To Tannerrose5: Guess you'll have to keep reading. You're right about how the team treats him, it's disheartening at times.

To ahowell1993: Enjoy!

To everyone else: Keep on reading and reviewing!

-Xoxo Elisa

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters. This is for fun.

Chapter 22:

~6 Hours Later~

"How is she?" Morgan asked. Hotch glanced at him briefly before answering, "How would you be if you found out you had a cousin and then had to watch him get taken?" "I'd be a nervous wreck." Morgan answered. "Add on the fact she just watched her friend die and then took a bullet herself, it's a miracle that she can even function right now Hotch. Thank god she was wearing a vest." Hotch nodded in agreement, "it could have been a lot worse than a few cracked ribs. I've been trying to get her to go rest, but it's like she has only one purpose; to make sure we keep Declan out of Doyle's grasp and get Reid back safely." "Yeah," Morgan muttered, "get him back safely so I can wring his scrawny neck for pulling a stunt like that. What the hell was the kid thinking?" "I don't know," Hotch said wearily, "I can only guess that he somehow connected Psia to Doyle, and saw what the rest of us couldn't. Do me a favor Morgan, do not by any means bring that up with Emily."

"Don't bring what up with Emily?" Prentiss asked, glaring over at both of them. While the two bullets she'd taken hadn't done any serious damage, the impact had made it difficult for her to move around. Catching the concerned glances Hotch and Morgan sent her way she snapped, "I'm fine! We need to know what our next move is!" After the ambush, she and Hotch had met the team to regroup. While Garcia raced to book flights on the next commercial airline to Virginia, Hotch had taken a reluctant Prentiss to the hospital. A quick examination by the ER doctor indicated that nothing had been seriously injured, so they'd raced to the airport.

It had been four hours since they'd landed and managed to set up at a local FBI outpost, but not much had happened since then. Prentiss had called the safe house, where Declan was located, and told them about the situation. She'd agreed that, while there was no evidence that the safe house had been compromised, it wouldn't be a bad idea to move Declan to a new one. The knowledge that at least one of Doyle's targets was out of his grasp had relieved a small amount of her anxiety about the situation, but they still had no leads about where he might have taken Reid. "Emily!" Rossi's voice jarred her from her concern about losing her cousin, "we've got a lead."

Splash! A gallon of icy water awoke Reid from his unconscious state. "Emily!" he yelled, his latest memories washing over him. He watched Doyle put two bullets in her abdomen. How her eyes widened and then rolled up in the back of her head. How Hotch used the SUV as a barrier to pull her body away from the gunfire. The gleeful look in Doyle's eyes, and then, nothing. "It's you fault you know. She was trying to save you." Reid glared up at his captor. "My team will find me," he hissed, "And when they do, I promise that I will kill you."

Doyle chuckled at his captive's bravado. Lauren's cousin had surprised him, he'd expected him to break within minutes of torture, yet the doctor had held out. What was even more impressive was that he escaped, outwitting one of the most brilliant strategists, but that didn't matter. His captive had allowed himself to be blinded by emotion, and had fallen back into his hands. There would be no second chance for escape, he'd made sure of it. Instead of leaving his captive standing, Doyle had placed him in a wooden chair. Two pairs of handcuffs restrained the man's hands behind his back, while another two sets bound him to the chair. The only escape he'd have would be when Doyle finally decided to kill him.

"It's funny that you mention your team, Spencer." Doyle taunted him. "They're the reason I decided to wake you from your much needed nap." Reid's captor hit a button, turning on a computer screen in front of his captive. Please tell me that's not what I think it is. He silently begged. He was looking at a stone building entitled FBI Field Office, Fairfax, Virginia. Even without the sight of Morgan strolled out the glass doors, it was obvious that this was where the team had situated itself. "Why are you showing me this?" Reid asked quietly.

Doyle let out an amused chuckle, "Because I want you to choose Spencer. You see, my men were very careless when they were bringing you in here. They let themself be seen. See that five-year-old boy walking towards your friend?" Reid's eyes flickered to a small figure wearing an Atlanta Braves hat. "He told his mom about how he saw some men pulling a body into a warehouse. So obviously, she called the police. Your team was very interested by that phone call, enough so that they asked her to bring her son in for some questions. It's a simple choice really. My man is stationed on the roof across the street with a rifle, waiting to be told who to shoot. You get to choose, does he shoot that sweet, innocent little boy? Or does he shoot Derek?"

Reid's mind flickered back to Georgia, to another time when he had been forced to play God. He had chosen who lived, but had still watched the slaughter of innocents. It was not an experience he wished to repeat, but he had a feeling this was why Doyle had brought it up. To force him into an agonizing decision, let Doyle's goon shoot Morgan or an innocent child. A truly ironic one, considering how Doyle's revenge had come to pass. "Choose Morgan," he said weakly, knowing he would never be able to forgive himself for letting a child be killed.

An evil grin spread across Doyle's features as he asked, "are you sure?" "Yes." Tears sprang from Reid's eyes as he heard the shot, then a female voice yell "Morgan!" JJ? Please no! The screen showed his best friend tackle Morgan into a bush. A series of shots rang out, peppering the bush when it became apparent that the first had missed. Finally, a long trail of blood flooded from the bush and onto the sidewalk; confirming that Reid had just gotten his two best friends killed. Click! Doyle turned off the screen and whispered, "I leave you to your thoughts." The tears Reid had worked so hard to hide now fell in full force down his cheeks. He thought about how Gideon had once told him that he was strong enough to not be broken, but that was not true. Watching his friends die, and knowing that he was the cause, had shattered him into so many pieces he doubted that he would ever be whole again.

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