Disclaimer: see my profile

A/n thanks again for all your kind reviews and comments. And, thanks again to my wonderful beta REIDFANATIC.

The door to Reid's room opened and Calloway walked in with his Glock in plain sight. The room was in the same condition as it had been when he'd picked it for the place to confine Dr. Reid. The bed was made and the living area was neat and tidy. If was as though no living being were within the confines of these walls. The file folder he'd left for Dr. Reid to look at was closed and sat precisely in the middle of the heavy glass coffee table.

Dr. Reid was standing in the exact center of the room, waiting for him. His face was white as a sheet and his hands were in fists, but he was utterly still. His large hazel eyes held horror, but also an inquiring look that seemed to ask the question, "How can you hurt me this way." It was as though a small child had invaded the body of the man that stood before him.

"You wanted to see me."

"Yes."

"Is that all you have to say?"

"You gave me the file."

"I did."

"What did you think I would do when I saw it?"

"I thought you would do just what you're doing now. You're cooperating with me."

He watched as the young man in front of him seemed to relax, even though his eyes stayed wary and haunted at the same time. His hands uncurled from the fists they had made.

"I'm not cooperating with you."

Reid went to the couch and sat down in the center of the piece of furniture. He kept his eyes square on Calloway's face. Those eyes suddenly changed and the kid smiled at him. The smile didn't touch his eyes and Calloway almost flinched away, but overcame the urge to step back.

"You said you would help, but you want something in return."

"I did say that."

The kid was looking bored again except for his eyes that looked haunted. "Dr. Reid. We're never going to make any progress if you don't stop trying to get inside my head and play games."

"I'm not playing games."

"Yes you are…"

"No, I really do want something in return for helping."

"Okay, here's the deal. I know that you know who the killer is that I'm looking for in this case." Calloway stepped forward and picked up the file. "Do you know why this is the only file we have?"

Reid was sitting back on the couch with his arms over the back and his legs crossed. "Yes, but I'm sure you'll tell me anyway."

"This is the only evidence we have. In the last ten years, he's killed all of these young men and left them to be found. Now, that tells me one very important thing about this man. He doesn't care. Sure, he's careful not to leave anything of himself behind, but he also wants the police and the FBI to know that he's out there. He's white, in his forties and very intelligent. He was probably a teacher or on staff at one of the universities where he's been killing. It's more likely that he's someone on staff that can blend in. Most professors are tenured and work hard to get to those positions. He has to be able to move around. The problem is that the police looked into all of those angles. They didn't find anything. It occurred to my team that his first victim might have invaluable information."

"Then I suggest that you exhume the remains of the first victim."

"I don't have to do that Reid. You're the first victim. He messed up. You got the better of him. You escaped somehow. You do know who he is."

"That's an interesting theory. Did you go to all of this trouble just to find out?"

"There's much more going on here than you think, Dr. Reid. But all you really need to know is that you're here for the duration. Consider yourself a new member of my team. You're just a means to an end."

"What 'end' is that?"

"All in good time, Dr. Reid, all in good time. Now what is it you want?"

"I'm surprised you have to ask. I want out of here."

"Then our conversation is over. Think about it Dr. Reid. The man that took you and could have killed you is still out there. You didn't go to the police after you escaped. You let him get away with it. If you'd gone to the police, he'd been in prison now. Instead you have the blood of all those young men on your hands."

Reid bolted out of his seat. "That's not my fault!"

Calloway lifted his Glock back to pointing at Reid's chest. "I'd back off if I were you."

"You won't hurt me. I'm your prize."

"I only have to shoot an arm or a leg. I'm a very good shot and you don't need your legs to help me here."

"True enough, but then you'd have to get someone in here you could trust to tend to the wound or I will die."

"Don't worry about that Dr. Reid. I have all the bases covered in any eventuality."

He pulled a photograph out of his pocket and tossed it down on the table. "I told you that your new and rightful place is here with me. It's time you learned that I mean what I say."

Reid picked up the photograph and flipped it over. He looked at the image for long minutes and the hand that held the picture began to tremble. "I'll kill you if you touch her."

---

Garcia wanted to pick up her keyboard and heave it across the room. Her babies were failing her on all counts. She couldn't find anything on the mundane citizens of Rock Creek. At this rate, the team would be stuck there for weeks. If the team was stuck there for weeks then something really bad could happen to her baby boy.

She shoved her chair over to the computer she had dedicated to watching for signs of anything about Reid. There was nothing there! How could there be nothing?

The guys were expecting her to find something like she always did. So why weren't her babies cooperating and spitting out the information she needed to at least help the team.

"Hey beautiful!"

She spun around in her chair. "What are you trying to do, scare me to death?"

"Sorry, I had a break and I wanted to come down and see how you're doing."

"Hotch told you not to bother me when I'm busy.

"You don't look busy. You were staring at your computer screens."

"I'm busy, please go away."

"What's wrong Penny?"

She left her chair and went to the door where Kevin stood looking at her like she was a bomb about to go off and blow the both sky high.

"I'm sorry I shouted at you. This case is making me crazy and now Reid is missing and -"

"Wait, back up just a minute. What happened to Dr. Reid?"

"He's gone missing. He was supposed to go on vacation for two weeks to Atlanta. He was going to go see the girl I told you about."

"The bartender," Kevin commented while putting his arms around Garcia and shutting her office door.

"Yeah, the bartender, you know how much he likes her. He wouldn't blow her off. She called me and told me that he's not returning her phone calls. I tried to track him down, but he's not using his credit cards or his debit card. He hasn't flown anywhere. We can't find out if he's been in Bennington all this time."

"Baby, you have to calm down. Just because he didn't call the bartender doesn't mean that anything has happened to him."

"You don't know him as well as we do. He gets into life threatening jeopardy all the time."

"It can't be that bad."

He stroked her back and breathed in the vanilla scent of the bath salts she liked she liked to soak in. His mind went back to the ecstasy they'd experienced just that morning in the jetted tub. Her words faded around him into a pleasant blur.

"Kevin… Are you listening to me?" Her voice pushed through the fog her scent and the memory of their morning together had clouded his brain.

"Of course my love, I still think you're overreacting though. I'm sure there's a logical explanation. You said that Agent Hotchner practically pushed him out the door. Well, it sounds to me like he really needed a break. Maybe he lied to everyone so that he could disappear for awhile and leave everything behind. How infatuated could he be with this Austin anyway?"

"No, that's not the way it is. You just don't know him." She repeated.

"Maybe you're right, but still, let the team deal with it when they get back."

"I can't Kevin. I have to get back to work."

He kissed her, but she pushed him away. "Not at work where we might be seen by Strauss."

The hand that had made a fist at her rejection relaxed. There was time later on to deal with all of this secrecy. "Alright baby, I better get back to work before Calloway comes looking for me."

"Yeah," she said distractedly.

"Good-bye my love."

"See ya," she went back to her station and his fists clenched again.

He left her sitting there brooding in front of her computers and went back to the elevators. When this was over, and he'd been well paid for his services, he'd convince Penelope to leave this place with him. The sooner he got her away from the influences of her friends, especially that Dr. Reid and Morgan, the better.

They all had way too much power over her. The fact that she'd blown him off for dinner, movie and a little lovin' was proof that he needed to get her out from under their control.

He went back to his office and booted up his computers. He'd do his job and leave no one any reason to suspect anything about him.

A/n I know Kevin seems to be OOC here. IMHO it's always the quiet ones or the one you least suspect.