So I finally figured out where I want this story to go. There is going to be a cross over in a sorts with my own AU of the CSI Miami but I currently don't know how much of a crossover. I hope you still like it and you don't really need to know anything about the crossover characters. I changed them a little anyway. Anyway I hope you like this late chapter!
Hotch slowly blinked his eyes open. There was a slight weight in his arm and chest. When he looked to see what it was, he blinked in surprise. Reid was asleep snuggled up to him. Hotch glanced over at Reid's clock. It was only four in the morning. Why was he awake at this hour? That was when it clicked.
Nia was not on the bed and when he carefully lifted his head up, Hotch noticed she wasn't in the room either. Hotch tried to get up but Reid made a protesting sound and snuggled closer.
"Reid… Reid, Nia isn't here." Hotch said gently shaking Reid awake. Reid sat up and rubbed his eyes.
"What?" Reid asked sleepily as he opened his eyes.
"Nia isn't here." Hotch repeated getting out of the bed. Reid's eyes widen when he realized that he had just been sleeping with Hotch but the look on Hotch's face and him repeating that Nia wasn't here brought his attention to the situation. Reid threw off the covers and got out of bed also.
"Let's check the living room, kitchen, and the kid's room." Reid said walking around the bed. Hotch nodded. They just past the bathroom when they heard a muffled yell come from the living room. They rushed to see but both were blindsided.
Something slammed into Reid stomach as something hit Hotch on the back of the head. Reid fell to his knees trying to catch his breath as Hotch fell to the floor with the world spinning. One of their assailants grabbed Reid by his hair and wrenched his head up.
"Where is the dragon?" The man demanded. Reid didn't answer him instead he looked around the room. There were two men standing over Hotch and when he looked to the other side, he saw there were two men holding Morgan down on the couch. The man holding Reid shook him hard.
"Answer me!" Reid kept his mouth shut.
Hotch was slowly coming to but he still was dizzy. Why where these men looking for Nia? More importantly, was Jack safe and where was Nia? Morgan struggled to get free as all of them were jerked to their feet then lined up in the living room, forced to their knees with hands above their heads. Hotch and Morgan were placed next together with Reid in front of them.
"Tell us where the dragon is or we will hurt him." The men said to Hotch and Morgan as the man who hit Hotch pulled out a knife and pressed it to Reid's throat. Morgan glanced at Hotch. The men seemed to take that as meaning Hotch knew where Nia was. The man who appeared to be in charge walked up to Hotch.
"You are her master now bring her in here or we will slit your partner's throat." The man said kneeling in front of Hotch. Hotch showed his stoic face but he was so confused. Nia's master? Hotch didn't get to decide on any course of action when thuds rang out.
Three men dropped to the floor. The remaining two jumped and looked around in surprise and fear. The man holding the knife to Reid's throat forced Reid to his feet while the other looked around furiously. They began backing to the door but didn't get very far. There was a flash of gold and the man holding Reid cried out and let Reid go as he reached for his bleeding arm. Reid lunged away from the men as soon as he was released. Hotch caught him and moved him behind him to protect him.
It was Nia. She lashed out at the man again and knocked the feet out from under the man causing him to fall to the floor. Nia gave him a threatening growl before turning to the remaining man. There was a sound of a silencer going off and the man that was uninjured dropped to the floor as well.
They glanced behind them and saw a young woman and a young man step out of the shadows of the apartment. Nia rushed over to stand by Hotch and Reid protectively. She stayed ridged as they walked past but didn't lash at them. The man walked right over and cuffed the man Nia wounded. The woman watched and made sure everything was under control before she turned to the three of them.
"Are you all okay?" She asked.
Nia wrapped herself around Reid's legs and made a quiet whine. Hotch glanced behind him and saw that Reid was holding a hand to his neck where the knife had been pressed. Hotch turned to Morgan and gave him a pleading look. Morgan dipped his head and went down the hallway while Hotch gently moved Reid's hand away.
The blade had split a few layers of skin and was bleeding. Hotch gently put pressure on it. Reid flinched but turned his attention to the girl who was still watching them. Morgan came back and gave Hotch a reassuring nod. Hotch let out a breath in relief. Jack was fine.
Hotch turned to the girl and looked between her and the other man. Her eyes widened slightly as she realized that he was waiting for an explanation.
"Oh where are my manners. Emily Caine and that over there is Ryan Wolfe." The girl explained holding out her hand. Hotch stayed still as he wait for her to explain a little more. The girl looked around the room at the bodies that littered the floor. She grimaced.
"Sorry for the mess. We will get it cleaned up." Miss Caine said. She saw they still were not totally believing her.
"We are not here to hurt you or anything. We are a special division of the MOU. We specialize in cases that the general MOU can't handle. We really don't have a name but some at the MOU call us the Viper." Emily explained. The man walked over to her looking at his phone.
"Nate and Eric will be here soon." He said looking up. Emily dipped her head.
"Good. Is there room in the hummer for them. I want to bring them to the base to fill them in." Wolfe nodded.
"Yeah as soon as the others get here I will get the hummer ready and we can go." Mr. Wolfe replied.
Nia decided they all deserved an explanation and made a kind of barking sound. Caine and Wolfe turned their attention to Nia. She moved so she stood between the agents and her new family.
"What the hell just happened?" Morgan asked finally catching up. Caine turned to him.
"There are people out there that know about dragons and know how to find them to use them. These men here…" Caine gestured to the men in the room. "They wanted your dragon for many reasons and none of them good."
Hotch shook his head. "Why did they think I was her master and how did they know she was here?"
Caine shook her head. "We are going to investigate that."
Before she could continue there was a knock at the door. Wolfe checked who was behind the door before he opened the door. Another man and woman stepped in. The man whistled. "Wow you really got a crew here." He said looking at the men laying around the room.
"Yes and we got one here for questioning." Wolfe said pointing to where the wounded man was passed out. The woman shook her head and the two began working. Hotch, Reid, and Morgan watched confused. Caine turned back to them.
"Would you all mind if you came with us so we can explain things?" She asked.
Hotch shook his head. "I have family to take care of."
Caine smiled. "Your son is safe."
Hotch glared at Caine. She held up her hands.
"Where do you think your dragon was?"
Hotch's face turned from angry to surprise. Caine chuckled. There was a soft knock at the door and when Hotch turned to glance at who it was he stared. Standing in the doorway was Roxie. "Hey." She said smiling a little.
"What?" Hotch said confused. Roxie sighed a little.
"Sorry I kept this from you but I am part of the MOU. I am here to watch Jack while you get debriefed." Roxie explained. She gave him a smile.
"I am the same person you have always known. Go give Jack a hug." Hotch stared a second longer before he walked to do just that.
Nia looked torn between staying and protecting Reid and Morgan to going with Hotch. She looked up at Reid and with his encouraging smile she took off after Hotch.
Morgan came up and stood next to Reid taking on Nia's protective roll. Caine smiled and let them be for a bit as she helped the others cover the bodies.
XXX
Hotch found Jack still asleep in the bed. He felt Nia brush against him as she went past him and jumped on the bed. She gently licked Jack's face until he woke up. Jack woke up laughing.
"Hey Nia. Dad." Jack said sitting up.
"Hey buddy, something came up and you need to go with Roxie again." Jack nodded his head tiredly.
"Okay." Jack said rubbing his eyes. Hotch smiled as he watched his tired son get his few things together and get dressed. Jack was almost back asleep when he finally finished. Hotch picked Jack and his bag up and carried him into the living room. Nia jumped on Hotch so she was on the other side slightly blocking Jack's view. Jack gave Nia a small smile before closing his eyes. He was asleep before Hotch even made it back to the living room.
Roxie was waiting patiently at the door. She carefully took him. "You are surprisingly willing to let him stay with me." She commented quietly so she didn't wake jack up.
Hotch sighed. "You have proven you are trustworthy and I really don't have much of an option."
Roxie gave a sorry look before she turned and left. Nia made a tiny whining sound on Hotch's shoulder. He turned back and walked over to Reid and Morgan. As soon as they were close enough, Nia whined again.
Reid heard her and held out his arms for her. Nia jumped in them and nuzzled his chest.
"I'm fine." Reid told her but also looking at Hotch. Caine came back over.
"Alright are you all ready to go?" She asked.
Morgan shook his head.
"If it's alright I would like to stay here."
Caine nodded.
"That will be just fine." Morgan nodded and walked out to presumably call Garcia. Caine turned to Hotch and Reid. "What about you two?"
Reid looked at Hotch.
"I would like to come with you." Hotch nodded his head in agreement. Caine smiled.
Wolfe walked over.
"The hummer is ready." Caine nodded and led them out.
A grey hummer sat outside. Caine opened the back door for Reid and Hotch. After a slight hesitation Reid got in with Hotch right behind him. Caine walked around and got in the passenger while Wolfe got in the driver.
"Earlier you asked me why the men earlier said you were the dragon's master…" Caine started as the hummer pulled out.
"Dragons have certain people that they connect with and obey like they are the dragon's master. That is why the person that dragon obeys or is connected with is called its master." She explained.
"Is it possible for them to have more than one?" Reid asked. Caine shook her head.
"No. They only have one master but they can become heavily attached to others." Caine said turning so she could look at them.
"By the way, which of you two is her master?" she asked. Hotch and Reid looked at Nia.
"We have no idea."
Caine smiled. "Don't worry it is quiet easy to find out. What is her name?"
"Nia." Reid answered quickly. Hearing her name, Nia lifted her head and looked up at Reid. She had snuggled her head into him and hadn't moved till then. Caine smiled.
"Hello Nia." Caine said holding out her hand. Nia sniffed her hand before returning her head to Reid.
Caine thought for a minute before she unbuckled and moved so she could place her hand on Hotch's thigh. Nia growled and Caine took her hand off. Nia quieted but watched Caine now. Caine then placed her hand on Reid's thigh. Nia growled again but this time she moved. Caine immediately pulled her hand back and buckled up again. She gave Wolfe a smile before turning back to Hotch and Reid.
"You are Nia's master but she has a strong attachment to you also." Caine said pointing to Reid first then Hotch. Nia huffed and moved so she could lay between Reid and Hotch. Caine smiled.
XXX
"She was in with your son when we arrived." Caine said after a little bit of silence. Hotch looked up sharply.
"What?"
Wolfe looked at him through the rearview mirror.
"Nia must have woken up before those men go there. She was in the room protecting your son. We came in through that way when we realized that those men were in there. She just about attacked us when we walked down the hallway. Emily was able to convince her we were not a threat. Then a split second later she was gone down the hallway to where you all were." Wolfe explained.
Hotch looked down at Nia thankful. They drove for a while longer before they pulled up to a big building. Caine and Wolfe got out signaling that they should follow. Hotch got out one side and the Reid went out the other. Once Reid was out he turned and picked Nia up. He cradled her in his arms and Hotch was by his side as they walked in the building. Wolfe held open the door for them as they followed Caine.
Inside was a bustling workplace. There were people doing all sorts of things and it was a little loud. Caine walked right past the busiest part of the building. Reid stepped a little closer to Hotch when they reached a crowded part of the hallway. Nia growled quietly as she felt Reid's unconfertableness.
Caine lead them to an office that was in a quiet area of the building. Caine knocked before entering the office. They walked in and found three men in the room. One was sitting at a desk with the other two standing on either side of him. The one sitting down had light red hair and blue eyes. The man on the redheads left was tall and bald while the other was young with black hair and also had blue eyes. They looked up at their entry. The redhead sat back and smiled.
"I have some visitors." Caine said. The redhead dipped his head.
"Frank, Cardoza, we will finish this conversation later." The redhead said dismissing the other two men.
The bald man nodded and left the young man on the other had left slower and stared at Reid.
"Cardoza…" The redhead said again. The young man shook his head and left but not without giving Reid another glance. Nia had sunk in Reid's arms so the man could not see her at the angle he was at.
"Welcome. I am Horatio Caine leader of this facility." The redhead said standing up to shake their hands. Hotch shook Horatio's hand. When Reid went to shake Horatio's hand he jostled Nia who lifted her head which startled Horatio just a bit.
At seeing Nia he turned his gaze to Emily. She just shrugged her shoulders and smiled.
"I take it this is why you brought them." Horatio said gesturing to Nia. Emily grinned. Reid looked between the two for a bit.
"Are you two related?" Reid asked. Hotch looked at Reid. He had wondered the same thing. Emily laughed and Horatio chuckled.
"Yes we are. My daughter has a habit of leaving information out and bringing her work home with her." Horatio said with a laugh.
Emily rolled her eyes and then brightened when she saw something dark fly down the hallway. A second later there was a black dragon jumping in Emily's arms.
"Hey there buddy. I missed you." Emily said happily. Horatio gestured to Emily.
"See what I mean." He said laughing.
Emily stuck her tongue out at him but continued to smile. Nia perked her ears at the other dragon but stayed in Reid's arms. The black dragon gave Emily's cheek a lick before turning their attention to the new comers.
"Leo, this is Aaron Hotchner, Spencer Reid and Nia." Emily said as the black dragon climbed onto her shoulder. Leo sniffed in their direction but just settled on her shoulder. Horatio sat back in his chair and leaned back.
"I take it you two came to get some answers." He said knowingly.
Reid nodded still looking at Leo. His curiosity was getting the better of him, Hotch could tell. Emily seemed to read into him too.
"Leo is my Dragon like Nia is yours." She explained.
Leo lifted his head up at that comment like he was showing off a little. Nia snorted in his direction. Hotch held back his laugh. Leo was acting like Morgan did sometimes and Nia apparently disapproved.
"Are they usually the opposite sex as their 'Master' or is it random?" Reid asked stepping closer to look at Leo.
Horatio shook his head. "No actually. Most of the time they are the same sex. As far as we know there are only two cases where they are different sexes. My daughters and yours."
Hotch suddenly got worried. If what Nia and Reid had was rare, then these people might want to keep them and study them. That made Hotch really uncomfortable. Horatio gave Hotch a small smile.
"Don't worry we won't do anything to them. Everything is up to them but we would like to run some tests on the both of them if they consent." Horatio explained. Hotch nodded but still wasn't convinced.
Emily led Reid over to a table where she had Leo get down and stand on so Reid could look at him. Nia moved in Reid's arms uncomfortable being that close to the other dragon. Hotch walked over and gently took Nia from Reid. Reid gave Hotch a thankful look before looking Leo over again.
Leo looked a lot like Nia but there were differences. First he had wings and was more muscular than Nia. Also, Leo had more 'horn-like' protrusions around his head.
Hotch stepped back with Nia now in his arms. She watched Reid carefully but settled to Hotch's touch. Horatio watched the exchange curiously.
"Does she do that with the rest of your team?" Horatio asked.
Hotch looked at him in surprise. "How…"
"How do I know you have a team? Mr. Hotchner, I was the man who assigned Roxie to your family. It is my job to keep tabs on people that have the potential to be paired with dragons. You and your son have shown signs that are common in people that do become paired with dragons." Hotch shook his head.
"Is that why his son could Nia as a dragon while my neighbor saw her as a dog?" Reid asked still at the table.
Leo was standing still for him but he was watching Nia.
"Yes. We have found through testing that there are certain DNA markers that allow certain people to really see dragons." Emily explained running a proud hand along Leo's back. He made a purr like sound, the one Hotch had heard Nia do when she was napping with Jack.
Hotch sat in one of the chairs in the office and let Nia sit in his lap. "Umm… can you give me directions to your restroom?" Reid asked.
Horatio smiled. "Down the hall to your left."
Reid thanked him and left. Nia went to follow him but Reid stopped her.
"Stay with Hotch." He said as he went out the door.
Nia sighed but did as she was told. Leo jumped down from the table as he and Emily came back over. He walked over to Nia and Hotch but stopped when she growled at him. Emily smiled a little but patted her knee and Leo complied going over to her.
"How about we discuss arrangements for you three to stay for a little while?" Horatio suggested.
XXX
Reid slipped down the hallway to the restroom without bumping into anyone. He sighed in relief when he made it. He did his business and was leaving when he noticed the hallway back to the office was mostly deserted. Odd he thought but kept walking.
He hadn't gone far when he was shoved into the wall. A forearm was placed across his throat holing him against the wall. Reid looking at his attacker and saw that it was the man from earlier that Horatio had called Cardoza.
"Please…" Reid managed to gasp. Cardoza chuckled.
"You are smoking and I plan on taking advantage of that." The man said opening a button on Reid's shirt and forcing his hand through the hole to touch Reid.
Reid panicked and tried to cry out but the pressure against his throat increased silencing him.
The hand ran up his chest and then back down his side where it stopped as his waist and squeezed hard. The hand left him to his relief but came back to him with a gun. Cardoza pressed the gun to Reid's side.
"Make a noise and I will pull the trigger. Got it?"
Reid nodded. Cardoza forced Reid down the opposite way in the hallway to an exit door. He forced Reid through and led him to a van that was parked out back. He opened the door and shoved Reid in. Reid was barely able to catch himself as he fell. Cardoza got in after him and closed the door. He tossed the gun up front. He pulled out his hand cuffs and roughly cuffed Reid to a pole near the front of the van.
Reid struggled but all he succeed in doing was getting hit. Cardoza grinned and unbuttoned Reid's shirt. Reid struggled again and yelled. Cardoza hit him hard against his head and pulled out a cloth that he shoved in Reid's mouth. Cardoza finished removing Reid's shirt and moved to his pants.
Reid's only hope now was that Hotch noticed him missing and found him before it was too late.