Thanks to everyone who reviewed. MUCH appreciated :)

This isn't the last chapter, although it may seem like it at the end. But hold out hope for Reid, he's strong and he made it this far.

Once again, I do not own Criminal Minds or the characters in the show :)

Chapter 4: Time Of Dying

Reid groaned loudly as the blade was once again plunged into his side. White hot pain surged through him and he felt it in every inch of his body.

"11." Jimmy counted as he pulled the knife from Reid's body. He looked at the blood that stained the blade and smiled. "You know, this is my favorite one." He grinned as ran his fingertip over the blood.

Reid gasped for air in his tight lungs but to no avail. He couldn't breath, speak, or even see very clearly anymore. He felt like he was fading, like when you're tired and you can't keep your eyes open; although in his case he couldn't keep himself alive.

"Not only can you see the pain in your victims' face." Jimmy cupped Reid's chin, pulling his face to look at him. "But you can feel the agony through the blade." He smirked as he released Reid's face.

"You're...a sick-...son of a..." Reid fought his words, forcing them out without any air to support them so they failed him. His voice almost a small raspy whisper and Jimmy grinned darkly.

"And you're a dead man." He hissed, enjoying Reid's lack of fight.

Jimmy touched th edge of the blade lightly before thrusting it into Reid's sternum.

That was it. Reid knew he was going to die. No way would he live through that, even the strongest of men couldn't so what chance did he have.

He let out a pained grunt as his already air deprived lungs felt like they were constricted. He gasped for air and let out a raspy cry as the blade was pulled out, he felt like it took half of his life out with it.

Before Jimmy could gloat more, gunshots were fired from upstairs.

"FBI!" Reid heard Morgan's voice. They'd found him, but he didn't know if they would make it in time to save him. Scratch that, they couldn't save him. Even if they were ith him now, he was going to die.

"Shit." Jimmy cursed and turned back to Reid. "Better make the most of our time together." He smirked, totally oblivious to the fact that he would either die or spend the rest of his life in prison after this.

Jimmy lunged towards Reid, knife at the ready before Morgan, Hotch and Prentiss appeared at the stairs.

"Drop the knife!" Morgan barked his order, with clear disdain for the disgusting man who was covered in his friend's blood.

"And if I don't?" Jimmy's lips curled into a gut wrenching grin that made them all feel a little sick.

"Drop the knife, now!" Hotch barked.

Prentiss shot Reid a worried look, not that he saw it. Reid's head was low and blood dripped from his mouth as he stared at the floor with wide eyes. Prentiss wanted to just leapt past the man and hold her friend, to make it all better.

"13." Jimmy hissed coldly and plunged the knife into Reid again. Oblivious to the bullets that were pumped through him as soon as he moved Jimmy dug the knife into Reid, watching as the blood poured from the wound before letting go of the knife and dropping to the floor.

"Reid!" Morgan cried and raced over to his friend.

Hotch rushed behind Reid and released the restraints and Reid's bloody body fell limply into Morgan's arms. Morgan grabbed hold of Reid and slowly sat on the floor. He pulled Reid's head and chest into his lap and held his bleeding friend.

"Get the medics!" He ordered.

Hotch called the medics in through his ear piece and Prentiss stared at the red stained body with wide, unbelieving eyes. She trembled slightly and tears stung her unblinking eyes.

"Come on Reid, stay with me." Morgan spoke softly to his friend as he examined the wounds. There was a very worrying stab wound in his chest and Morgan apologetically put pressure on it with his hands to stop the bleeding.

"I...mmmm...I didn't..." Reid croaked, choking on the blood that was leaking out of his mouth.

"You're gonna be fine, you've made it this far." Morgan smiled weakly, his voice shaking and his hands trembled as he took hold of Reid's blood stained ones.

"I...mmm...where's...C-Cla-aire?" Reid's voice was like a shaky record, it silenced on occaison out of pure weakness of his body and no one blamed him. He'd been in this place, with these men for about 4 or 5 days and he was still breathing, for now.

"Claire's fine, she's at the hospital, she's gonna be fine, just like you." Morgan's smiled was still weak but his friend was still able to speak which gave me slight, if any hope.

Reid nodded in relief and looked at the ceiling. He gasped for breath and convulsed weakly as his lungs began to throw in the towel. He groaned in pain and shut his eyes tightly as he gasped again.

"Where's that damn medic!" Morgan barked at the other's before returning his attention to Reid. "Stay with me, man. You're not goin out like this." He spoke slightly dominantly. "I won't let you, you're gonna make it outta here."

"Mmmm...I'm c-c-cold." Reid gasped and groaned as the pain and the tightness in his struggling chest began to make his body feel numb. He felt himself fading, like something was pulling his heart out, pulling his life and his soul upwards out of his body and he arched his back as the feeling began to make him gasp.

Morgan looked at his friend. It was such a cliche, that he was cold, but that's what people said in the movies just before they died.

"No, you're not cold. You're fine." Morgan said, more for his own comfort that Reid's.

Reid convusled again and coughed up a lot of blood that leaked out of the side of his lips and trickled down the side of his face.

"Reid." Morgan spoked his name, almost in a whisper.

Reid looked up at his friend. Tears pricked Morgan's eyes and Reid stared at him in wonder. Morgan didn't cry, he'd seen it before, but not like this.

Morgan sobbed weakly and kept the pressure on Reid's wound.

Reid convulsed again, more violently this time and his eyes rolled back in his head as he gasped for air.

"Reid!" Morgan cried as he looked at the whites of Reid's eyes. "No!"

Reid continued to convulse and choked on the blood that was pouring from his mouth. He'd lost so much blood, his vision began to get blurry and he exhaled softly, a small moment of relaxation before the inhale stabbed his lungs with oxygen, too much oxygen for them to handle.

"Reid! No, stay with me!" Morgan ordered.

Hotch watched in horror as Reid gasped and convulsed. His blood pooled underneath him, seeping out of him through countless wounds and his red stained lips. Prentiss began to cry as she watched her friend die.

"Reid? Can you hear me?" Morga ordered again, trying to force his friend to stay alive.

Reid's eyes rolled back further this time. He tried not to let them, he tried to force his pupils forward, to stay in the land of the living. He couldn't let them roll back, for he felt like if he did, they would keep rolling, and just roll right back into darkness and he could never get them back again. He heard Morgan's voice beckoning him back and his eyes closed slowly. That was the only solution he could think of to stop his wild eyeballs. He thought about Morgan, how much they'd been through together. He thought of his team; Hotch, Morgan, Prentiss, JJ, Garcia, Rossi. How much he cared for them all, and how much he felt the cared for him. He then thought of Gideon. How he would be letting down his old mentor if he died in this place. Then images of his mother flooded his dying mind. How he promised to look after her, how he sent her away to that hospital. He exhaled softly and felt himself fading further into darkness. He didn't want to let them all down, but he was too weak.

"Reid!" Morgan cried as his friend's body felt limper in his arms. Morgan looked at Reid body before grabbing his hand. "You stay with me! You hear?" He ordered, his voice trembling and tears rolling down his cheeks.

Reid felt Morgan's hand on his. He felt this comfort pulling him out of the darkness and he held on mentally to this.

"Squeeze my hand, Reid. Please!" Morgan begged for some sign that his friend was still alive other than his pulse.

Reid's hand squeezed Morgan's weakly. "That's it." Morgan smiled weakly through his tears. "Just keep squeezing Reid, you're gonna make it."

Reid squeezed tighter as he heard Morgan's voice. But the pain returned, he gasped and convulsed, arching his back in Morgan's lap as he felt the force trying to pull out his life again. He fell limp once more, his head flling to the side.

"Reid?" Morgan held Reid's squeezing hand, clutching desperatly to his only reassurance that his friend was still living inside his weak, blood stained body.

Reid felt himself being dragged down to the darkness while his chest felt as if it was being pulled upwards, like the life was being ripped out of him. His hand stopped squeezing on Morgan's and dropped from Morgan's grasp. As soon as Morgan's skin was no longer touching his, it was as if Reid was no longer in possesion of his soul. Like his life had been finally ripped from him and he sank down into the darkness gently.

Reid's hand dropped and his head went limp.

"Reid? Reid, no!" Morgan cried, picking up his friends and again and squeezing it desperatly, but nothing happened. Reid's chest no longer rose and his pulse had disappeared.

Prentiss gasped in horror and her knees buckled from under her. She fell to her knees and sobbed into her hands. Hotch's face creased into hurt and he looked away. Running a hand over his head he squeezed his eyes shut tight and a tear pushed its way through his closed eyelids.

Morgan didn't cry for a moment. He stared down at his motionless friend and dropped his hand. He placed his hands under Reid's head and chest and pulled his close. He held him and rocked softly back and forth, clutching the blood stained body and giving into the tears that flooded through his eyes. Sobs broke through and he hid his head in Reid's neck, crying in horror and loss at his friend, whom he failed to save.

Reid stared down at his own blood covered body, and his friend who rocked it softly. He looked at Hotch, then at Prentiss before returning his gaze to his own corpse.

Am I...Dead?"

Bit of a shorter chapter but I think it makes up for it :)