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A/n hey all... Here's the next chapter for my faithful readers. Mucho thanks to my beta, who's helped me overcome massive writers block on this project and pushed me when I might have given up on the idea all together.

Return to Las Vegas, Again

"You can't just go running off to Las Vegas on your own." Emily stood in front of his door blocking his access to the exit.

"I don't want to drag the team out there for a wild goose chase. Don't you see Emily…?" His chocolate eyes pleaded with her. "I can't take the team into this without an invite. I need to see my dad in person and find out what's made him panic like this."

"You said he left you a message on your phone. What did it say?"

"Just that he's in trouble. He wants to meet with me tomorrow. He didn't say where, just that I was to come alone and call him when I get into town."

Emily stepped away from the door. "I think we should tell Hotch."

"Emily… I don't think that -"

She held up a hand to stop them. "Give him and us a chance Reid. The last time you confronted your dad…"

"I know! You don't have to remind me." Anger turned his eyes nearly black. "I've been kicking myself for a year about that. I hated him so much. More than you can possibly imagine. I was willing to think him a murderer and a pedophile."

"He abandoned you with a mentally unstable parent."

"So that gives me the right to accuse him of child rape and murder." He squeaked. "My God Emily, children get abandoned all the time and they don't try to get their fathers arrested for murder."

"You wanted the truth… I won't let you castigate yourself for that."

"You don't understand!"

"No…" She reached out and touched his elbow. "I don't understand. I do know that I know William Reid's son. He'd never hurt anyone on purpose, not even his father. You can hate him. That's okay… You don't have to forgive him. You don't have to help him now. You could decode those documents, forward them onto the police in Las Vegas, and let them deal with it. No one would think the worse of you. You could even include some suggestions for the detectives if you want. Just call your dad and tell him you can't just drop everything for him especially without an invitation from the local LEOs."

He dropped his go bag and let his shoulders slump. "He called me a few weeks ago. We were on that case in Indiana. I brushed him off because I was busy. It's the first time he's called me since the last time I was in Vegas."

"So you're mad at yourself because you wanted to talk to him, but you feel like you have to be angry with him because of what he did. You want to forgive him, but you think if you do, he'll hurt you again."

More anger darkened his eyes as he listened to her dissect everything he had been feeling over the last year.

"I thought we agreed not to profile each other." He said through clenched teeth.

"It's hard not to when your feelings are screaming at me through your eyes and body language."

"I don't want to talk about this now." He grabbed his messenger and go bag again. "Please get out of my way so I can get back to Quantico."

She moved and he opened the door. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah…"

The team gathered in the conference room with Reid speaking to them rather than JJ. He outlined the letter for them as they listened. "I got this from my father in the mail today. It's written in a code I made up when I was six. I haven't really read it over and translated it." He stopped going pink in the cheeks. "We used to play games and secret messages with it." His voice cracked at bit. "Anyway… The letter he wrote as a plea for help has to do with the death of Lily Camden. She worked for Mason Parker Jr."

"Isn't he some internet billionaire that bought up a few hotels and casinos in Las Vegas?" Rossi observed.

"Yes… She was his real estate lawyer. My father said she was as straight an arrow as they come for a lawyer. If she found something off with Mason Parker, then he had to take it seriously."

"Did he know how to reach her?" Hotch asked.

"Lily Camden is dead. She was found raped and murdered behind the Tangiers three weeks ago. The police don't have any leads on the murder. It looks like she was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"But you don't think so." Rossi asked.

"I don't know what to think. I don't have any crime scene photos or any reports on the crime."

"I'd like to go to Vegas with him Hotch!" Rossi said. "We can check it out and see if there's anything to William Reid's story."

"Good… I was going to suggest that you go. If you find anything, try to get the locals to invite us on the case. We'll come out no matter what, but it would be nice if we have the right to be there." Hotch said.

"Thank you Hotch." Reid inclined his head to his Unit Chief.

"I trust your instincts Reid."

Rossi and Reid left the conference room with JJ in tow. "I'll get you two booked on the next commercial flight. Sorry I can't give you the jet boys." She winked at them.

"Should be fun!" Rossi replied.

"You don't have to go with me." Reid said as he separated from Rossi at his office.

"If you think it's worth looking into, then so do I. I trust your instincts Reid.

"Even after the last time we went to Vegas? I accused my own father of child rape and murder if you recall."

"I remember… You were wrong! As I told you a few weeks ago, there's a first time for everything. Doesn't mean I think you're wrong now."

Don't know if that's an insult or a compliment. Reid thought, so he just smiled and went to his desk for his go bag.

The commercial flight landed at last at just after seven pm pacific daylight time. Rossi led Reid off the plane and down to the baggage claim area. They dodged around tourists with their colorful clothes and cameras. Reid nearly ran into a middle-aged man dressed in a crinkled blue pinstriped suit. He glared at the young profiler through a pair of black rimmed glasses. "Sorry…" Reid apologized.

"Watch where you're walking." The man shouted back as he headed in the opposite direction.

Reid hefted his bag on his shoulder and hurried to keep up with Rossi who made his way through the crowd with no problem at all. A few people glanced at the older profiler as though they recognized him, but no one really stared.

As they waited for their bags to appear, Rossi said, "I miss the jet."

"Me too," Reid agreed.

"Yeah…" Rossi said as he spied his bag. "It must be rough dealing with all the attention from the flight attendants."

Reid felt his cheeks go red. "I didn't do anything." He squeaked.

"You don't have to SSA Dr. Reid," He quipped. "As I recall from what Morgan told me, you have quite an effect on the working girls. At least these women aren't prostitutes."

Reid nearly dropped his bag at this comment. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I can see that… Why don't we go pick up our rental car?"

After standing in line for twenty minutes, they picked up the SUV Rossi had asked for and got on the road. Reid looked out at the scenery as it passed them by. The early spring air hadn't gotten too hot, but it was much warmer than in Washington DC.

"Where are we going first?" Rossi said.

"Um… I guess we should go see my father first and make sure he's okay."

"He hasn't answered any of your calls?"

"No…"

"Okay… We'll go to his place first. Why don't you program the GPS for me?"

Reid did as he was told and settled back in his seat. His heart was beating very slowly as though the organ had settled down into quicksand. He closed his eyes against the lightheaded feeling in the front of his head. What would they find when they got to his father's home?

For the first time since he'd learned the truth of William Reid's abandonment of his family, Reid wondered if his father was okay.

He opened his eyes against the blackness of the hole in the ground that had become his prison. His eyes felt like someone had sucked all the moisture out of them. He blinked slowly trying to push reluctant tears onto the dried out eyeballs.

He licked his lips, feeling them crack and tasting the salt of a tiny bit of blood. The stinging of his lips added to the general discomfort of his body. He'd had to relive himself in one corner of the tiny hole and the sharp smell of urine nearly made him vomit. Of course, he didn't have anything in his stomach to add to the stink in the hole, but it didn't mean the nausea would go away.

He tried to stand up even though his muscles jumped and trembled. He made it to his feet and took a couple of steps in the dark. He moved just three steps away from his wall before dizziness overwhelmed his body and he fell onto the hard ground.

The square of light returned just as he passed out. He didn't see the hands lower down more water and bread to him. He didn't hear the voice speak to him until cold water splashed onto his body. His eyes popped open and his leg muscles cramped as he jerked away from the water pouring over his body.

"Who are you?" He tried to shout in a very hoarse voice.

"It's up to you to figure that out Mr. Reid."

"I don't have to. I know exactly who you work for."

"If you're so smart Mr. Reid then you know you won't get out of this alive."

"I don't care what you do to me. My life hasn't been stellar, but at least I know your boss is going down. Why don't you help me out? I'll put in a good word for you if you do. You don't owe him anything."

"You don't know what I owe to the boss man."

"You don't owe him your life."

"You can't possibly hurt him even if you had a chance of escaping." The voice laughed.

William tried again to see around the bright light shining down on him, but his dried out eyes didn't want to focus.

"I think you'd be surprised at the chance I have."

"You have nothing but a son that hates you and an ex-wife in the loony bin. You won't get help from either of them."

William didn't speak. The man was right. Spencer had no obligation to come to his aid. "You're right… Perhaps it is better for me just to rot down here."

"Don't worry Mr. Reid. My employer doesn't like to be kept waiting. If Agent Reid doesn't come for the love of his father, then we'll find some other way to entice him."

"Stay away from my son or so help me God…"

The voice began to laugh as though what William said pleased him enormously. "You're in no position to threaten anyone. Think about it."

The trapdoor fell with a clatter and returned him to darkness. For the first time in nearly twenty years, William cried.