"Knowing that you're crazy doesn't make the crazy things stop happening."

-Mark Vonnegut, The Eden Express: A Memoir of Insanity

"Touch me again, and I swear to God I'm going to blow the building," Reid said in a deadly serious tone. The team all knew the young man well enough to know that he was most certainly not bluffing, but they also knew that they had to do something. If they couldn't get out themselves, they needed to get everyone else in the building out. At least the building was covered in security cameras. Surely by then, someone had been alerted.

"Calm down, man," Morgan said gently. He made a point to stay a safe distance away, so as not to further aggravate his friend. "Think about what you're doing here. This is a federal building. You keep up with this stunt, and they'll take it as an act of terrorism. You don't want that."

"I know what I'm doing!" Reid snapped at him. "I know you're all armed," he said as he looked at each of the team members. "Put your weapons in the middle of the room now!"

Morgan looked over at Hotch, who nodded slightly. The supervisory agent slowly approached the center of the room. He removed his pistol from its holster and carefully placed it on the ground, making sure that Reid had a clear view of his hands the entire time. One by one, the other agents followed suite.

"Think we can talk him down?" Morgan asked Hotch, keeping his voice low enough so only he could hear. He had an awful feeling in the pit of his stomach that this situation would not end well. Most hostage situations didn't end up well for the hostage taker, and more often than not ended badly for the hostages as well. He was certain that the SWAT team would have the building surrounded quickly. They were superhumanly fast when it came to a threat to a government building. He was also confident that they would have snipers watching the windows. One thing was most definitely certain, if Reid did not let them go soon, he'd end up with a bullet through his head.

"I doubt it," Hotch answered. "He isn't thinking rationally." Negotiations never worked if one of the parties was thinking irrationally. A negotiation would be ineffective despite the irrationality of the hostage taker's mind though if all parties were inside the building. They needed someone on the outside, but at the moment, they didn't have that luxury.

"He isn't going to make it out of this alive, is he?" Morgan asked.

Hotch could see the doubt in his eyes, the sadness. No one could have predicted anything like this happening, be it Reid's doing or another's. He knew the two had always been close, which must have made it all the harder on Morgan. Still, he prided himself with honesty, however brutal it may be. "I'm beginning to doubt any of us will."

"What are you two talking about?!" Reid shouted at Hotch and Morgan. "Shut up now!"

"Why are you doing this, man?" Morgan asked.

"Don't push him," Rossi said lowly. He knew Morgan was only trying to help, but conversations like this always tended to do more harm than good.

Morgan ignored him. "Come on, Spence. The Reid I know wouldn't do something like this. So why is he now?"

"I said shut up!" Reid shouted at him.

"Reid," Hotch said evenly. "Morgan and I are the ones you seem to be the most hostile toward," he continued. He had noticed that the youngest BAU agent hadn't said so much as one word to the other agents. "You can keep us in here, but let the others go."

"I can't let anyone go! You're all out to get me! All of you!" Reid argued. He was becoming more panicked by the second.

"Not all of us," Hotch argued. He needed to play into the fantasy, if only just a little bit, if they were going to have any hope of getting some of the members out safely. "Morgan and I are the only agents who have been watching you. Let the others go. Think about them. JJ has a son she needs to get to…" So do I, but I can't think about him right now. He hated that he had to drag Morgan into it as well. If it were entirely up to him, he would have solely taken the blame, but there was too much hostility toward the other.

At the mention of Morgan, Reid turned cold. "It isn't fair," he said in an ice cold tone as he stared at the man.

"What isn't fair?" Morgan asked as he crossed his arms.

"Morgan, don't push him," Rossi repeated. If anyone in the room would be able to handle the situation well, it would be him. He was, after all, the resident expert on hostage situations. But there was next to nothing he could do when he was inside the situation. If he could get outside though, he might be able to get something accomplished.

"No, I want to hear this," Morgan responded. He never looked away from Reid.

"I don't have to explain myself to you," Reid said lowly. He walked over to JJ. "Get out," he said to her.

"Not without the others," JJ responded coldly. She couldn't treat him as her friend. She had to treat him as the situation saw fit, and in that situation, he was a criminal, nothing more, nothing less. Still though, she had her son to think about.

"You aren't a part of this," Reid said. "Get out."

"Do what he says," Hotch said to JJ. JJ opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off before she could. "That's an order."

"Take Elle and Garcia with you," Reid said.

Hotch nodded to the others and watched sadly as the three women left. He prayed that wasn't the last time they would see each other. "Let Rossi go with them."

"And let him work with the others?!" Reid shouted frantically. "No way in hell…"

"You're panicked," Hotch said calmly.

"I thought you said not to try to talk him down?!" Morgan looked confused.

Hotch held up a hand to silence him. "You're scared. You can let us go, and we can make a deal," he said calmly. "But if you keep us in here, we all know how this is going to end."

"Listen to him, Spencer," Rossi said. If they could keep him distracted, then in theory, they could stay alive. The important thing was that they had people they could trust on the outside now. They could potentially get an effective negotiation started.

"I think I know why you're doing this," Hotch said. He had to tread carefully. One false move could kill them all.

"Don't you dare profile me…" Reid said, making it sound like a threat.

"I'm not profiling you," Hotch assured. "I'm trying to understand," he took a breath. He was glad that for once, Morgan kept his mouth shut. "You've had a hard life. Your mother is schizophrenic. Your father left. You've been kidnapped, multiple times, might I add, drugged, you struggled with addiction, you had trouble after Gideon left, and then the situation with…" he was going to continue, but Reid cut him off.

"Don't you dare mention that!" Reid shouted. It had been several months since her death, but he was clearly still not over it. "Don't mention her!"

"I won't, then," Hotch assured. That was close. "You're afraid of your own mind, Spencer. You want it to stop, but you don't want to do it yourself," he continued speaking. "You're afraid."

"I'm not scared!" Reid argued. "Fear means I'm out of control. I'm not out of control!"

"That's bullshit!" Morgan finally spoke up.

"Not helping the situation, Morgan," Rossi sighed.

"Reid, if there is something you want, you need to tell us," Hotch said. He ignored the little outburst from his subordinate. "You know we can get it to you."

"I want it to stop," Reid responded. "I want it to stop," he repeated softly.

Hotch nodded slowly. He had no clue what Reid meant when he referred to 'it,' but he couldn't risk pushing him over the edge. At least they were making a bit of progress. But he of all people knew that it had to get worse, much worse, before it could get better.

"Life is pain. Anyone that says otherwise is selling something."

-William Goldman, The Princess Bride