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: I am back with a new chapter. Things are going to pick up after this chapter. I hope I can keep up and update frequently, but I never what is going to happen. I am just glad I was able to finish this chapter rather quickly.

Anyway, I am so glad so many of you are enjoying this. I was so sure that I would have none come back after the first chapter, but I was pleasantly surprised. Thanks a billion! Your reviews and PM's really make all of this worthwhile. I hope you guys can stick with me until the end. If you have any suggestions or comments or questions, send me a PM. I really wish that I kept up with the personal thank yous, so you may be getting a random PM from me sometime in the next couple of days.

Also, no beta, so beware of mistakes. Sorry!

Back to the story...ENJOY!

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds. I know all the sighs and dreams will never make it happen, but that does not mean I can't try, right?

Chapter Thirteen: Strength Smeared with Scars

"Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars."-Khalil Gibran

Reid was at the board writing. When he stretched out to reach the top of the board, his wound at his side bled. The red spread on the side of his shirt making him groan softly at the pain. He flinched but went start to work ignoring the string.

The team watched him scurry his way through words forming sentences that would turn into clues. Not one of them moved from their spots unwilling to break the mold the apprehension formed around them. Not one of them moved from their spots as they watched their open-book of a nerd not be so open with them. He held secrets that not one of them suspected, held them so close.

There was quiet as no one knew what to say after the announcement, so Manny took the first leap to relieve the awkwardness created by all of the stupor, "Hey, Ried. Where's the first aid kit?" All heads turned to her, "Your wound is bleeding, and I much rather you stay upright for the remainder of the time that they are out there. I get that you are all macho, hero kind of guy, but I think someone should look at that."

No one even twitched until Garcia yelped, "Oh, Reid! You should be in a hospital." Garcia frantically addressed Morgan, "Can you call Savannah to make sure they can take him in immediately after he gets there?" She ambled her way toward the Morgan as he appeared hesitant to follow through on the same favor Penelope was asking of him.

Not that it mattered as Reid faced Manny, "There should be a kit by the kitchen. Just go pass the bullpen and to the left. If you can't find it, Anderson should be able to help." Manny zipped passed everyone and was out the door when he spoke to Garcia, "There will be no talking to Savannah or going to the hospital. Between Manny and I, " he shook his head toward Javier, "and I am guessing Ortiz as well, we should be able to sew this up if its necessary. We all have enough medical training for this sort of thing." Reid turned to the board once more, "Besides, I don't want anyone involved that doesn't have to be. I want to this to say among all of us and just us. I can't be responsible for the death of everyone I have every had contact with just because some guy is easily distracted by Morgan's yelling."

Manny sprang out of the doorway and interfered, "Well, if he is so easily distracted, that is on them. They should know better than to have him go out in the field. Distractions get you killed, you know, or in this case arrested." She was looking down until she confronted Reid, "You, sit down." She pointed to an empty chair at the round table. "Put one of your legs through the armrest, so I can get to your side, and take off your shirt while you're at it."

Reid obeyed all orders she snapped to him. He unbuttoned his shit as he stepped to a chair. Putting one leg through the armrest, he gently sat himself down. He looked at Manny waiting for her to inspect the wound.

So she did and said, "You really are a pain. You weren't even going to get this checked out. I mean...Look at it! You need stitches."

She touched his skin and decided to pinch the cut just enough to make him hiss. She chuckled, "Now, you whine. First, you're all I'm okay and don't worry about me." She kept on stitching him up with every word. "Now, you're all please don't stick that needle in my body. Really tough, Reid."

No one mentioned the scars on his body. Everyone tried not flinch at the sight of the mutilations all over his torso, both old and new. Everybody tried to respect the privacy of their teammate, so not one of them gasped or asked questions. They all just wondered inwardly about the secrets Spencer Reid kept from them. How could they have missed his strength? What did he survive to be covered in such awful wounds? He told no one, so no one said anything.

After Manny was done, she got up and left him there. Leaving the room to wash her hands, Reid and Javier exchanged knowing smiles. Only they could comprehend Manny's snippy behavior as a sign of affection and worry.

With that interaction, Javier grasped the opportunity to address him, "I am assuming Addie put you in charge." Reid nodded, so Javier continued, "Okay, then, how do you want to proceed, Sir?"

Eyeing him, Reid examined any and all physical evidence that could show he was absolutely trustworthy. He saw nothing that denied what Adelaide told him, so he commanded, "Tell me what you know. That way we can all start on the same foot. I don't want presume anything and catch someone by surprise."

Manny entered the room at that moment, "It also gives us a chance to explain things more deeply with your team, since they all still look confused. Exchange information."

Penelope batted her eyes before declaring, "Well, I can't get through the encryption, you," she pointed her finger at Manny, "left for Emily. What we do have is a list of codenames. We know one is yours and now we know that another one is Reid's. The thing is that we don't know who the other codenames belong."

Stiffening at the idea of sharing everything that he has experienced away from the hallowed halls of the BAU, Reid swallowed his retort. Instead of going to his usual defense of lies, he started the uncomfortable conversation, "Well, I could get you into any database you need, Garcia, but I could give you the names you need."

He did not wait to long as he could not look anyone in the eye. Morgan and JJ were furious at him keeping secrets. Emily and Garcia were confused by the whole thing. Glover had an undetectable emotion. He went back forth between disbelief and what appeared as jealousy. Rossi was the only one calm enough to soak up any information given, as for Hotch...Hotch was stone-faced.

Reid wanted to burst into laughter. They all reacted in exactly the manner he knew they would. Humanity was so predictable that it hurt him sometimes. It hurt that he could see so many things that the others just could not for the life of them. He wondered what it was like in their empty heads. He envied their simplicity especially in this moment.

He just stared at the board waiting for someone to cold the heated throbbing in his head. He yearned for one of them to understand what it was like to be him. He desired for them to just be him for one second, so they would stop staring, so they would know.

His team did not understand, but Javier had a better idea than most. He knew that look forming on Reid's face. He had seen it before on Addie's face. He smoothly covered the anxiety that approached, "I know that you guys were gone for about three weeks. I know you spent about two of those weeks in Africa where you stopped three bomb strikes-two of which were targeting schools and one was aimed at a hospital. There you uncovered information about a possible terrorist organization forming. That's when you moved to the Middle East. Once there, you went on a raid gone bad. You were all sent home, no contact with one another. Then, people started dying and here we are."

Both Manny and Spencer gulped down their guilt and the intolerable beating in their chest. Memories flooded them with the stinging of pain. Working through their hurt, they took turns filling in the blanks as best they could.

Manny shared first, "The first thing you should know is that the assignment was one of urgency but not of sensitivity. It was top secret to avoid global panic. We had inside intelligence that a group of mercenaries were going to attack a school specifically a local university. Once we arrived things got more complicated. We moved from Sudan to Somalia. More threats were found and eventually we located the source of all the bombings. That's when we went to Saudi Arabia."

She paused looking to Reid for guidance as she did not want to overstep on boundaries he wanted to set for the team. He continued, "There, we made contact with a group of radicals. These people are the rejects of other known terrorist groups. They have all been disenfranchised some way and have found a home with people. Most of them have probably been brainwashed to some degree. Others enjoy the rush of hurting others; they are true psychopaths. Now, when we finally were able to raid them, we practically left them with nothing."

Manny jumped in, "Problem is they have been regrouping for about three, four years now. That's a lot of time." She pointed to Spencer, "And Reid always thought they had help from someone that was independently wealthy."

Reid carried on, "We know that two men on Homeland Security's watch list have entered the US through London. For them to be able to do that, they must have gone through no public security or transport. To travel all around the world in a private jet, the person in charge must have deep pockets. Now, until recently we did not have reason to believe that person had any connection to the United States. With the no information coming in, the more that I think we are looking for an international businessman from here. He most likely works in some form of security and probably invest in a lot of oil related business. Both give him the perfect excuse to travel to these specific areas. The more danger appears, the more business he has. Now, don't expect for him to share ideology with his subordinates. He is merely manipulating them to get what he wants."

Javier took over, "Codenames are simply initials with years of birth and IQs." He went toward Emily saying, "You had a list of the codenames."

Emily nodded, "Yes, we tried to find people that fit, but Garcia had trouble going in." She handed him the files. "We have other information on the possible leads. Stuff Manny was working on."

Taking only the list of names and he passed it on to Spencer, Reid walked toward the board, "I already know everything in those files. I just need the names." Writing the codenames down, he elaborated further, "C141-JS1960: That's Colonal James Schneider. Worked for National Security Agency. I say worked because he's missing and no body has been found, but I imagine he's dead. He had been part of the army most of his life. He's an expert on weaponry. Next up, C137-TK1975: That's Thomas Keller, Central Intelligence Agency. Smart dude, he went to Northwestern University," He turned to Morgan, "You might have seen him around. Anyway, he went there graduated summa com laude with degree in Science in Human Culture. Used that to absorb cultures. He was really good at infiltrating in different countries. He could fit in anywhere. MI-5 found his body not that long ago. He was working with them in some sort of terrorism. He had a partner for most of his missions. Bringing us to C140-MF1978: Marnie Ford, who was also CIA. She went to Claremont McKenna with a dual degree in Government and Legal Studies. She had a concentration in Human Rights and Genocide. She is also dead."

He skipped one and went to the next. "C193-SR1981: that's me. You know most of my background. C141-MF1977: that's Manny. That only leaves the Samuel Twins: C167-QS1978 and C167-JS1978. Quinlan and Jacoby Samuel. Both went to MIT at the age of 16. Graduate in two and half years and were immediately recruited into the CIA. They could out hack anyone," He turned and smiled at Penelope, "No offense, Garcia."

Going back to the board with names, he sighed, "I'm going to my office. Get some missing files that I was able to decrypt a few days ago. We are going to need what's there."

Exasperated, JJ backed her chair violently, "You were suppose to be on leave a few days ago. And office, what office? You don't have an office, Reid."

Lifting her finger to get everyone's attention, Manny whined, "I want to know how on earth did you decode messages that I had been playing with for weeks, codes that you had for a couple of days. I mean why do I even bother!"

By the end of her speech, Reid had already been out the door and down the bullpen.

Ames decided to sit inside the room to avoid any funny stares from doctors, nurses, patients, and anyone else. It was when he was in the room that he noticed that his charge was actually awaking.

Slowly blinking away the spots in his vision, Coby greeted his consciousness with a groan. There was pain everywhere and the strange ticking did not help. He tried to get up, but the sharp burn from his side halted him. Absorbing the room, he deduced that he was in a hospital. He thanked the powers above for allowing him to live.

Ames said, "You're in a hospital room. I'm Mitchell Ames. I'll be looking out for you until we can get you to another safe house. I tried calling Dr. Lancaster, but she wasn't available."

Lips chapped and throat dry, Coby croaked, "Call Reid. Call Reid. He'll know. Call Reid."

Getting closer, Ames grabbed his phone. Handing it to him, he asked, "What's the number?"

After a few seconds of struggle, Ames was finally able to reach the other line.

"Reid."

Ames closed his eyes in relief, "Hello, I'm Mitchell Ames from the US Marshals. I am here in Inova Fairfax Hospital with Jacoby Samuel. He told me to call you. Said you would know."

"I do. He was suppose to be in a safe house, but we had some sort of a leak. I am relieved his okay. We were all worried that he didn't make it as we hadn't heard anything from him."

Ames got up and away from the bed, "Well, he almost didn't make it. He lost a lot of blood, but the doctors said he should make a fine recovery. That can't be said about the two guys that were with him. Both dead."

"How?"

"They both were sliced in the throat, though at least one of them put up some sort of a fight."

He heard the man on the other side inhale his pain. That moment Ames knew this Reid character was a good man that cared. Ames also knew that Reid suffered on more than levels. This was personal, "I'm going to stay here until we are able to transfer him to another safe house."

"Thanks, I'm going to send two men to investigate the attack. Their names are Derek Morgan and Nathan Glover. They're FBI."

"I'll be waiting here for them."

"Thanks, Ames." He hung up after that.

Observing Coby again, he approached his bedside, "I called him. He's sending some guys over to ask some questions." Coby drifted to sleep only nodding in response. "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."

Half an hour later, the same nurse as before swayed in, "Oh, he looks so much better."

Ames simply smiled.

She grinned, "I'm not worried about this one. People like him always pull through. The strong ones know about suffering, and they know how to fight through the pain. That's what makes them strong. They also are the ones you least expect to be able to fight anything. They tend to be massive sweethearts, because they understand things others just can't." She tucked him in and fussed all over him. "You are going to be just fine, you'll see."

She grinned at Ames again, "Have a good day, dear."

He chuckled mildly, "You, too." He also wished she was right.

Reid was gone for a few minutes. During that time, Rossi made a point to single out the one codename left. "He missed one. Who's C188-AL1982?"

Javier faced Manny as if to ask permission. She allowed him to answer, "That would be my boss, Adelaide Lancaster. She is part of the Department of Defense. All you have to know is that she is a genius. She had degrees from Stanford, Harvard, CalTech, and MIT. She should be here soon." Minutes later footsteps were heard.

Reid entered with files in hand. He went up to the board and placed by the names. He did the task in what seemed like one smooth movement. There was a pause. He sucked in a breathe. He finished the codenames adding Addie's on the board with her picture right next it. He straightened himself and looked at his team, "The man in the interrogation room goes by the name Nolan. No last name found. I can't even guarantee that to be his real name. Anymore questions?"

Finally reacting to the business around him, Hotch zeroed in on the three strangers (Reid now included among them). Giving him the famous stare, Hotch was ready from them to squirm underneath it. In fact two of them seemed to move in discomfort because of it. It was the third that seemed to flourish beneath it. "No, I guess it's best if we start the interrogation. Morgan and I will do that, while the rest of you work on a more accurate profile."

Standing tall, even taller than before, Reid commanded, "No." Nobody moved as not many people outright denied an order given to them by Hotch in that manner. If he noticed, he did not act on the anxiety the room held. Instead, he went on to give his own orders, "Ortiz, I want you and JJ to go see what is detaining Adelaide. She should have been here by now, and I would rather she have company until all this is sorted out."

Javier nodded, "Yes, sir."

Reid continued, "Morgan, Glover, I need you to head to the hospital in Falls Church, VA. It's called Inova Fairfax Hospital. I just got a call from a US Marshal there. They have Coby Samuel there. He was attacked and his two previous Marshals assigned to his case where killed. Go and see what you can get out of him. You tell him I sent you and he should ease up at the idea of talking to you. Marshal on duty is Mitchell Ames." He turned to Manny, "Can you catch everyone up to speed? You, Rossi, Emily, and Garcia should be able to go through all of this and update the profile enough to minimize the list of potential suspects."

Looking for a piece of paper, Reid walked out of the conference room and to his desk in the bullpen. He returned with a scrape. "This is the code that will be able to get you anywhere. No need for hacking this time," he handed it to Garcia.

Rossi spoke, "What are you going to do?"

Reid's expression darkened sending chills to all of them, "I have a person of interest waiting for me." He kept the icy look on his face, "You are more than welcome to sit in my interrogation, Hotch. Just don't interfere." He did not wait for them to go about their assignments. He had a mission in mind.

Hotch marched behind Reid just as stone-faced as Reid himself leaving the rest of them in the conference room.

Javier found JJ's eyes, "Let's go Agent Jareau." They both walked out.

Morgan looked at Glover, "Well, I guess we should head out too. Hey, Babygirl, can you send me directions to the hospital."

Penelope smiled, "Oh, my delicious Adonis, I will be on it."

Both of them stepped out of the room to go to their assignment leaving the rest of them to sulk in the awkwardness of the room.

Jonas worked and worked on her. They had been at it for the past three hours and all he was able to get out of her were chuckles.

He needed a break. They both needed a break as she was practically unconscious. The beatings needed to heal, so he went over to Hasim asked for some food.

Hasim insisted that Adil go with him for which Jonas was grateful. Needing to check all the injuries, Jonas was to undress her. If Adil was here, his hormones would get the best of him. There was time for that later.

With each article of clothing coming off, he saw all of the evidence of not only his hands but the hands of others. She was smeared with scars. His boss said she was not much of a fighter, but her body screamed a different story. She survived all forms of torture which explains the difficulty he had in breaking her. Knowing exactly what to do, her experiences allowed for resistance.

Jonas finished fixing her up and dressed her again. This was going to be much harder than he originally anticipated. He just wished he would not need to release Adil, because no matter how strong she was she was not going to live through Adil with wounds that will never heal.