Silent Night

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

Aaron smiled at his wife, but he couldn't help thinking something was wrong. She had gone from being in a dreadful mood to being cheerful. Yes she had mood swings, and yes she was bitchy, but they didn't usually pass this quickly.

"Have you spoken to Spencer?"

The smile dropped from her face and the familiar scowl returned. "And why the hell would I want to talk to him? What are you on Aaron? How many of those have you had?" Her voice was raised looking at his glass.

"I was asking. Have you said something to him?" He looked concerned.

"Aaron, what would I ever have to say to him?" Hissing.

"I am wondering the same thing Haley. He has no one. I wanted him to have one good family vacation. I wanted to show him how good it can be."

Haley raised her finger and jabbed Aaron in the chest. With each word a harder prod. "He – is – not – family!" Folded arms. "I am your family – Jack is your family. He isn't. Can we just sit down and relax before he gets here and reminds me why I am so annoyed with you?"

Aaron walked off without another word and sat at a space at a small table. He sat so he could see the door. He wanted to know when Spencer got back from wherever it was he had gone. He as an FBI agent. What the hell was he doing wandering off with rent boys?

And someone was singing 'Jingle Bells' and the people on the table next to him were laughing at some joke, and on the big screen TV they were showing a very old Christmas Tom and Jerry. The girls collecting the glasses all had santa hats on and tinsel around their necks. It was a happy place to be. A lovely warm smell wafting around the room and he sat in silence with Haley, looking at the door and wishing Spencer would come back.

……………..

At first he couldn't remember where he was. His face tickled and he tried to move his hand to move the bit of hair causing the problem, and then he remembered. He looked cautiously at his hands out in front of him. There was a huge spike through each of them. Carefully he tried to move his fingers but the pain was too much. He needed to keep them still. Spencer then tried to move his feet. They too spiked to the floor through the bottoms of his feet. They too were too painful to move.

Slowly turning his head he looked over and saw three men looking back at him. One of them took a step forwards and crouched down next to his victim.

"Awake at last. I hope you slept well. I hope you haven't forgotten why you are here, and what you are meant to be learning."

Hot angry tears slid down Spencer's face.

"Let me go." Not much more than a sigh.

"Otsu, did he make the mistake of talking again?"

"Yes Otikami San, I believe he did."

"Otsu, would you like to introduce our noisy guest to your knife?"

Reid watched the shorter of the men give a slight bow and pull a very sharp looking knife out of his belt. "I would be delighted." He stood slightly to the side of Spencer and grabbed his hair pulling his head back. The knife was placed gently on his exposed neck. "Are you going to bitch and complain again? Are you going to use your filthy mouth to try to beg your way out of this? Or are you going to remember why you are here? You will remember every time you look at your hands and your feet to keep them to yourself." He made a small cut in Spencer's neck then let his head back down again. "You will keep your head down and you will keep your dirty mouth shut."

Spencer stayed silent. He wanted to shout in protest when the support he was laying across was moved and he had to take the weight on his forearms and knees again. He had the horrible image of the skin splitting and tearing away from the spikes. He tried to keep still but he was shaking. His full concentration was on his hands and feet. Everything else he blocked. Blocked out until he felt someone moving behind him.

"It's just the two of us for a short while. I sent the others away to rest. I want to play."

Spencer stayed silent and looked at his hands.

"You don't mind playing do you?"

Spencer stayed silent and concentrated on a crack in the floor boards. He didn't want to think about what was happening. He didn't want to make a noise. He couldn't struggle. He was pinned like a butterfly.

Spencer moaned slightly as Otikami leaned over him from behind and ran his hot tongue over the back of Reid's neck and touched him in places he found unbearably pleasurable. Taki Otikami laughed softly and kissed and licked at his captive who unwillingly groaned in response.

………………….

It was Christmas morning. Haley was sitting on the floor of the hotel room playing and laughing with Jack. She looked happy and relaxed. Hotch sat and looked at the cell phone. He needed to check up on Reid. He hadn't seen him come back last night. Yes he was aware that Spencer was a grown man, but he was special, and Aaron worried about him.

"Haley, I need to see if there is a paper down stairs. I won't be long."

Before she could say anything he was out of the door, and walking to the room next door. He knocked gently. No answer. "Reid its Hotch." He waited. Nothing.

He flipped open his cell and called him. Answer phone. Aaron walked quickly down to the bar area to see if the barkeep from the night before was there. He spotted him changing some bottles of spirits.

"Excuse me. Do you know if my friend came back again last night?"

Barkeep looked over at him. "Not that I saw. He didn't come home?" Hotch shook his head and looked worried.

"Do you have an address for him?"

"You are kidding me?"

Hotch slammed his fist down on the bar. "A location. Now."

"There are a couple of places I know of. He has a few places. I don't know all of them and sometimes he uses abandoned buildings."

"Uses? For what?"

"I told you. He is a hired thug. If your friend didn't come home, then he is in a world of shit."

"Write down all the addresses you know. NOW!" Aaron turned and ran back to his room.

…………….

Haley was still sitting with Jack when Hotch came hurtling back into the room. She watched with slitty eyes as Hotch grabbed his guns.

"Where are you going?" She grabbed Jack and stood up.

Hotch turned to look at Haley. "Where is he? You know where he is."

"What! You are insane!"

Hotch took Haley by the arm. "I don't want to believe you have done something Haley. Please tell me you are not involved."

She stood with her tight angry mouth and hard eyes. "How dare you." A spiteful voice.

Aaron left the room with Haley behind him holding tightly onto Jack. As they marched down the corridor the sitter came out of her room.

"Merry Christmas Mrs Hotchner." And a big happy smile.

Haley looked at the young girl. "Sophie, can you take Jack for half an hour?"

"I would love to!" and Jack left her warm hugging arms and went to the young girl who was grinning and big chocolaty grin at the toddler.

Haley Hotchner chased after her husband.

"Aaron don't you go looking for him!"

Ignored.

"Aaron! Please come back."

But she was following him through the bar now. She watched him grab a bit of paper off the bar and walk out towards the car.

"Please stop." But she was opening the car door and getting in the passenger seat. "Please Aaron. Don't do this."

Hotch put the paper on the dash board and started the engine. "Do what Haley? Tell me please? One of my agents goes missing and you are asking me to ignore it? You know I can't. So just tell me where he is."

She snatched up the paper and looked at the addresses. "What makes you so sure it has something to do with me?" Screwing up the paper and throwing it out of the window.

"I am a profiler Haley. I know. I know when you are not telling me the truth." He stopped the car.

"You don't want me to find him. Why not? What have you done Haley?"

She rattled off an address "But they are just keeping him there Aaron. I needed time just us."

"You have no idea what you have done Haley. Directions please."

Haley told her husband where to go.

…………

Reid heard a voice.

"You shouldn't be doing that Taki. That was the one thing she said not to do."

Spencer kept his head down sobbing silently.

"He's enjoying it and I don't intend handing him back. I thought I might keep this one."

The other two men nodded and smiled. "I will get those spikes out."

Taki moved back away from Reid and smiled as the screams echoed around the empty house. Andanatchi used a crow bar to pull the spikes out then flipped Reid over onto his back and stood looking down at him. The pain had at least taken Reid to that dark place where he was on his own. "He is pretty. I am glad we are keeping him." He bent down and held onto Reid's wrists and started to drag him out into the crisp Christmas morning. He was bound and gagged and put in the back of the car again.

Taki Otikami and Andanatchi got in the car and nodded to Otsu. "I will finish up here." He walked into the tree line and watched the silver SUV drive off towards the town.

Otsu pulled his knife out of his belt again and rolled up his gi sleeves to reveal a band of small deadly blades. He stood one foot slightly in front of the other – ready and listened.

He waited for about an hour before he heard the sounds of an approaching car. He stood still and silent and watched the car pull up and a tall dark haired man get out of the car. He still didn't move anything but his eyes. He waited. He was good at waiting. He watched Hotch walk over to the building they had been using and shout in alarm at the smears of blood, and the bloodied spikes still laying on the floor. He permitted himself a grin. His eyes flicked back to the car and he watched Haley open the door and get out. She looked worried.

"Aaron – what is it?"

A tiny sound. So small it could have been her imagination, but a sound off to her side. Otsu watched her turn towards him. He watched her eyes widen and he watched her fall back to the ground with a small blade imbedded in her eye-socket. She never made a sound.

"Merry Christmas bitch." He whispered and disappeared into the forest behind him.

…………….