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: Merry Christmas, Friends! Break has done wonders for my free time, so expect more frequent updates for the next month (though this was suppose to be up like two days ago, life really does hate me). I should be able to update with two more chapters before classes resume for the spring semester. If all goes as plan, Reid should pop up before my schedule gets all chaotic once more.

Nothing much more to announce other than this...We finally meet Eloise in this chapter. Yay! I really like her. She is smart, wise and kind like an older sister should be. She is also a mother meaning she is definitely a worrywart. There is more of Hotch and Rossi talking about their worries and other stuff.

So, let's get straight to it. Read and enjoy. Please review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds, though I have wished very hard. I just really want my own personal Matthew Gray Gubler in Reid's sweaters and ties. Is that too much to ask?

Chapter Five: Holding on by Threads

"Every mental act is composed of doubt and belief, but it is belief that is the positive, it is belief that sustains thought and holds the world together."-Soren Kierkegaard

Quinn sat patiently on his wooden chair. He waited for the response that would launch him into action. He needed to be reassured of his plan, but he had been waiting for Reid to check on him for the last couple days and nothing.

He knew that a quick response may not happen, yet he believed that given the circumstances Reid may label it with the highest priority. He hoped it would be more important than anything else that may be going on in Reid's life including his job. He acknowledged the selfishness in that thought. He embraced it without hesitation or remorse especially when it came to this. Selfishness meant survival. It meant that he lived for another day, that his brother lived another day.

Switching from his anger at Reid to his apprehension over his brother, Quinn left to check on him. His fingers danced on his keyboard gracefully and rapidly. He looked for a way to communicate with Coby without being overheard, without the anxiety of being caught.

With each passing day, he grew more worry for the well-being of everyone. He could not lose any of them. They were the closest thing to family that he had. Parents dead along with his romantic life. Coby and the rest of this team were everything to him.

Frantically typing, Quinn's stomach churned with the strongest altruistic need: to keep his family alive at any and all costs. Sending another encryption only his brother could understand, the beating of his heart began to slow long enough to relax the tension gripping his upper body. His breathe went from fast and shallow to long and deep.

Reid had not responded, and he could not wait for much longer. Something happened of that he had no doubt. Belief kept everything together, and Quinn's doubt doubled in strength. His world slipped slowly into a darkness he could not escape. Everything barely held together.

Despite the stupidity, he ignored all his instincts that had kept him alive all these years. He needed to get out of the safety and right into the line of fire.

But first thing's first, he could not act out his plan without his brother knowing about it. He had to send a quick message to let him know. Swinging his body toward his screen, he picked up where he left before finishing it off and sending the message off to his brother.

Sitting across her husband, Eloise placed herself at the party. She talked. She danced. She charmed everyone she met...an art she mastered when she was a teenager. They all had.

That did not stop from Adelaide falling short this particular time. She knew her sister had a lot more going on then she allowed herself to admit, but Addie had always been well-mannered, witty, and social. Something she was not at all the other night.

She cornered herself away from the crowd. She mingled enough to avoid stern looks from their parents and the gossip from the bored wives of rich politicians and businessmen. They spoke briefly. She asked for a favor. She was about to decline when Addie mentioned that the medication was for Reid. He had been shot saving a friend of his, almost died because of it. The pain was becoming a distraction for him, and she knew that with his past addiction problem pills stronger than ibuprofen were out of the question, yet ibuprofen was no longer working for him.

That did not surprise her. Reid attracted trouble.

If Reid contacted Adelaide, something big occurred not that long ago, something she did not wish to share with her or anyone. Looking at her husband reading the newspaper, Eloise doubled back. She told someone. No one could live in mistrust their whole lives. She told the one person she trusted above all others, the person she knew she could tell anything and everything without being judged or looked down upon. She told Spencer.

The man shifted in his seat moving his head to have his wife in full view, "Hey, love. What on earth is going through your head right now? Zeta functions? The cure for cancer? Something equally smart and difficult?"

His gentle laugh brought Eloise out of her head. She responded, "Neither. I never understood zeta functions. I always thought they were boring. That was something Dash did when he had nothing better to do. He wrapped Adds into them once she was old enough to comprehend them. Besides, I'm doing research on the brain for addiction and the learning process, Owen. I 'm leaving the curing of cancer to the big boys." She went back to her thoughts digging herself deeper in the mystery that was her sister.

Adelaide was never a simpleton. She was complicated, a web intertwined on many different levels. Her secrets went beyond the normal. She held those few she trusted at an arm's length, because even those people could possible be hindrance. In Adelaide's line of work, you do not want people like that in your life. She was off yesterday, distant, more so than usual.

Eloise was so deep in thought she did not notice her husband carried on the conversation.

Owen laughed, "I'd like to meet those big boys. They can't be that impressive. I married you and you are literally a genius, so they cannot be that intimidating. And let's not get started on the rest of your family. Seriously, who in their right mind would marry into your family. I mean come on!"

He turned his head searching for the tint of laughter. There was not one. He stared hoping to get a reaction. When he received none, he whistled, "Ellie...Ellie...Eloise." He placed his hand tenderly on her hands, "Love, is everything alright?"

Shaken out of her world, Eloise blinked trying to find her bearings. She glimpsed at Owen madly chuckling, "I'm just reeling over the party last night. I cannot believe I used to go to those things all the time. Could you imagine a teenage me dancing the waltz with my dad?"

Not buying it, Owen's left eyebrow rose and his stare never wavered off her hazel eyes. He huffed, "Look, I may not be a genius, but I sure as hell am not stupid. At least, I am not stupid when it comes to you. Something is seriously up. What is it, Eloise?"

A ghost of a smile tainted her face as tears tried to burst from the corners of her eyes. Eloise wrapped her hands around his sighing, "I don't know. I don't know."

"Eloise, you can trust me."

She exhaled roughly, "That's not the problem. The problem is that I really don't know what is going on. I truly do not know. All I know without a doubt is that there is something going on, and not a single person has told me what that thing is." She had pushed her chair back and violently started to pace by her kitchen table. Looking at the lines forming on her husband's face, she ambled her way toward him. "Owen, I don't know what's going on, and that scares me."

He circled his arms around her pulling her towards him. Rocking her back and forth, Owen comforted his wife that only way he knew how, "Everything is going to be fine, love. You just wait and see. Adds has a superpower, and she's going to fix this. And if she doesn't then I promise I will find a way to make it right."

Sniffling, Eloise loosened her husbands hug and kissed him. She gently caressed his face, "I love you."

Owen smiled moving his forehead onto hers, "Love you, too." He pushed her away standing up, "Now, wash your face before the kids wake up. I don't want them to start to worry, because their mom decided today was the perfect day to get caught having a break down."

Eloise agreed and went off to clean herself up before her children tumbled down the stairs for breakfast. Owen was left alone in the kitchen pondering exactly how he was going to make this all better for his family.

Getting up to ready breakfast for his family, he heard pitter-patter of feet sneaking their way. Not look up, he called out, "I hear you. No one is leaving this house without breakfast, so the both of you better get yourselves into the kitchen."

Two children ran into the kitchen and plopped themselves into their chairs. Owen brought them their plates and wished them a good morning.

The girl swinging her legs asked, "Daddy, where's mom?"

Owen turned to face his daughter saying, "She's upstairs, Soph. Eat your breakfast."

The older boy snickered at his sister and she glared at him. With battle of wits carried on, Eloise entered the kitchen to see her children fighting and her husband ignoring them.

She sighed, "That is enough. Dylan, you are almost fourteen years old. Stop picking on you little sister, and Sophia...don't encourage him. And you, mister, are their father. You cannot just let them battle it out like they have been raised by wolves." She walked over to him.

He sheepishly said, "Well, I knew you were coming down."

Eloise turned around and addressed her children, "Now, go upstairs and pack some of your things. You are going to be staying with your Aunt Hannah for a while."

Both of them jumped out of their seats yelling out their excitement.

Brows furrowed, Owen questioned, "Since when are they staying with my sister for an undisclosed amount of time?"

Grabbing him, she answered, "Since my siblings started to be secretive. I may not know what is going on, but I know that something is. And it is a big something. Whatever it may be, I don't want the kids around for when it unfolds. I called Hannah when I was upstairs. She said it was fine. She understands."

They held on to each other, because they may be in the dark but they wholeheartedly believed a war may be on the horizon. There were always causalities in a war.

He did not show up for work that day. He could not put those people in danger. He needed to be safely tucked away from others until he figured out what to do next.

As he read over the files for the fourth time in the last twenty-four hours, he noticed an anomaly within his program. It was cleverly done. No one else would have seen it, but he was trained to catch this particular abnormalities that all others would miss.

It was a message...

Headed your way, C. Should be there in a few hours. Be ready.-Q

Mouth agape, Coby whispered, "What the hell are you doing, Quinn?"

He furthered his investigation and discovered that the message was sent from an undisclosed location about four hours ago. If Coby knew his brother as well as he prided himself, he would not be that far away.

Saving the files and hiding them, he panicked trying to understand his brother's reason for leaving safety and entering the uncertain world. He doubted it was because of these files. No, he believed his brother sacrificed his guaranteed life simply to help the rest of the team live.

If only Manny sent these to Reid, he would have figured out a way to use this to their advantage. She should have sent it to Adelaide who could have this all go away with a snap of her thin fingers. Manny cared too much about the two of them to sign their death certificate.

He knew Manny could not bring herself to send it to them for if any of the rest of them were in her position they would avoid sending it to the two of them as well.

He knew Spencer was the smartest man he had ever met, but he was also the gentlest soul. Logic directed them to send it him. Sentiment dictated that they needed to protect him and his kindness from being destroyed. And not one of them was going to get Addie killed. No, he fully believed that she was an angel sent to rescue them all, to help them trust humanity once again.

No, no one was going to kill those two. He fully believed that, because he would throw everyone else in the line of fire before he would allow for either of them to suffer.

Hotch watched as his son practiced soccer. Their was an overwhelming urge to tuck Jack away from the world, to protect them from everything that could possibly harm him.

A male voice tried to ease Hotch's anxiety, "You can't protect him from everything, you know."

Never breaking his stare, Hotch agreed, "I know, Dave. I know. It's just that..."

Rossi sat down next to him. He earned Hotch's full attention with what he said next, "I know you worry about Jack, but I was talking about Spencer. You feel responsible for his well-being not just because you have the power of attorney or because he is on your team. You feel responsible, because this is the man you have seen grow up right in front of you, and you have had a part in helping him get there. You feel responsible, because his like a the little brother that you didn't screw over...not yet anyway."

Turning back to Jack, Hotch just breathed in and out waiting for the right words to manifest themselves in his mind. He yearned for the correct way to express everything that plagued him about the situation. He settled for this, "Dave, I have this gut feeling that whatever is bothering Spencer goes beyond what I can do. It's this nagging in the back of mind practically yelling at me that Spencer is in so much trouble, lethal trouble. I...I want to ignore it, to say that I'm overreacting. I'm being overprotective, because he has suffered so much pain for someone so young. I just can't. I can't shake this feeling that he is lying to all of us to protect us from something that is completely out of our control. How am I suppose to deal with that every single day?"

Rossi stayed fixated on Hotch for some time digging into his brain for an answer that would bring his dear friend peace. He needed to do that for him, but how was he to accomplish such a thing? He could not just make all of the worry disappear. He could not undo everything that Reid had experienced in his life or propel himself into the future to help Reid avoid any unknown dangers. Life stuck him in the here and now.

Rossi knew something was off for a while. Dr. Spencer Reid had a knack for finding trouble, but he also had a knack of getting out of it with only seconds to spare. He somehow wiggled his way into people's hearts with his rather adorable (for a lack of a better word) qualities. He had this innocence about him that endeared him to everyone he meets. No one was excluded. There was a genuine kindness and sacrifice in him. He loved completely and without reservation when he could and suffers entirely because of it. It is why he attracted trouble all of his life, because he came last on his list of worries always. Everyone else came before him, so everyone else protected him tooth and nail.

He was a genius with FBI training that will bring himself to the line of fire before even contemplating the notion of sending someone he cares about in harm's way. Reid was indeed lying, but what had he done that was too dangerous to tell the rest of his team?

Rossi finally addressed the question that hung in the air, "Look Aaron, I don't have all the answers. I don't know how you should deal with it, but I know that Spencer is an adult. He will ask for your help when he needs it, if he ever does. Until then, don't worry so much about him that you miss out on some great moments."

As if on cue, Jack screamed, "Dad, did you see that? That was awesome!"

Feigning excitement, Hotch lied, "Of course. Good job, buddy."

Jack ran up to them, "Hey, Uncle Dave. Are you staying for dinner? Aunt Jessica is coming over with all of this food for a family dinner."

Laughing, Rossi said, "Shouldn't you ask your dad first?"

A smile painted on his face, Hotch told Rossi, "Dave, you are always invited, especially for family dinner."

Jack dumped his soccer ball on the ground and kicked it away. Preparing to play some more, Jack moved his head toward Rossi, "Sure thing, kiddo. I'll stay for dinner."

Dinner came and went. Jessica left with her family and Jack was tucked away in the haven of his room. Rossi had gone home after talking a little more about the Reid. Despite his friend's efforts, he could not shake this feeling that he should be helping Spencer. He believed without a question that Spencer Reid was crying out to him, crying out for people to notice something wrong. He believed that Reid was a private person, but that the moment had arrived for privacy to be ignored.

He believed someone was after a member of his team and that person was going to pay.

He sat there sighing, "Thanks for letting me crash here."

The other man brushed it off, "No problem, man."

His hands rubbed his face before continuing the conversation. "No, seriously, Morgan. You could have said no especially since we still don't know each other that well. I just don't know a lot of people yet..."

Hands in the air, Morgan chuckled, "Man, it's fine. I get it. You're new to the city and with our job, there isn't time to make friends other than the team. Don't worry about it, Glover."

Silence settled in before Nathan broached the thought haunting his mind, "Hey, Derek, how do you do it? How do you keep your relationship with Savannah? It's just that I've been married for seven years with no kids, and we've had our problems...but this job just made it worse, so how do you and Savannah do it?"

Morgan took in the sadness pouring out of his newest teammate and did not know how to respond. He allowed the quiet to dominate the room. He fully believed that everything happened for a reason including this heartbreak and all the pain to come.

Waiting outside in the dark, Coby tapped his foot. He expected his brother to arrive at any moment, and Quinn was known to be never late. He checked his watch one more time. Not a minute had passed since the last time he looked at his shiny watch.

While he looked, a voice called out, "What did mom use to say about us also asking about the time? Constantly checking does not make time go faster or something like that."

Coby twisted his body to face the voice that mirrored his own, "Yay, something like that. Hey, Quinn. How's life? I haven't seen you in a long time."

Headed in for a hug, Quinn chuckled, "I missed you, too, little brother."

Rolling his eyes, Coby let go of Quinn, sat down in his pervious seat, and argued, "We're twins. You're literally only four minutes older than me. Four minutes. Not four years, but four minutes."

Quinn pulled out the chair in front of Coby to take his place. The seriousness floated into the atmosphere waiting to be articulated between the two brothers. Not one of them wanted to be the first to dampen the mood of their reunion, something that had been four years in the making. They both knew they would never get this opportunity again.

Obligated by circumstances, Quinn talked first, "I know I should have stayed in hiding, but I had this bad feeling. I sent Reid a message about my cabins and how all of you could use them. I have three. You and I could stay in one. Schneider and Keller could take another one, and Manny, Addie, and Reid could take the third one. He never replied, so I figure I have to come here, talk to you, and gather everyone else before one of you dies one me. I mean..."

Realizing his mistake in letting his brother speak first, Coby interrupted him, "Quinn, Schneider and Keller are both dead. Manny is most likely dead, too. If she isn't then she will be soon. You could still try to convince Addie and Reid to go with you, but I'm not."

Unable to accept everything at once, Quinn threw his head in laughter, "You are so playing with me. No way are they all dead. No way."

Coby tried to reason with him, "I know it's hard to accept, but that's how Reid knew they were after us. People started disappearing. Our team started dying. I didn't expect you to know. You've been living underground for a long time. I didn't even know about Schneider and Keller until recently, and I mean recently like two days ago. It's true. There are less of us now."

Quinn leaned in and whispered, "We have to run. You, me, Adds have to run. We could try to convince Spencer to come with us, but that's going to be difficult. He won't want to leave his BAU team vulnerable like that. The rest of us could run. We could make it, Coby."

As his eyes grew dark and desperate, Coby sprang up from his chair and backed away, "I'm not running from this. I can't run from this. I'm the next target. There is no wishing this away. Manny found something that could safe whoever is left, and she picked me to take care of it. She knew her number was up, and she chose me to keep it going. I'm not running away." He walked away from his brother not being able to see his own face laced with doubt. He needed to believe that he decided on the right thing. One instance of hesitation would send him spiraling away from his responsibility.

Quinn went after him, "I don't like this."

Coby kept marching on, "Don't care."

Quinn murmured, "I don't think you understand, Jacoby. There is no way I'm going to let you just sit here and wait for them to sneak behind you and snap your neck. NO!"

Coby turned around and exploded, "I am not asking your permission, Quinlan. Manny risked everything to get us this information. And who knows how much Schneider and Keller added over the years before they were brutally murdered, so don't come here and tell me you are not allowing me to decide for myself. You left your perfect, little cocoon. If you wanted to live in safety, then you shouldn't have left those cabins hidden away from the world. I have lived out here in the open looking over my shoulder for years, while you were tucked away. You have no right to tell me what to do, understand?" He shifted his footing to carry on in the direction he had been previously going. He ignored his brother's calls.

Who did Quinn think he was? Coming all this way just to try to save him. Well, Quinn, you won't be the hero this time. He was. Jacoby Ryan Samuel was going to be a hero for the first time.

Footsteps behind him indicated someone was running in his direction. Glimpsing behind, he saw his own form saying, "Coby! Coby! Wait, stop!"

Steaming, he halted his movements, "What! What could you possible say?"

Caught up to his target, Quinn heaved, "I just don't want you to die, okay. I don't want to have to bury you, because of some crazy group of people. I don't want to die and I don't want you to die. I don't want any of us to die. I...I...I just want to be able to save us."

Closing his eyes, Coby inhaled and exhaled deeply. Opening them, he stared at his brother, "I don't want to die either, but I don't have a choice. Because you may want to save us all, but I actually can."

They stood there not saying anything for couple moments. Both of them yearned for this memory to burn in the minds as this may be the last time they were together. Embracing, they gave their goodbyes to one another and separated for the night.

With each step, they were further and further away from one another; their worlds unraveling as doubt settled in the shadows of every passing corner.

Will entered his house quietly as he knew Henry would be asleep. What he did not expect was JJ waiting for him in the kitchen. He wandered in saying, "Hey, chérie. I didn't think you'd be up."

Smiling, JJ greeted her husband, "I couldn't sleep. Something Emily said to me the yesterday."

He sat down and reached for her hand, "Jennifer, I know, but you can't let that get to you."

JJ's hands flew into the air as she ranted, "It's not just that. She was describing behavior in one of her agents, and it weirded me out. That agent of hers is acting a lot like Spencer. Everyone else thinks it's nothing, but I'm not so sure."

Will listened as JJ spewed out her worries. He never interrupted or made assumptions of any sort. Like a good husband, he offered comfort, support, and love. He never mentioned his belief that Spencer's actions reflected Jennifer's when she returned from her government operation. Nope, he never once mentioned that.