Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Warnings: AU (Reid is 17, but the BAU-team are the same)

AN: I am so sorry for the late update. I wish I had a decent reason or something, but the truth is that I just lost track of the story for a few days. But here I am again, with a brand new chapter. Enjoy!

- The Wounded -

Chapter 7

Morgan knocked the door of Spencer's home and found it strangely quiet. There was no TV playing or music audible, but then again, Spencer wasn't a normal teenage boy who had normal teenage activities. The young genius had probably retreated back to his room and found an interesting book which he had read half a dozen times already. Morgan couldn't help but chuckle at that thought.

They waited another moment when Morgan suddenly called out, "Spencer?" Only now did he recall that the boy preferred the use of his last name. Morgan still had trouble believing how much this boy had gone through already in his short life. "Reid?"

Prentiss frowned and gazed around the front yard until she spotted the black surveillance car parked a few houses down the road. "He should be home," she said, her hand instinctively reaching for her gun. She stepped towards the front window and tried to peek through the curtains, but found no one inside. She shook her head when noticed that Morgan was looking at her.

He knocked on the door again, louder this time. "Reid, it's Morgan and Prentiss," he called, "open the door, kid, we need to talk."

Suddenly, the lock clicked and Morgan almost exhaled in relief until he stood face to face with the one woman he would have trouble communicating with. Diana Reid looked at him with large eyes that only carried vigilance. Her arms embraced her chest and her eyes narrowed when spotting the two federal agents.

"Hello, Ms. Reid," Morgan said politely, "do you remember me? I'm a friend of your son."

Diana shook her head. "My son would never be friends with agents of the FBI. You are all a bad influence."

Prentiss stepped back into view, getting the same glare as Morgan. "Ma'am," she said softly, "I know you care much for your son. He's a good boy, isn't he?"

Diana seemed taken aback and her arms dropped back down. "Of course he is a good boy," she said, her voice strong, "he's my son and I will protect him from you. His friend will protect him from you."

Morgan's eyebrows rose when he heard that sentence. He had not spoken much to Spencer about his personal life, but he knew for a fact that there had not been a mention of a friend. "His friend?"

Diana shifted her gaze between the two agent, but she seemed calmer which meant talking to her could proof to be a little easier than anticipated. "He was here a couple of minutes ago, you just missed him," she explained, "a sweet man, he cares for my boy, I could tell. They left together...I think."

Prentiss instantly grabbed for her cellphone and switched it open. "Do you know his name?" she asked, instantly getting a glare from Diana.

"He's a good man," she defended him while bringing a hand through her short, blond hair. Her eyes suddenly fell to the floor as she bit down on her lip. "But I forgot," she muttered, "I shouldn't forget things like that. I'm his mother, I should know his name, I should know these things."

Prentiss threw her a kind smile. "It's alright," she said, knowing that getting angry wouldn't give her any answers, "just think back to when you first saw him; can you describe him?"

With her eyes closed, Diana inhaled deeply. "A normal looking guy," she began to describe, "with short brown hair, brown eyes and a small face. He was actually just an ordinary guy, although he did look tense."

There was a short pause which Morgan broke first. "Thank you, Diana," he said genuinely, "we'll bring Spencer home to you."

-o-o-

Hotch held his phone against his ear. "Yes, Prentiss?"

"Reid is gone and we don't think he went willingly," she said, the words tumbling from her tongue, "but Diana managed to give us a short description. Do you have pictures of those four potential unsubs?"

"Yes," Hotch said, walking around the table and moving closer to the white board filled with photos and maps. The pictures of the four men who they suspected could be the murderer hung in the left corner and Hotch watched their faces with care.

Prentiss spoke again, "He has brown hair and eyes and a small face. Diana said he looked ordinary."

Hotch's eyes were instantly drawn to the face that belonged to Daniel Murray. He was the only one of the four men that fit the description. Two men had blonde hair and the third brunette had green eyes. It felt like a weight fell from his chest now that he knew who their unsub was, but they weren't out of the woods just yet. If this man had indeed kidnapped Spencer Reid, then finding him had just become their priority.

"Daniel Murray," he said, both to Prentiss on the phone as Rossi and JJ standing with him in the room, "he is our unsub. Garcia has already sent us the address. We'll get SWAT and meet you at his house in half an hour."

-o-o-

Spencer woke up groaning. A dull ache in the back of his head called his attention and the young genius gently rubbed the sore spot. It took him a moment to remember what had happened, but it all came crushing back. Daniel was the unsub and now he had taken him away from his home, from his mother.

Worry and panic coursed through his veins because he knew Diana was ill and shouldn't be left alone for too long. Only then did he remember the protective detail that had been placed in front of his house. Hopefully they were already onto something, but Spencer didn't even know how much time had passed.

"Gentle," a sudden voice crashed through his head, making Spencer wince, "I punched you in the face and you fell back. I tried to catch you before you hit the floor, but I was too late."

Spencer, only now realising that his eyes were still closed, opened them to find himself laying on a bed - a rather comfortable bed. He was in a small room, only one window on his right and a chair before the bed. That's where Daniel now sat, his elbows leaning on his knees and his head slightly cocked to his left. "Can I get you anything? An aspirin?"

Spencer ignored the question, pushing himself up so that he could sit straight. His head protested with every movement he made. There were a thousand questions in his head, but he knew he would probably not get any useful answers. He tried anyway, "Why are you doing this?"

Daniel sighed and leaned back in his chair. "I want to help you," he said, a faint smile playing around his lips, "show you that life is so much more enjoyable if you take control of it."

"By killing people?" Spencer regretted those words instantly, but he found Daniel to remain strangely calm. He even chuckled at the words, making the genius believe that Daniel was in fact crazy, or at least crazier than his mother.

"I took control," Daniel explained, crossing his arms before his chest, "those men bullied us all the way through high school, tormented us and I figured they deserved some payback. You should have seen the look in their eyes, Spencer, just before they died."

Spencer swallowed heavily, unsure of how to react to all this. He was sure Morgan would know exactly what to say or do to take control of the situation, but Spencer wasn't a profiler even though he wished he was at this point. "What about Mr. Cameron," he heard a tremble in his voice, but ignored it, "he never hurt you."

"But he did hurt you," came Daniel's quick response, "and I have always looked after you, Spencer, and that hasn't changed. I could no longer bear to see you in so much pain. That bastard touched you and since you weren't strong enough to fight him, I did."

Suppressing the urge to swallow heavily or begin crying, Spencer chose to look straight into Daniel's eyes instead. "I didn't want to fight him," he argued, trying to find logic in Daniel's reasons, "I didn't want him dead. He was married, had two daughters so what about them?"

There was a short silence in which Daniel actually seemed to contemplate Spencer's words. "I don't care," he eventually shrugged, "it's you I care about and I figured that I should share this. There is still one bully out there, one moment of victory and I want you to have it."

Spencer frowned, not understanding.

"Dean Isner," Daniel spoke the name with venom dripping from the tip of his tongue, "I know where he lives and I thought we could pay him a visit together."

Slowly, too slowly, the realisation of Daniel's words came to Spencer who suddenly felt like throwing up. "You want me to kill him?"

"The power it gives you to take a life, Spencer, is unbelievable. Before I felt small and weak, but now I'm no longer afraid to look people in the eye. I'm confident that you can do this, that you can grow as strong as I have."

"No," Spencer shook his head violently, "I don't want this. Daniel, I want to go home to my mother. She needs me."

Daniel stepped away from his seat and bent towards Spencer who couldn't help but cringe back. "She holds you back," he said, gazing straight into his eyes, "what would you be without her?" A short pause filled the air and Spencer swallowed heavily. "You are a genius and you could be so much more than a teenage whore."

His breath hitched inside his chest. "I'm not-"

A slap across his face silenced him instantly.

"I am trying to help you," Daniel stressed every word, "and you will be grateful. If you don't want to kill Dean, then I'll do it for you and afterwards, we'll have a long, pleasant talk." He turned on his heels and left Spencer alone in the small room. The door fell shut with a heavy thud and Spencer could hear different locks clicking into place.

Tears began to invade his eyes and he didn't even bother to fight them. There was no one here to see them, no one here to comfort him and so he cried, hoping that someone would find him soon.

AN: Again, sorry for the late update, but to make it up to you, I promise to update on Monday. That is if people respond to this chapter. Tell me what you think of it because any and all feedback is welcomed.