A/N: Surprise! (grins) I'm a day early because of my insane schedule. The price of being busy? A damn, nasty flue. (groans) But oh well, as long as it doesn't stop me from writing I can take it. (grins)

First off, WHOA! You guys seriously loved the previous chapter, didn't you? All those reviews…! (GLOMPS) You're amazing! Thank you so much! You can't even imagine how much your kind words mean to me.

Awkay…. Because there's no point in stalling, let's go! I REALLY hope that you'll enjoy the ride.

Open Season

/ There were a lot of things he'd done during his life William Reid wasn't proud of. Helping cover up a murder and leaving his family were only two of those things. He'd made a lot of mistakes, some of them unforgivable. The loudest testament he'd ever received of that was having his own son accusing him of unspeakable deeds. Spencer's eidetic memory didn't make mending things any easier.

After their fumbling beginning of trying to make things right William finally found the courage to write to his son. It took two months before he received a response but the time hardly mattered. All that mattered was the fact that his son didn't reject him – only asked for some time. William sent his phone number, asked Spencer to call as soon the young man felt ready. Exactly a month later he picked up to hear his son's voice. It was one of the brightest days of his life. They called each other once a week, never spoke very long but still enough. Finally there was hope that perhaps someday, somehow, they'd be a proper father and son once more. No matter how messy things were. And then Spencer vanished. For the second time in his life William wondered if he'd ever see his son again.

He did get the chance to see his son. Twice.

One day William was on his way to work when he felt a sudden chill on his skin while stopping his car to a red light. Some sort of a sixth sense guiding him he turned his head to the right, where a small crowd of people was rushing on. It took a moment before he spotted a familiar face and much longer before his head managed to process it.

"Spencer…?!"

Spencer appeared… scared, almost. William couldn't help wondering if he was the only one who noticed, who paid attention. He couldn't see the man Spencer walked with clearly but even without any profiling experience he got the impression that the company was unwanted.

Every single fibre in William's body screamed at him to get out of the car, to go over to his son and… What, he didn't even know. But he wanted to do something. He never did. In a blink Spencer was gone, leaving him wondering if he'd imagined the whole thing. The traffic light turned green. Life went on. Gulping thickly William drove on, his hands shaking.

What the hell just happened? What was going on with Spencer? Did William just make another unforgivable mistake?

Almost six months later the last thing William saw of this world was his son. Perhaps the sight was only an illusion but it was enough. When the timer hit zero he smiled, tears in his eyes. /

"The results… They just came in a while ago. And… I'm sorry, but Anton Silas is still alive."

There was no surprise. No shock. Only silent acceptance of a truth that'd already been known. "Then who was it?"

This was going to hurt… "I really think that you should sit down."

Spencer didn't. A bold decision, considering that the genius was shaking uncontrollably. "Aaron, who was it?" It was high pitched, so desperate that it broke the unit chief's heart.

It took a mighty while before the words were finally voiced. "Spencer… I'm so sorry. But it was your father."

It was Aaron who finally volunteered to deliver the news. Who took the role of the messenger. Who had to watch what the revelation did to Spencer.

"What?"

Aaron went on although it was the last thing he wanted to do. "Security footage confirms that Silas took him from a parking lot when he was about to head home from work, a day and a half before the explosion." He swallowed, felt a sting of ache from the absolute silence and stillness Spencer gave in return. The genius he knew was never still. "I'm sorry." If only he'd been able to offer more than those words.

At first Spencer just stared at him, like expecting him to reveal that it was nothing but a extremely bad, sick joke. Then, slowly yet inevitably, it crashed down. As did Spencer, directly towards the break room's floor. Aaron barely had the time to break the fall.

True, Spencer and his father hadn't been exactly close. Hell, Spencer had spent many years hating the man – enough to believe the worst of all things of him. But this, actually finding out that his father was dead and gone… That there'd never, ever be the chance to try and mend things… To fill that gap…

For a moment Aaron was sure that Spencer would start to scream. Or perhaps that the genius would simply fall apart completely. But the younger man did nothing such.

Aaron jumped when Spencer was suddenly moving away from him, fast on his way towards the room's door. "I… I have to see him. And then… Then I need to take care of the arrangements. There's… I have to call a lot of people, to let them know…"

Aaron felt fully ready to cry. He didn't, for it would've only made things worse. Instead he grabbed Spencer's wrist, held on tight. "Listen to me." It was nothing short of an order but he didn't care if he sounded harsh if it hit the mark. "You're in a shock, alright? I need you to breathe through it and talk to me. Stay with me."

It took a while before he heard Spencer's painfully quiet voice. "I… I never called him, after I came back." There were gasps, or perhaps sobs. "I… I never took the time. It felt too hard. And now he's…"

"Shh…" At the moment Aaron didn't care who'd come in and see them, what those people might think. He wrapped his arms around Spencer and held on tight, with all his might. "Shh… Just let it out."

Spencer cling to him tightly, with absolutely everything there was in the genius. The thin young man had never trembled the way he did then. Like a leave spinning wildly on its way down from a autumn tree.

"Shh… It's okay."

Aaron couldn't tell if Spencer was crying. Honestly, he was quite possibly happier not knowing. All he knew was that he was terrified as he held the younger man in his arms, held on with his heart hammering mercilessly.

"Everything's going to be alright."

It felt like he'd been holding on to quicksand.

Any fool would've been able to tell that there was no messing with Aaron when the man stormed out of the room, a dangerous and heartbroken look in his eyes.

The whole rest of the team was there. Only JJ was courageous enough to speak. "How's he doing?" she half whispered, eyeing towards the door.

Aaron breathed, loud and hard. Then shook his head. For some situations there are no words.

JJ nodded slowly. She seemed to consider for a moment. "Do you think he'd mind if I'd go in there?"

Aaron sighed, appearing just a little bit calmer already. "I know that you mean well, but… I think that he'd appreciate a moment alone right now." The man nodded towards the conference room a slight distance away. "Let's go there. I want to show you something."

As soon as the team had gathered the others shivered upon seeing what Aaron had put together. When, they had no idea. They'd thought that the unit chief had spent pretty much all his time with Spencer. But right there before them was absolutely everything they'd managed to gather on Anton Silas. Along with pictures of the exploded car that contained William Reid.

It took a moment before they saw the blood red 'two'. Anton's countdown.

"That son of bitch…!" Derek hissed, a hazardous look in his eyes. It was easy to tell how hard the agent – who'd refused to stay home despite being on a sick leave – struggled to keep himself from smashing something. "He's mocking us!"

Aaron nodded, face even more grim than usual. "I think we all know who 'one' is. We have to catch this psychopath before they meet. We're not going to let him win this one."

They, of course, couldn't possibly know that there were keen ears listening in on them. With a violent shiver the shadow disappeared. When they went looking twenty minutes later Spencer wasn't in the break room anymore.

When Aaron went to bed far too late that night Spencer found that he couldn't even close his eyes. Not without seeing Anton. Not without seeing just what horrors there might be ahead of his family – ahead every single one he cared about. He'd heard his team talking earlier that day. They were running out of time and options.

There, alone in the dark, Spencer allowed his head to whir madly. Searched desperately through every single option there might be left for him. In the end there was only one that came to his troubled mind.

His father had already died because of his mistakes. He wasn't about to let any more people get hurt.

Spencer's eyes were far from dry when he took a pen and a piece of paper, then began to write so fast that his head had no chance to process it all. In a flood he gave away everything he'd feared. Everything he'd hoped for. All his love. He told every single one of those things that'd been whispering in the back of his head for such a long time. He gave everything away, fearing that otherwise he'd never get the chance to say those things.

It was excruciating. But already as he sat there, gasping under the weight of everything he'd just let go of, Spencer knew that it wasn't the hardest part. He took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and got up.

His feet remembered the way to Aaron's bedroom better than well. He made far more noise than he would've liked to but apparently it didn't matter too much. When he entered the room Aaron was fast asleep, curled towards the empty side of the bed.

Swallowing and never managing to get rid of the lump in his throat Spencer approached. His knees were dangerously weak and gave away completely when he made it to the bed. Aaron woke up, of course. Spencer found it hard to meet the man's eyes while he lay down slowly, trembling uncontrollably.

If there'd been a choice, any choice…

Aaron blinked, appearing tired and confused. Obviously not understanding the haunted look in his eyes. "Do you… want to…?"

Spencer shook his head, unsure if he wanted to laugh or cry. "No", he breathed, not daring to speak louder in fear that his voice would break. "I just… I want to be here, like this. If that's okay with you."

Aaron smiled. He did his best to memorise the far too rare sight. Cool fingers brushed his cheek. "Yeah, that's very much okay with me", the unit chief confirmed.

Spencer closed his eyes although he would've wanted to spend the whole night just staring, while he still could. His body inched closer before he could do a thing to stop it, so that Aaron's heat radiated to him. Wondering what, exactly, he was doing he pressed his head against the other man's chest, listening to the strong, steady heartbeat.

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

It was impossible to tell how much time passed before Aaron's breathing pattern finally changed. Barely daring to do so he opened his eyes to discover that the unit chief was fast asleep, with a slight smile on his face. Spencer felt like his whole body and soul had been torn apart.

How the hell was he supposed to walk away from something like this?

"You and Jack…", he whispered hoarsely, careful not to disturb the other's rest. "I'll keep you safe. I promise. He won't touch you."

Spencer knew that if he wanted to get this done he'd have to move. He'd have to walk away or he'd never, ever manage to. And so he left the comfortably warm bed, using all his willpower to not look back on everything he was leaving behind.

For now. That's what he told himself. This was not goodbye.

"I won't give up on you", he swore without looking over his shoulder. "I swear."

Spencer's steps were heavy but determined while he made his way towards Jack's room. The door was slightly ajar and he paused, letting the sight inside seep right into the very core of his being. His eyes stung unbearably but he refused to let tears spill.

There, only steps away, Jack was sleeping soundly. Jack, who'd already survived his parents' divorce, the Reaper, losing his mom, school bullies. Looking at the child's innocent face Spencer swore that whatever it'd take he'd make sure that the boy wouldn't have to suffer again. Not when he could do something about it.

"I'm sorry, buddy", he whispred. "I hope that you'll understand, one day."

It took twenty minutes before Spencer finally managed to leave the house, with Lucia sleeping soundly in his arms. The night air caressed his face while he stood on the doorsteps, trying to brace himself for leaping into the unknown. Trying to figure out just what the hell he was doing.

As he closed the door nearly soundlessly he prayed whatever higher power there might be listening that he'd get to walk through it again one day.

Since he left the FBI Jason Gideon had made it his point to avoid being around a lot of people. It wasn't a phobia, not exactly. He just happened to prefer the solitude after seeing the absolutely worst of people for such a long time. He'd really, honestly thought that no one would be able to find him.

For once he was wrong. Because at five thirty in the morning he woke up to the sound of a quiet, hesitant knock. After a lot of hesitation he answered the door to find a very familiar person stood behind it.

His eyes widened. It took a long moment before he managed to utter a sound. "Spencer?"

Spencer swallowed loudly, something quite close to terror in his eyes. "I… I figured out where to find you, a while ago. This area seemed like the perfect spot." The man's eyes were full of despair and about a million other. "Please. I know that there's a lot we need to talk about, but… You're my only option. You're the only one she's safe with."

Jason thought that upon leaving he burned the bridges behind him beyond repair. He certainly hadn't expected to be approached by Spencer, the one he wounded the deepest. Especially with the genius holding a baby in his arms. Slowly he moved out of the way, letting Spencer enter the tiny, isolated cabin. "Spencer, what's going on? Whose child is that?"

Spencer focused on the baby for a while, appearing torn and shaken. "She's mine. And… I'm sorry but I can't tell you what's going on, not exactly. Not without endangering you." Those hazel eyes were full of despair when they met his. "She's Lucia, and I… I need you to protect her, for a little while. Until it's safe for her to be with me again."

Jason frowned, chills traveling across all his body. Somehow he didn't like the sound of that at all. "Do you expect to come back?"

Spencer had never been very good at lying. Perhaps that's why the young man was brutally honest. "I don't know. But I'll do whatever I can, for her."

Looking at Spencer Jason did the only thing he could. He nodded. "I'll take care of her as well as I can." He gave the younger man a stern look, his chest tightening uncomfortably. "You'd better take care of yourself, understood? For her sake."

Spencer nodded. The genius' lips opened but no words came out. Perhaps there was too much to be said for the pathetically little time they had. Instead Spencer focused on his daughter. The doctor's hand was gentle and far from steady when it stroked the little one's cheek. "Everything's going to be alright, sweetie. I promise."

Jason felt a lump in his throat when Spencer handed the baby over to him, tenderly and visibly unwillingly. They exchanged a look that spoke far more loudly than any words ever could've. And then, so fast that Jason blinked, Spencer was already walking away, leaving behind his daughter and a huge bag of supplies. Not daring to look back even once.

Lucia burst into heartbreaking, loud tears as soon as the door was closed and she realized that her dad was gone. Jason, who could only stand frozen for the longest time – finally, after years, realizing just how much he walked away from once upon a time – wanted very much to cry as well.

In one of his favorite hideouts Anton opened his eyes to the sound of a received text message. His eyebrow bounced up while his eyes flashed dangerously. There was only one person who had the number of that particular cell phone.

Slowly, stretching as he did so, Anton rose from the small yet surprisingly comfortable bed. His steps were soundless when he made his way through the shadowy room towards the phone. He'd kept it for a reason. Things were finally getting interesting again.

Sure enough, the text message was from Spencer.

'Forget about my team. They're not the ones you want to chase. Meet me at the café an hour before the closing time. This time on my terms.'

Anton stared at those words, then smirked.

Tracking down Spencer had been practically impossible since he lost his access to the monitor that kept tabs on the genius' tracking device. But now Spencer was walking willingly right into his hands. And the young man wanted to play.

Anton had always liked games.

"Be careful what you wish for, pretty boy."

TBC

A/N: Oh dear… It looks like the final encounter is already almost at hand. We'll see just where this is all going… (shudders)

PLEASE, leave a review! Let me know if you considered this one any good at all – or if I should just press 'delete'. Awww, c'mon, I can still pribe you with some leftover Christmas goodies…

THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE OUT NEXT WEDNESDAY OR THURSDAY. It all depends on how much time I'll have to polish and clean up the next one. I promise that I'll be as quick as possible.

Until next time, folks! 'Hope I'll meet you all there.

Peace out!

Guest: You can't even imagine how happy hearing that makes me! (beams like a ray of sun)

Ah, it'd be so good if Lucia really was Aaron's, no? And to have our happy family together, with no evil people lurking around. (sighs) It'd be nice to see that New Year's wish come true!

Huge thank yous for the review!