(Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Criminal minds or the show itself)
Just realised, I wrote Mara instead of Amelia in the last few lines of Chapter 5, sorry about that.
Sorry smaller chapter, I will hopefully have another for you tonight, but that's depending on whether the next chapter is the finale or not!
I'm really enjoying writing this, but it's coming to a close, so buckle your seat belts for the finale!
A commotion in the crowd drew in the teams attention. A hooded figure was running across the street and a young man with messy blonde hair and a poised gun was chasing after him.
"Cooper?" Harper thought allowed, puzzled. The detective jumped through the crowd, yelling at the figure to stop.
"What the hell is he doing?" Questioned Stanley, grabbing the radio from his belt.
"Cooper, what are you doing?" He blared. An answer was almost immediate.
"I've got him! I've got Callen." Came a panting and determined Cooper. The detective promptly ran out into traffic, sliding smoothly over a car bonnet that got in his way.
"What the devil?" Professed the lieutenant, jogging towards his detective. The BAU had already began running to the detective's aid.
"Where'd he go?" Breathed Morgan, distress cracking his voice. An elderly couple were pulling themselves pitifully off the floor, the older woman crying at their recent assault.
Harper pulled out his walkie talkie aggressively.
"Where are you, James?" He yelled into the radio. No reply came. They waited on the street corner for some kind of sign, spreading out a little, but not enough to endanger themselves.
After a minute several gunshots rang through the air.
The team exchanged terrified glances.
"D'you hear where that came from?" Whispered Emily.
"Somewhere over there, Prentiss. Come on." Morgan insisted, sneaking down an alleyway.
There was no-one there and it ended dead, with an old brick wall cornering them. Another gunshot blasted from somewhere close by.
"Cooper, where are you!?" Radioed Amelia. They all gathered, dreading the static they were sure would follow. They were pleasantly surprised when James Cooper's warm voice greeted them.
"I've got him." He said triumphantly. Amelia went to answer, but Cooper continued to radio on his end.
A cruel, cold voice, contrasting that of the detective's, curdled from the walkie talkie.
"Sorry, Kid, not today." It garbled.
A loud, sickening crack echoed from the radio, before returning to static.
"Cooper? Coop!" Amelia yelled, the others looked nauseatingly worried.
"Damn it, Cooper, where are you!?" growled Harper into his radio.
Several cops had joined them, when they were back on the street and Harper turned viciously to them.
"Check the allyways. My detectives down one of 'em." He ordered with a sudden unchallengeable authority, not caring about the suspect.
The officers nodded and dispersed.
"You don't think..." Stanley started, speaking soothingly to his boss.
"No." He grunted, without hesitation. He huffed, stroking the back of his head.
"Where'd he go?" He mumbled, more to himself.
"'m right here, b..boss." A quiet voice spoke from behind them.
Reid had pulled himself up a little too late, Callen and his men had vanished.
He heard shouts coming from neighbouring allys and streets. He shuffled back out of the one he was caught in, turning to his right he saw his old team and his new team fidgeting nervously.
Reid hobbled over to them painfully, all too aware of the blood dripping from his cheek into his waiting arms palm and the deep bruises, settling back over the left half of his face.
Harper had his back on Reid, and he caught their conversation, even with the buzzing in his ears, which had grown louder and more inconsolable.
"Where'd he go?" He heard his new and rather confused boss say.
"'m right here, b...boss." Reid said dully, his voice betraying his pain.
Harper turned suddenly to see his detective standing, or at least swaying, there in front of him.
"Oh God, Kid." Morgan whispered, talking in Reid's state.
The kids left cheek had split wide open, blood pooling from it and into his patient hand. Around the gash the skin was a mean shade of red, purple beginning to dance vainly into the red. His bare arms portrayed blue bruises: two on his left wrist, one on his right forearm and a large one on his upper right arm, that seemed to bloom up past the shirt sleeve. They couldn't see his legs, but from the way he was limping and standing incredibly uncomfortably, he'd clearly bruised them as well.
"What happened?" Harper asked, skidding over to the boy, placing a gentle hand on his back and guiding him over.
Reid faltered on the short walk, gripping Hotch's arm tight, who had come over to offer support.
"I was in pursuit..." he was cut off immediately by demanding questions. Hotch held up a finger and silenced them all.
Reid wavered a bit more, black spots perforating his vision and his stomach flipping with nausea.
"You need to sit down." Stanley suggested kindly.
They managed to get Reid to a bench before he collapsed. He sighed upon sitting, wincing from the action, he was quite sure his backside was also bruised.
"Continue." Hotch said expectantly.
Reid swallowed thickly, ignoring the growing pain over his entire body.
"I...uh...we got into the alley a..and Callen emptied a sleeve on m...me. I tackled him, and we f...fought for several seconds. He managed to r...recover quicker than me. He k...kicked me down a staircase." He hastened a reassuring look at the team. "I'm fine though, just need some I..ice." Emily smiled and shook her head at his stubbornness.
"I got out of there and landed a s..shot in his calf. W..when I went to cuff him, his friend came around the c..corner and nailed me with a bat." He groaned, montioning to his still bleeding cheek.
"Shit man!" Amelia cried, cracking a smile.
"Sounds super badass." She admitted. She'd clearly spent too much time with her sister and Reid laughed, but coughed painfully when the action burnt his lungs.
"You should probably get to a hospital." Stanley said, beguinning to dial an ambulance.
"No, it's okay. I'm fine." We should get back to the precinct." Reid pleaded.
Hotch rolled his eyes.
"Fine. But as soon as we figure this out you're going to get checked out." Harper told him, to which Reid stuck his thumb up.
Callen
Darrell helped pull Callen into the van, and it sped off out of the city.
"You should've fucking shot that scum!" Snarled Callen, holding his bloody calf.
"The place was crawling with cops." Darrell defended.
"Do you think I give a shit. He shot me!" He shouted in exasperation. Darrell didn't reply this time.
"You know what. We don't need him anymore. Let's just kill him." Darrell's eyes went large.
"I...I thought we were going to use him a..as a kind of leverage." Darrell stuttered.
"They haven't even noticed he's missing. Besides I have a new plan." Callen revealed slyly.
He let out a shuddering breath, closing his eyes against the searing pain in his leg. Then he burst into a cruel laugh.
"If only the good doctor was still alive to see this. Maybe he'd understand what I went through."
Precinct
The team re-entered the office, Morgan had a strong arm wrapped around Reid, who was still staggering with pain.
Rossi turned his head and frowned on seeing his young friend black and blue.
Mara and JJ sprung from their chairs.
"What happened!? Are you okay?" JJ burst out, forgetting that she wasn't talking to 'Spencer Reid'. Morgan sent her a warning look. Alex looked up quickly from her paperwork, her mouth dropping on seeing Reid in such a state. Images of their kidnap and torture swirled through her mind. She cringed at the memory of Callen's knuckles against Reid's face. She had to force herself to remain seated, knowing she would blow Reid's cover if she got up.
Mara sent JJ a confused ogle, then focused on her friend.
"What did you do? Fall down the stairs?" She laughed, rubbing a finger across his bruised face.
"Yes, actually." Reid grimaced, pulling himself out of Derek's grasp.
"You're joking?" Rossi guffawed. Reid hobbled over to his desk, which sat next to Amelia's, and he slumped down uncomfortably, shifting around to try and avoid the bruises that plastered his body.
"Nope." He hissed. Mara darted from the room with sudden enthusiasm. Reid touched his cheek, which was still wet and sticky with blood.
"So, how did you manage that?" Jibbed Conner.
"Our unsub was at the crime scene. Detective Cooper pursued him, managing to shoot him after their uh... scuffle." Hotch answered, hinting to Reid's bruises.
"Yea, you think I look a mess, you should see the other guy." Reid joked feebly, stirring laughs from his two teams.
Mara returned with several ice packs, releasing them over his desk.
"You should really go to the hospital. That cut needs stitches." She fussed. Reid was about to argue when Garcia walked in.
"Oh my God! Are you okay?" Penelope bleated, rushing over to Reid and gently cupping his cheek in her hand so she could examine his face.
"I'm fine, honestly." He moaned, shifting in his seat once more, so the arm wasn't digging into his bruised ribs. He held an ice pack on his ribs to ease the burn and another on his left knee.
"Right, now you've proved your stubbornness, will you please go to the hospital?" Begged JJ.
Reid kissed his teeth, taking in the looks of the people around him, realising he had no choice and that it would be futile to argue.
"Sure. But you're coming too." He added slyly, making her grin.
As they walked out of the doors, Cooper clearly struggling with the action, Mara shared a wink with Stanley. Their little Cooper had certainly had a good impression on the BAU.
(1 hour later)
Hotch got off the phone with guilt and anguish etched into the lines of his face.
"Bad news." He announced.
The team all watched Hotch with both fear and intrigue.
"There's another victim. They have reason to believe this victim was kidnapped, therefore he is not an opportunity kill. In fact it's rather a personal kill." He informed them gloomily. He then turned to his own team, his eyebrows arching with sympathy.
"Hotch?" Alex asked anxiously.
"It's William Reid."
(2 hours later)
JJ walked back into the precinct, chatting happily to Reid. She'd missed him so much, and she was trying her upmost in pretending he was Detective James Cooper.
The left side of Reid's face had blossomed into a blue and purple gradient, his eye was now involved in the bruise, with purple surrounding it. His cheek held several stitches pulling it together neatly. A small fabric brace was wrapped around his wrist and he still limped painfully.
They arrived to solemn faces, JJ halted.
"We couldn't reach your cell." Said Garcia quietly.
"Oh God, sorry, I've had it turned o... what's happened?" Her voice filled with panic. Hotch glanced at Reid who appeared oblivious and he began to hobble to his desk.
"There's been another victim." Hotch murmured, withholding the vital information she needed to know, but which he didn't want Reid to hear.
Luckily, the arrogant and 'oh-so-helpful' Conner Jacobs helped him out with that part.
"His name was William Reid. You know the one." He interjected indignantly.
Reid froze midway to his desk, gazing up in horror at his team.
His new team caught his reaction and they frowned in confusion at him. Reid saw the image of his father pinned on the board in the corner of the room.
"No." Whispered Reid.
"Did you know him, James?" Asked Matthew knowingly.
"No, h..he...he can't be!" He howled, like a dog caught in a bear trap.
Reid's knees buckled and he slid down the wall , pulling his knees to his chest and burying his head in them, disguising his tears for a man he'd loved, but who'd never loved him back. His breath hitched.
Morgan and JJ were at his side in a second.
Morgan tried to pull him up.
JJ pushed Reid's hair from his face.
"Spence? I'm sorry, we had no idea he would..." she stuttered, not knowing how to explain.
Mara had been walking over when she paused.
"'Spence?'" She mumbled, looking over to her team for some kind of answer, but they too, were baffled.
JJ smacked her hand over her mouth, her eyes widening at what she had said. Reid peered up at her, his eyes red and small tears forming and falling from them.
Again, Morgan tried to pull Reid from the floor, but he flinched away from Morgan's touch.
"NO! Get off me Morgan." He yelled, he sucked in a shuddering breath trying to compose himself. Ignoring the frowns of concern and puzzlement from his new team, he locked eyes with Hotch.
"D..did he know I was... I."
Hotch nodded his head agonisingly, Reid let out an anguished sob. His father died believing him to be dead. He died at the hands of the man who was supposed to have killed Reid. It was his fault. Callen wanted revenge on him; it was his fault. These thoughts bore into Reid's mind.
In the background, he heard his new boss questioning them.
"Know what? What's happening here? Cooper?"
"Why'd she call you that?" He heard Amelia ask.
The ruse was up. Reid could no longer hide the truth from his new team.
"He..he was my dad." Reid's voice cracked, the reality of the situation crashing down on him.
Harper gazed at him with an engraved frown. "But...then that makes you..." he fumbled over his words, piecing together the truth.
"Yes. That makes me Dr Spencer Reid."