The Abby of Thelema Ch 8

Reid woke hazily to the sound of rain. It was like listening through ear plugs and his eyes rolled in his head grasping for any type of orientation.

Breathing was almost as difficult as crawling and Reid had to stop several times before he reached the side of the massive bed he lay in.

As he tumbled off it's edge he realized, numbly, that he was naked, his only obscured flesh being behind a thick sparkling gold colored cuff on each wrist connected by a red metal chain.

To woozy and nauseous to be shocked he pulled the soft silk sheet around himself as best he could and stood on unsteady legs, almost immediately sent into a painful dry heave.

There was, apparently, nothing in his stomach to come up.

His head throbbed and his stomach lurched with every step but he hugged the wall, willing himself forward.

When he reached the door he was happily surprised that it wasn't locked.

The hall was cold, littered with open windows that welcomed the rain and leaves that blew in. They stuck to his feet as he slowly made his way down the long marble corridor.

"Going somewhere."

If it weren't for the hairs sticking up on the back of his neck Reid wouldn't have registered the words at all.

He turned slightly, pale and sweating.

In his daze he could only make out the frighteningly tall outline of a man, and his already short breath caught in his throat. He wanted to run but suddenly light headed he sank to the ground wheezing.

By the time his knees hit the floor the figure was in front of him, and he raised his arms to shield himself, but a soft hand on his cheek was what greeted him.

"Don't be afraid Chere, you got nothin' to fear from me."

Reid raised his blurry eyes, "Ethan?"

Agent Derek Morgan stared at Gideon and Lenora like they'd just told him they crash landed in a ship from Mars.

Agent Hotchner's head was tilted like a questioning dog. "Say that again Gideon."

Zhin was bubbling with barely contained laughter. No matter the region of the world, every "civilian" reaction to the truth about vampires was hilarious.

Lenora gave her a warning look from the passengers seat, and Zhin nodded, looking forward to her uncontrollable snorting laughter later when they were alone.

Laughter was one of the few things that made them feel human, and this conversation never failed to please.

'First comes denial,' Zhin thought.

"You're joking right? I mean vampires don't exist...right," Morgan looked around the truck at Hotch Gideon and JJ. "I mean I think we're all on the same page here. The page that says vampires don't exist."

Agent Hotchner sat quietly with his usual sour expression, and JJ stared, mouth slack, at Gideon who just raised an eyebrow at Lenora.

'Then more denial...,' Zhin's shoulders shook with laughter as she tried to concentrate on the road.

"They are real Agent Morgan. One of them is sitting right in front of you. The other one is driving this van," Gideon couldn't help his own smile.

"Ok, next you're going to tell me that Santa Claus and Big Foot work for the CIA."

"I'm not at liberty to talk about that," Gideon interrupted.

Morgan scoffed in worried disbelief. "Come on Gideon...Hotch! Say something."

Hotch let out a breath, "how long has the government been working with...vampires?"

"I'm sorry Aaron, I'm not going to be able to give you very much information," Gideon peeked at Lenora.

"Does that mean you can't or you wont," JJ narrowed her eyes.

"Both," Gideon smirked.

"Where are we going," Hotch continued with a frown.

"Hotch, JJ! You're not buying this are you," Morgan was almost yelling.

"Derek," Lenora grabbed him by the wrist and locked their eyes.

Slowly the honey began to darken. Amethyst, then a deep chocolate brown, much like his own. Her eyes kept changing till they were black, and then the black began to grow, to expand until the whites of her eyes disappeared.

Derek took in a breath.

Her eyes shown like black diamonds, shimmering like shards of glass.

Gideon was frowning now and Hotch and JJ recoiled slightly in their seats.

"Leny," Zhin laid a hand on her shoulder.

No one noticed the van had stopped, horns blaring from displaced drivers all around them.

Slowly Lenora's eyes faded back to their brilliant honey and she nodded as a tear rolled down Derek's cheek.

"Do you understand me child?"

Derek nodded. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"That was a long time ago," Lenora rubbed his hands between her own. "It's a hard lesson...but every immortal must learn forgiveness."

She let his hands slip from her fingers and rolled down the windows.

Lenora, Zhin, and Gideon inhaled deeply.

"There's a storm coming," Gideon began.

"What the hell just happened," Hotch whispered to Morgan.

The man looked shaken and he rested his head in his hands as he spoke. "She showed me..."

Hotch waited for him to continue and when he didn't he urged him on, "showed you what?"

"...It was like she just downloaded it in to my head."

Lenora passed him a bottle of aspirin and Morgan swallowed four dry.

"So it's true? There really are vampires," Hotch's brows furrowed.

Morgan nodded.

"Is that what took Reid," JJ chimed in wide eyed.

"Yes," Lenora answered. "The vampire who took Reid, his name is Ethan Bishop." She pulled a thick file out of her bag. "Ethan Bishop...he met Spencer Reid at age 13..."

"That explains the last two victims, two in ten days," JJ said, connecting the dots. "He was working his way up to Reid, number 13."

Lenora inclined her head in a yes without looking up. "Originally from New Orleans Louisiana, his mother moved him to Las Vegas when he was twelve, abusive father..." Zhin shook her head sadly as she drove. "He beat him when he was drunk," she turned the page. "Or sober and...he carved the word fagot into his thighs twelve times on his twelfth birthday."

She flipped through a few more pages reading at Reid's speed. "It looks like Reid was his only close friend for most of Ethan's life."

"That's why all the victims looked like Reid, he was the only person he believed really loved him," JJ said quietly. "But why kill him..."

"And why that way," Hotch added.

"The night before Bishop and Reid entered the FBI they...umm...they were intimate for the first time." Lenora glanced up at Morgan as she spoke, but his head was still in his hands. "He had white silk sheets...and he brought Reid wild flowers and pancakes the next morning."

She cleared her throat, "The next night Ethan Bishop..." She trailed off.

"Wait, how do you know so much about them," JJ squirmed and narrowed her eyes, "and in so much detail".

Zhin and Lenora shared a glance at Gideon.

"There aren't many vampires in the world to begin with, even so they do have a hierarchy. Long and complicated story short, they have elders who make and enforce vampire laws," Gideon began.

Hotch and JJ listened closely and Morgan finally looked up to meet Gideon's eyes.

"Some elders have a companion." He looked over at Zhin and Lenora. "Zhin is an elder. She's older than all of us and our great great grandparents put together, and Lenora is her companion."

Morgan opened his mouth to speak but Lenora held up a hand before continuing in a knowing voice.

"Ethan Bishop is the companion of an elder, therefor there are certain...complications and potential political ramifications for going after him. The reason we know so much about him and Reid is that there is a law in place to watch but not interfere in the lives of human companions."

"If the bonds so powerful why'd he take Reid," Morgan growled.

Lenora sighed, "Ethan's elder broke several vampire laws when he took him. The council was made aware to late, and while his elder has been taken in to council custody, that leaves a very young vampire loose to do as he pleases." She shook her head. "His elder hid him well before being taken in...but a young vampire without the guidance of an elder is unthinkable. He's confused, he doesn't fully realize his strength. He could kill Reid without meaning to, I suspect that's what happened with those twelve other young men. He was testing himself."

The van slowed to a stop and everyone got out, thunder rumbling in the distance.

Zhin sat their go bags in front of them and then stood beside Lenora and Gideon.

"This is probably the most dangerous mission you'll ever go on," Gideon began. "You won't be going up against a normal unsub. He's faster and stronger than any human or animal that you've ever seen. He has Reid and he's not letting him go without a very ugly fight." Gideon took a deep breath. "If it were up to me none of you would be going...because there are a few of you who might not be coming back. But you're all apart of this team, you're all Reid's friends, and you deserve the right to choose."

Morgan was the first to pick up his bag, and Hotch and JJ picked theirs up in unison. Just as they turned for the jet two large black SUV's pulled up with blaring sirens.

Everyone's eyebrows rose as Prentiss and Garcia hopped out and jogged over to the small group.

"You didn't think you were going anywhere without us did you," Emily chuckled, hugging JJ.

"I thought your leg was broken," she laughed.

"Nope! Right as rain," she smiled glancing at Gideon, who looked back at the Truck to see his ruby red headed friend wink at him.

"I'm coming too," Garcia nodded with her nerves written all over her face. "I'm not much of a fighter but point me at a computer and I'll kick some butt."

Morgan hugged her tight. "Don't worry studmuffen, we'll get him back," she whispered.

Lenora and Zhin smiled at the hopeful bunch before turning to board the jet.

"I hope you have a good stash of those healing herbs," Lenora groaned and Zhin nodded. "It's going to be a miracle if we can get them all back here in one piece, let alone alive."

"We may have another little problem," Zhin said hugging Lenora from behind and nuzzling her neck. "I'm getting hungry...