The BAU team arrived in Mississippi about 24 hours after the murders of Mark Jones and Nathan. Spencer Reid was still getting over the shook of learning that his old friend Nathan was dead. He had told Hotch that he knew Nathan. Hotch then took him but allowed him to come along and observe what was going on. Officially he wasn't on the case but he was helping out.
When they came to Oxen, they were greeted by Police Chief James Green who briefed them on the situation.
"Four similar type murders have occurred in different parts of Mississippi over the last 2 days. However, this murder was different as the other murder victims were married couples who were heterosexual. One thing though ties them together (strong opinions about same-sex marriage). The 3 married couples who were murdered had expressed very strong opinions against same-sex marriage and against people who were gay. In Mississippi Mark Jones was openly gay and had spoken in favor of it. We don't know that much about Nathan who reportedly his long-distance partner was."
Lila was sitting outside on the front porch watching the BAU team as they spoke with the police chief across the street. Her eyes were red from crying. She was trying to comfort Hannah who had been crying most of the night. Without warning, Hannah let out a high pitched scream. She had her little hands in a balled fist like she was in severe distress.
The team turned around and looked at her. She quickly went inside.
About a half and hour later, there was a knock on the door. Standing in the doorway was Spencer Reid. He told Lila they needed to talk.
It had been several months since Lila saw him. She had been in Washington D.C. and had seen Spencer Reid at a fund raiser for victims of stalking. After the fund raiser they had gone to a Jazz Club and had several drinks. She didn't remember much of the evening except waking up in his apartment, in his bed. He had no memory of what had happened that night.
Shortly after that encounter, Lila wasn't surprised when she found out she was pregnant. She wasn't always careful about using birth control. She told Reid who didn't react at all to the news that he was going to become a father. He wasn't angry and he wasn't thrilled about it either. He hadn't sign the birth certificate or acknowledged that he was the father until a couple of hours earlier. He had called Lila to tell her the news.
The baby had been born in Mississippi. Sometimes Lila wished the child was born in LA. Everyone had an opinion about Lila and her baby. For several weeks this was the main topic of conversation. Of course, everyone had an opinion (the politicians put their two cents in as did the political pundits and everyone else).
"You get married and then you have children. Lila probably doesn't know who the father of her child is. She's had many partners over the years. That's the proper order of things but no one in Lila Archer's family has any type of morals or values. Her parents were leftist hippies, her grandfather was a socialist and Thelma Wilson, her aunt is a communist and an extreme left winger….
In disgust Lila turned off the radio. Hannah had stopped crying and was smiling at Lila.
"Hannah, this is you're father Spencer Reid."
Hannah looked at Reid, smiled and reached out her hands like she already knew him.
Reid declined when Lila asked him if he wanted to hold her.
He smiled at Hannah and said hello to her. She took her tiny hands and wrapped them around his finger and smiled.
"I'm sorry about your friend Mark."
"I can't believe he's dead."
"Do you know who might try to harm him?"
"There's a long list of people in Mississippi who hate him, very long list. Most of it has to do with his sexual orientation. He's probably the only gay person in Mississippi who has been so outspoken. I can tell you two people that I know who hate him, Congressman Stickman and Barbara Hatcher."
"Well Barbara Hatcher is out because she spent the night in jail and guesses who bonded her out. Congressman Stickman's wife. "Said Reid.
"You have got to be kidding me. Are you serious Spencer?"
"Yes, Lila I am. The Congressman is out as far as a suspect because he went straight home to his wife (the press followed him home and camped out in front of his home).
A couple of days later Reid finally signed the birth certificate. It was hardly noticed.