Seeing the world dead next to the names of some of his colleagues pulled at Reid's heart. It was too late for them. He can still save the others. He quickly got a hold of their information. Committing it to memory, Reid deleted all of the recent history from Garcia's hard drive. If only she knew, what he could do with a computer.

Lifting his wrist to check his watch, Reid breathed. Just under ten minutes. All he had to do was wait for Garcia and then back to finding Adam. Two minutes after Reid shut down the system, Garcia stumbled in with some tea and goodies.

She announced, "Here you go. Some deliciousness for my handsome doctor."

Reid scrunched his eyes in feigned pain thanking her. He grabbed the cup of tea and one cookie. After finishing, he decided it was time to head back to the bullpen. "Hey, Garcia. I have to go. Thanks again. This really helped."

He walked into the conference room to find everyone was already gathered round brainstorming. He sat down on the chair closest to him. The entire team turned to stare at him.

Glover, annoyed by his lack of participation, asked, "Where have you been?"

Reid was about to answer when Morgan interrupted, "Yeah, man. You have been MIA, though I do got to say that geographic profile was the best I have seen in a while even for you."

Reid stared at the bored and then at his color-coated map. He jumped out of his sit to make sure and then he questioned the team, "Did you guys talk to Fred Price?"

Rossi confused by the question asked read to elaborate, "Why would we talk to him? He was just a resident of the same rehab center as Molly Jenkins. As far as we know, he had no relationship with Molly or Adam. He has an average IQ and does not need a uniform for the type of work he does."

Hotch having caught up to Reid's line of thinking said, "But he fits the profile. We only said that the uniform would help him blend in the neighborhood, but he works for an independent plumbing company. People won't question a van, if it looks mundane and has a logo for plumbing on the side."

JJ perked up adding, "But he doesn't live in the parameters, Spence, said he would live in."

Reid interjected, "No, he doesn't. The rehab center is though, and you know who else..." Pointing to the map, he continued, "...Molly Jenkins."

Morgan kicked down the door to find a crying Adam in the arms of his mother. She looked up at them and began whimpering, "Don't take my baby. He's mine, and I just wanted to see him. They won't let me see him. I just missed him. I just wanted to see him."

They all looked at one another before JJ carefully unlocked Adam from Molly's arms murmuring to him that he would be returned home.

Hotch asked Molly where Fred was and she pointed to the back of the house. Morgan and Glover marched into the backroom to find Fred Price tucked in the corner afraid. Rossi cuffed Molly while Morgan held Fred. They were both arrested for the kidnapping of Adam Jenkins.

As they entered the bullpen for the last time that night, JJ grunted about it being a long day. Morgan added about it ending well. Hotch announced that they were all free to go home, but that he expected them to all be here tomorrow morning to do their reports. Everyone slowly disappeared welcoming Glover to the team and congratulating him on his first official day on the case.

Reid was left alone. He had to see the director about his private office. He was going to need that space, but he also needed the most secure computer this building could offer him. He crept into Garcia's now empty lair and sent his message to the last standing members of his old team hoping he got to the before they did. Going through many servers to make it untraceable, he sent them two words, one phrase: Saving Path.

He warned them, and now all they had to do was survive.

Reid opened the door to his apartment, and just like before there on his coffee table was another set of flowers. This time dark pink roses intertwined with palm leaves. The note read...

Way to be brilliant. Adam appreciates your work and so do I.

Reid chuckled. She really did have eyes and ears everywhere. She had confidence that was enough to beat them at their own game. He hoped she was right like she always seemed to be.