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Hotch, and the others met in Rossi's office. Garcia was positioned at her computer. Her eyes were red, but they were dry. Morgan took one look at her and decided that if he wanted to live, he'd better stay quiet about how she might be feeling at that moment.

"Can you get into the cameras at Quantico and shut down the eyes on the fifteenth floor?"

"No problem sir… I left a window open for an outside hack the last time we used the cameras."

Morgan raised an eyebrow while Rossi coughed to cover up the laugh that wanted to well up out of his chest. Hotch stared at Garcia who looked him straight in the eye.

"Ignorance is bliss sir?"

"Not always, but plausible deniability is a great thing."

"Did you just make a joke sir."

"I never joke on the job."

"Right, so let me get set up. What do we do when we get them out of the room."

"We know from the tape of the night Reid is thought to have disappeared, that the same security guard is on front desk duty now. It's Jasper! I'm leaving it up to Emily to take care of him."

"Oh man, she always gets the good jobs."

"He has a crush on her. He'll do whatever she wants." Rossi said.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Hotch mumbled.

"So you think he turned a blind eye to Stark taking Reid out of the building." Garcia asked.

"I don't know, but someone tampered with the cameras that night. It was either Lynch or Jasper."

"I'll be able to tell you soon boss. Once I reconstruct the data from the cameras I'll know who tampered with them."

"So," Morgan said after a few moments of silence. "What do we do after we get Reid and Austin out of Quantico?"

"I have that end covered." Hotch said and Morgan decided from Hotch's tone, that he really didn't need to know what his boss was planning.

---

Garcia's hands flew over the keyboard while her mind stayed blank to everything but the task at hand. Or it tried to stay focused on the task she had to perform. The memories of the first time she battled with Kevin to get her shooter would stay out of her head.

His name is Battle, don't forget that!

Files shuffled around on her computer and soon the cameras that monitored every inch of Quantico were in her grasp.

Remember what JJ had to do!

Stop it!

For a few minutes there was nothing to do until Jordan appeared on her screen at the elevators. Then it would be time to take action.

Her heart was thumping hard, and not in the way it did when the excitement of hacking into something she wasn't supposed to be in filled her chest. This was real, and it was too close to the time Reid had almost died for real on the internet.

Take a few deep breaths. You can do this. You are the Goddess of the BAU!

A whine to her left made her jump and turn around. A black Labrador had come into the room. He was sitting on the floor next to her chair. He licked one of her hands with a big pink tongue and whined again.

"Hello… You must be Rossi's dog. Where have you been hiding?"

The dog whined and put his head in her lap. Her hands stroked his ears and neck. "You're a handsome guy aren't you.

The dog barked and put his head back in her lap. "Hey, don't worry. Your master will come upstairs after he finishes 'talking' to a real ba - I mean a really bad man."

The dog looked up at her out of his dark eyes.

"Listen, I can't play with you right now. But, Morgan has a dog, and I'm sure he'd be happy to play with you after he finishes helping your master."

The dog chuffed and pulled his head out of her lap. He laid down next to her chair and put his head on his paws.

"Okay, if you want to keep me company, I'd really like that."

The dog looked up at her out of his eyes and whined.

"Wish me luck!"

----

Hotch called Agent Todd and outlined his plan to her. "I need you to be the one to go up to the fifteenth floor."

"Why me sir," curiosity drove her question, not fear.

"You're the newest member of the team. If Strauss is watching, she won't think it strange if you head up to the fifteenth floor. Just in case, Garcia is taking out the cameras on that level. She's going to make it look like a computer error and let security fix it. She estimates you'll have fifteen minutes from the time the elevator stops on that floor."

"How do we get past the guard?"

"I spoke to Emily. She's going to distract Jasper. Once you're past the desk, get down to the garage. Take your time leaving the base. We don't need the base police stopping you for any reason."

"Don't worry Hotch. I'll see you in an hour."

---

Reid closed Stark's phone and placed it in his pants pocket. Hotch knew they were there so all they had to do was wait. Ramirez was gone, and if he was smart he would help Hotch.

"Is everything okay?" Austin asked.

"Yeah, everything is fine. My team knows we're here and safe."

He opened the door a crack and looked out. The corridors of the fifteenth floor were deserted as far as he could see. As he looked around his limited field of vision, the urge to just grab Austin and run for it was unbearable.

Had they traded one prison for another?

"Spencer…"

He jumped, then shut the door. She had an odd questioning look on her face when he turned around to look at her.

"Sorry… I was just thinking. I do that a lot."

She didn't look convinced at this explanation. "Are you sure we're safe here?"

The plastic couch screeched when he sat down next to her. Put your arms around her!

Instead, he said, "I don't know for sure. I guess someone who's working on the renovation could stumble on us. The likelihood of that happening depends on several factors. The construction for the new classrooms started four months ago. I was looking at the plans for the renovation and if you factor in the time it usually takes for any government project to be completed, by the number of apartments they have to renovate and add in the number of workmen -"

Austin reached over and put a hand over his mouth. "Is there a point to all this?"

"Oh yeah… I'm sorry, I sort of tend to ramble when I'm nervous or when someone asks me a question or -" He shut his mouth and went pink in the ears. "I'm doing it again."

"Yeah, but for some reason I find it very sexy."

His face was growing hot, but at least she didn't look like she was going to cry at any moment. Because everyone knows you can't handle a crying woman.

"Most girls just walk away when I do that." He said matter-of-factly.

"They don't know what they're missing."

She scooted over on the couch and one of her thigh's touched his. "They don't," He squeaked.

"No, they don't," She kissed him.

Her mouth was warm and soft. The pressure of her lips on his was making little pin pricks of cold go up and down his spine. He pulled away from her when the kiss began to go hot, and hard on his mouth, and her tongue began trying to enter his mouth. It was making his brain go fuzzy and forgetful of where they were and why they were hiding.

"We can't," He gasped and tried to slide away from her, but there wasn't room to move. "We have to stay alert. Emily is going to be calling very soon with our timeline.

Austin backed off, but she looked like she wanted to argue. "Okay, but when we get out of here, you owe me for earlier in the bathroom."

"S-shouldn't w-we slow d-down."

"Spencer Reid, we've just been held hostage together. I think slowing down would be pretty anti-climatic at this point."

"It's not funny… You could have been killed and it would've been all my fault."

Austin reared back in surprise. "I don't blame you for this. It's not your fault!"

"Yes it is. If I hadn't come to Atlanta and met you, you'd be safe in your own apartment."

She stood up and went to the door. "Where are you going?" He said.

"I'm getting out of here on my own. If you think I'd be better off by myself, then I'll take my chances."

"No!" He hurried to her side and pulled her into his arms. "I couldn't bear it if you left here and something happened."

"Then stop blaming yourself. The day I met you was the best day of my life."

"You were kidnapped by a serial killer. How can you say it was the best day of your life?"

"Because it brought you to me. I'd go through it all again for the chance to know you."

He shook his head in disbelief. How could she just say that with total faith in her eyes?

"Now are you going to sit over there with me and tell me how we're getting out of here."

"Ah sure," He squeaked. She rolled her eyes at him and he laughed. "Okay, I'll tell you everything I know."

They sat down and he explained that the escape plan was up to the girls because they needed to take out the cameras and cause some kind of distraction for the guard on the door.

"But I don't understand, this is your work. Why are they trying to hurt you?"

He explained all of it to her including how they had been betrayed by Garcia's lover and their boss. He told her about how they'd been held captive in an old bomb shelter.

"I thought the secret shelter that was built just for J Edgar Hoover and his cronies was a legend. I guess it wasn't," Reid said.

"Wow…"

"Yeah…"

His phone rang. He talked for a long time to someone and then turned to Austin. "We have to be ready to go in exactly six minutes. Agent Todd is on her way up here now."