A Taste for Blood

There are no facts, only interpretations: -Friedrich Nietzsche

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

Spencer blinked.

Floyd was crouched looking in the direction the noise was last heard from rubbing the back of his hand.

Hotch was absent mindedly twirling Spencer's hair around his fingers.

"Hey." A quiet sleepy voice from Reid.

"Oh you are awake?" Snapping cross voice from Floyd. "Nice of you to eventually join us."

Spencer rolled over and licked his lips. He had a vile taste in his mouth. "I was t t tired. Sorry if I s s slept late. You should have woken me."

"We tried." How Hotch's voice, also not sounding happy.

Reid looked between the two men he was with and wondered what had happened to put them both in such foul moods. Surely can't be because he overslept a bit?

"What's w w wrong?" Sitting up and frowning at Hotch.

He threw the empty pill pot at Reid, who let it just fall into his lap. "You should have told me. I could have helped you."

Reid looked over at Floyd who was frowning back at him. "You had no- no r r right to tell him Floyd. This is my business. This is my thing to d d deal with."

"He had every right. You put our lives in danger last night Reid." Hotch stood up and walked over to his jacket.

"How? – What's g g going on?" Looked between the two men again.

"Oh don't worry about it Babes – it was just some rabid creature out there in the forest killing things and we were – you know stuck pretty much here because you doped yourself up so much we couldn't wake you."

Aaron put his jacket on and put his hands in his pocket. He frowned and looked down at the floor where he had put his gun.

"I took a couple of p p ain killers."

"You could have got us killed – Floyd give me the gun back."

"I haven't got your gun. I don't use guns."

Aaron turned to Reid and put a finger on his chest. "You - I will have words with when we get home. You will go into detox and sort yourself out. I don't want to see you damaged anymore than you already are."

Reid saw red. How dare he! He slapped Aaron's hand out of the way. "I am permitted to take painkillers Hotch and what do you mean by 'damaged'? What is that meant to mean? Is that why I wasn't allowed in the field?" A full sentence no stuttering. Floyd was impressed.

Hotch's normal calm exterior began to get a wrinkle, "Well no Reid it wasn't. It was other reasons. I didn't think you were ready. You faked your evaluation but now I am very sure my decision was the right one."

Floyd stood and watched and smiled. Waiting to see who snapped first and who got the hand print across the face. He scratched at the back of his hand.

It was Reid who snapped. And Hotch who got the hand print and Floyd grinned and watched Spencer stomp by him off into the forest.

"Well done Hotchner. You showed him." Floyd started to gather up his blanket and bits ready for the day's journey.

"Where is my gun Flanders."

"I don't know! I haven't had your………."

"What the hell!" Spencer called out. "Oh no oh no oh no!" He reappeared walking backwards stumbling over the tree roots and falling back onto his butt in the leaves. "What wh wh wh what!" He scrabbled around to get up onto his knees and get away from what he had just seen.

Floyd and Aaron both frowned and walked forwards.

"What is it Spence?" Floyd grabbed his arm and pulled him back out of the way. "Stay with him – I will go look."

Hotch gave a quick nod and watched Flanders walk over to where Reid had just retreated from.

…………………..

There was another small clearing. This must have been where whatever it was had been last night. Sitting watching them. The grass and plants in the area had been flattened and some small trees bent or snapped but that wasn't the slightly alarming thing.

There were entrails scattered across the forest bluebells, torn limbs hanging from 'stuff' in the trees. There were bits of flesh sticking to other things and there was just way too much blood. Floyd carried on walking forwards. This was what they could smell last night. Well some of it. The blood. The other smell the stench of decomp had mostly gone. He stood and squeezed his eyes shut and tried to think. The smells made his head feel light and made a knot of excitement form in the pit of his hungry stomach.

He reached out and touched a tree. There was sticky blood running down the trunk. The over powering smell made his legs feel weak and his toes tingle. He pulled his hand away from the tree and looked at the wetness on it.

Floyd crouched down next to the tree and stared at this hand. His mouth watered and his heart thumped. He knew he needed to control himself here. He didn't want Aaron to see this. He didn't want Spencer to see this again. This was his. He shuddered and lifted his hand to his face and slowly licked the blood from his palm and from between his fingers – where it had settled in little rivulets. He groaned a deep down animal grown. Part of a rib cage lay on the floor not far from him, his eyes fixed on it. He needed to get out of here. This was too much. A complete sensory overload.

When he looked down again he was looking at his hands pulling at a rib bone. Ripping it off the carcass and slipping it into his pocket. He sat back and looked and rocked and moaned.

"Flanders! What's going on?"

"I'm coming back. Wait there." A small bit – a lump of something – it made his eyes glow and his fingers tingle. He picked it up and slipped it quickly into his mouth.

Floyd stood up and said a quiet 'thank you' to whoever had done this and then turned and went back to the others quickly licking the rest of the muck off his fingers and then wiping them on his jeans.

…………………….

As Floyd walked off Hotch walked forwards and took Spencer by the arm. "I'm sorry. I was worried. You were nearly comatose Spence."

Reid turned to look at him. "I needed to blank it out. I can't just forget."

"He hurt you."

Reid shook his head. "No not– really" A sigh. "He doesn't mean it. He j j just g g gets rough." Looking at the ground, looking to the side. Looking anywhere but at him.

A hand under his chin. "You shouldn't stay with him Spencer. You don't need to. Why don't you just walk away?" guiding his face to look at him.

"I c c cant."

Aaron put his hands on Spencer's shoulders and pulled him close. "I am always here for you. He doesn't seem to object like he used to."

He felt Reid wrap his arms around him and run his hands up his back. He felt his shuddery breath. Breath he once thought he would never hear again and his heart skipped a beat in remembered panic. He moved his hands from Reid's shoulders and put one hand between his shoulder blades and the other in the small of his back and they just stood breathing in each others scent. Reid feeling safe again, and Hotch feeling loved in a way he had never felt with Haley. Spencer nuzzled and kissed Hotch's hair. He could smell the forest floor on his hair today. A wonderful fresh smell.

"Well this is charming." Floyd broke the charm. "Send me off to inspect the entrails so you can have a snog amongst the crocus's" His fingers stroked the bit of rib bone he had in his pocket, and he chewed lazily on the bit of 'pink stuff' he had found.

Reid turned and looked at him. "S s sorry hun. Come h h here." Spencer took a hand away from Aaron and reached out for Floyd.

Flanders walked over not quite sure how to take this. Not sure if he wanted to take this, unsure what Hotch was going to do. He stood and slid a hand around Spencer's back and slid fingers down the back of his waistband, hooking his thumbs in Reid's belt loops.

"What was it?" Hotch's voice was low.

"Very nasty. Probably three people, gender male – I think. Not much left of them. What ever did that was more than a rabid bear. I have no idea what did that, and I don't want to stay around to find out." Floyd felt a tentative Hotchner hand on his shoulder.

"We are going home?"

"I don't think so. That seems to be the direction it went in. I would rather we went to the river and crossed. We can be there by night fall if we go now and I don't have your gun."

Decision made, and truce in place, they packed up their things and moved out. Floyd lit up a smoke and led the way. Hotch and Reid walking behind occasionally coughing on the foul smell coming from Floyds cheroot. Floyd continued to rub and scratch at the back of his hand.

………………………….