Splash Of Purple

!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

The Three of them stood in the dimly lit passage. Reid took a step forwards again and put his hand out for the door.

"Reid, no, wait." Hotch half turned to Haley. "Upstairs Haley, now. Quickly. Stay with Jack. Do not come down until I say."

She nodded quickly and glanced over at Reid and gave a small shake of the head. Then turned and quickly ran upstairs.

Reid's hand was still reaching for the door handle. "Step back away from the door Reid." Aaron's gun was in his hand. "Wait here. Call for back up." And he was pulling Reid out of the way of the door.

Spencer picked up the house phone but it was still not working "Hotch, your phone's been tampered with." To which Reid received a small nod. He flipped open his phone and made a call. He watched with big eyes as Aaron slowly opened the front door. He heard a gasp; a sharp intake of breath. "Reid – Spencer, go upstairs and make sure Haley is alright."

"Excuse me? Are you insane?" Reid started to step forwards.

"Reid! I am serious please go upstairs." Hotch sounded alarmed.

"What is it? What is it you don't want me to see?" Moving slowly towards the door.

"Reid upstairs now. I want you to protect my wife and son. Now. Go" Hotch was looking fierce.

Spencer pulled his gun and stood staring at the door for a second or two before turning and walking up the stairs.

…………

"Haley?" It was a loud whisper. "Where are you?" He walked along the passageway to where he knew Aaron's room was. "Haley?" He carefully turned the door handle and pushed open the door with his fingertips. "Are you in here? Hotch sent me to see if you are alright." God – what was he saying? Why was he here? He started to turn away from the door when a voice came from the shadows at the end of the corridor.

"You have a nerve coming to my home." Hissing at him.

He turned slowly, the gun still held tightly. "It wasn't my idea."

"Right! Now leave. I don't want you near my son."

"Hotch told me to stay with you." Biting on his lips.

"I – don't – want – you – here!" She had started to shout and Reid was slowly backing away.

"Aaron – Hotch – asked me to stay up here with you." Back to the wall now eyes flicking between the stairs and Haley.

"You stay away from me and you will stay away from my son." She was still standing in the shadows at the end of the passageway. "and you stay away from my husband."

Reid turned to look at her. "He's my boss."

"He's my husband damn you Reid. Stay away from him. You know what I am talking about."

……………..

Hotch looked down at the body laying outside his front door. The age of the victim was hard to determine from the back, but once again he had the collar length wavy brown hair. What was left of it. He was wearing dark trousers and a dark blue jacket with the letters FBI spay painted on the back in yellow. The victim's hands were at shoulder height with his palms face down and fingers spread on one hand with a bit of paper underneath. The other hand was holding a purple scarf. Hotch just stood and looked. If he didn't know that Spencer was in the house he would have thought that was him laying dead on his door step. He pulled on a pair of latex gloves from his inside jacket pocket and pulled the bit of paper out. This was different. It wasn't addressed to Hotch.

'Derek Morgan, you should have let the kid kill him that night at the sluice house.'

Hotch looked up when he heard the gasp at his elbow.

"What the hell happened? Tell me that isn't Reid." Morgan was looking at what was at Aaron's feet. "Is that a note?"

Hotch shook his head and held it for Derek to see. "Reid is inside. He hasn't seen this. I don't want him to see this."

Morgan gloved up and took the note. "The kid at the sluice house?" Derek thought for a second a frown making its way across his face. "That was over a year ago. I know what this is referring to."

"Morgan, I need you to find out any crime scene photos we have from that case. What was Reid wearing? There might be press photos, anything, but this looks too specific. The coat and the scarf – other scenes were much more generalised. Get onto Garcia. I need to know why this victim was dressed in this way."

Hotch had to get Haley away from the house. He carefully stepped around the victim and walked in the front door. He could hear raised voices.

………………….

"I didn't want to come here Haley. I told you I didn't want to."

"Don't you call me by name. You can call me Mrs Hotchner." She picked up a vase from the small end table she was standing next to and started to walk towards him. "This has something to do with you. This – whatever happened – the gun shot – you come here and drag your trouble with you. Get out of my house."

Reid started to slowly back off; the gun still in his hand down at his side. "Mrs – Mrs Hotchner, calm down. That gun shot had nothing to do with me." Backing off further putting a placitating hand out towards Haley.

"Don't you tell me to calm down! Do you enjoy him? Does he excite you?" Walking faster towards Reid now who continued to back away.

"I I I don't know – don't know what you mean!"

"Answer my question. Does my husband excite you? On those nights he doesn't come home. Is he with you?" She was shouting.

"What?!" He watched her drop the vase on the carpet and start to run at him.

"Get out!" and her hands where pushing against his chest. Reid could feel he was going to over balance at the top of the stairs and made a made grab for the rail with one hand the other still holding the gun in a death grip.

…………….

"Garcia sweetness – I need you to look up any visual info we have on the case in McAllister Virginia last year. I need to see if there are any press photos or anything of Reid when we were there. CTV footage from the police station, anything which might have Reid on it. I need to know what he was wearing."

"I will look babes, but I don't think we will have anything." Morgan listened to the sound of the clattering of keys then a sigh. "Sorry, nothing. Why do you need to know? Has something happened?"

"Another staged scene. Keep looking of me baby girl. Let me know if you find anything."

Morgan closed his phone and looked down at the body. The incident happened at night. Reid could well have been wearing a jacket, but how would the unsub know this if they didn't?

………….

She was trained in self defence. Hotch had made sure, and she knew where to kick and kick she did. Reid made a strange noise and felt the gun drop from his fingers as he doubled over briefly before falling backwards down the stairs.

Hotch stood and watched Spencer roll down the stairs and crash against the table. He looked up to see Haley glowering down.

"I hope it hurt!" she shouted.

Aaron ran to Spencer who was in a scrunched up heap groaning. "Reid - What happened?"

"And that says it all!" Hotch looked up to see his wife turn and walk away out of sight. He looked towards the front door.

"Morgan! Get in here quickly."

"I told you she doesn't like me" Reid managed to gasp out.

…………………..

A man stood in shadows. He was short and dressed in black. He watched and smiled a dark smile as he monitored the way they reacted. It was a shame that Reid hadn't seen this one either. Next time he would make sure the boy saw. He wanted to see that fear. He needed to see Spencer look at how he should have died – over and over again. Constantly cheating death – even allowing the destruction of others to save his pitiful pathetic hide, spoiling and disrupting. Yes next time he would make sure dearly beloved Spence saw his own death. The man turned and walked deeper into the shadows.

………………..

!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!