Author's Note: I assure you, I don't own Criminal Minds. You must have me confused with someone else.

Chapter 12 The Rescue Mission

"Dr. Reid? Hello, are you still there?"

"Y-Yes, yes I'm still here," Reid said, "Um, well Mrs. Thompson-"

"Call me Emma please," she said and he could tell she was getting worried with each passing second.

"All right then, Emma I'm sorry to tell you this but…but Olivia's not here right now."

"What do you mean?" the British woman asked slowly and angrily, "Where is she? Where the fuck is my sister?"

"She's been taken by the unsub," said Spencer quickly, as though saying it fast would make it easier for Emma to bear. Obviously, it didn't work.

"What do you mean she was taken? She told me you had the guy! I thought you were supposed to be experts! So what, did you let him back out on the streets and he went back and kidnapped my sister? Why did you let him go, God dammit? See, this is what I hate most about America! You just let these creeps back out so they can kill and rape more women just because-"

"We didn't let him go!" said Spencer over her ranting, "We…We had the wrong man."

"Oh-ho! Well, that's a completely different story then!" said Emma sarcastically, "Olivia told me you guys were trained to catch serial killers, am I right?"

"Yes, but-"

"So who trained you then? Because they obviously didn't do a good job if you caught the wrong man and led my sister to believe she was safe when, in fact, the bastard was running around the city just waiting for her to let her guard down! My sister is out there being held by some creepy obsessed stalker who's doing God knows what to her! Do you have any idea how much she means to me Dr. Reid? She's…she's all I have left of my original family."

And then the tears came. Emma had tried to keep them at bay by yelling and screaming, Reid knew, but eventually the anger died and was replaced by sadness and grief. Her sobs tore at Reid's heart and he only wished he was there to comfort her.

"I know Emma, Olivia told me how close you two are," he said quietly, "We have a lead and are following that. We won't rest until we find her, okay?" The sobs continued so Spencer said, "Did you know that Olivia gave us the lead? She used clues and signals to let us know where the unsub lived."

"That's Livvy for you," said Emma with a chuckle that turned into a sob, "She was so smart and extremely determined."

"She's not dead Emma, she's still alive. Don't start using the past tense yet," he said kindly.

"My sister told me so much about you," Emma said with a sniffle, "Use that huge brain of yours to find my sister and bring her back, okay? She's not only my sister, she's my best friend. Please, I can't imagine living without her."

"I can't either," he muttered and said in a louder tone, "I promise to bring her back."

"Alive or in a body bag?" she asked and he didn't respond. There was a shaky sigh and she continued, "I'm sorry I shouted at you Dr. Reid, I'm much more temperamental than my sister. She's a lot quieter around others, but with me she's completely open. I'm sure she couldn't imagine living without you too. Please keep me updated. Time difference doesn't matter, I'm sure I won't be sleeping much anyway."

"I will, don't worry. Good-bye." She mumbled a response and he hung up the phone. The team was looking at him and he said, "That was Olivia' sister. She wanted to know where her sister was since she wasn't returning her calls."

Morgan gave Reid a sympathetic look and they began preparing for their mission. Spencer only hoped he would have some good news to tell Emma the next time he talked to her.

…...

Spencer sat in the passenger's seat as Morgan drove to the address with Hotch in the backseat. Captain Johnson was driving the other car that had Gideon, Prentiss, and J.J inside. Reid was absent-mindedly picking at the Velcro on his vest, his mind elsewhere. He thought about what Olivia did back in that blindingly white room. She knew exactly what Steve was capable of, yet she went with him anyway. She had known that either she went with him and Reid was returned to his team, or they both would be stuck with him. Olivia trusted that the team would figure out her clues in case Reid didn't wake up in time to tell them who the unsub was. She was trusting the team, who she had only known a week and a few days, with her life.

"I want a team to go to the back of the apartment building in case he tries to sneak around," Captain Johnson's voice crackled over the radio. A few squad cars said they would take care of it and Spencer sighed, rubbing his aching head.

Emma had brought up something Reid had not thought of before. My sister is out there being held by some creepy obsessed stalker who's doing God knows what to her! He knew just how crazy this guy was. He was willing to capture a FBI agent in order to get the woman he wanted. He was smart enough to blackmail Anthony Collins to take the blame. Hotch and Gideon had talked with Collins before leaving and Reid could still picture the man's face when he told them about Steve.

"When he was blackmailing me, I remember his eyes the most. They were so cold and…maniacal. He told me if I didn't let him do what he wanted, he'd make my life a living hell."

So Collins had let Steve use an empty room as his headquarters, his cell phone to call Olivia's home, he even wrote down Olivia's schedule for Steve so the handwriting sample couldn't be traced back to Steve.

Yes, Steve was determined and that frightened Spencer. The things he could be doing right now…no, he couldn't think about that now. He felt his stomach flip in a sickening way and his grip on the door handle tightened.

"We're almost there kid," said Morgan, seeing this reaction and Reid let out a long breath. Morgan had said that at least three times during the ride.

But this time his friend was right. They pulled up to the row home with sirens wailing and lights flashing. The team burst from their cars and ran to the front door. Morgan held a hand to tell the team to stand back and he kicked down the front door.

"Steve Matson, FBI!" Morgan shouted as they began clearing the building. He and Reid went up the stairs and looked in the rooms. As each room turned out to be empty, Spencer's heart beat faster and louder in his chest. They reached the final room and the door was closed. Reid stood with his gun raised as Morgan opened the door for him. The young doctor stepped in and looked around. The worst sight he could've possibly imagined met his eyes and he lowered his weapon.

The room was empty. She wasn't here.

"No," he whispered, "No, this isn't right. This is what she meant, I know it! It all made sense!"

"He must've left before we got here kid," said Morgan, anger and disappointment evident in his voice, "I'll have the officers check with the neighbors and see if they saw him come and go in a hurry. Come on Reid."

Spencer couldn't move, he just stood there with his arms hanging loosely by his side. There had to be some mistake. Maybe they were in another part of the house. Yes, that had to be it. He tore out of the room and down the stairs to find the rest of the team and police standing in the living room. They looked at him when he entered and he knew they hadn't found anything. How was he supposed to tell this to Emma?

"Captain, have you men start questioning the neighbors," said Morgan, coming from behind Reid who was still in shock.

The captain nodded and led his men out into the street. The team looked at their youngest member as he stared at the floor. Morgan laid a hand on his shoulder and Reid looked up.

"I don't understand, she was supposed to be here," he said, shaking his head, "This was what she was trying to tell us."

"We need to get back to the station and go over the video again," said Hotch, "We must've missed something. I'll make sure we have cops posted all along this street in case he comes back."

"He won't," said Reid heavily, "He's too smart to come back if he left. He knew we were coming. He must've figured out Olivia was sending us a message." He shuddered at the thought of Olivia facing this man's wrath.

"Prentiss and I should stay here to look over the house," said Gideon, "Maybe we can figure out where he is based off his things. Maybe there's a beach house somewhere."

"All right, I'm going to talk with the cops. The rest of you get in the car and we'll drive back together," said Hotch and left with J.J following.

Reid stepped out and looked around. People were loitering in the street as cars honked for them to get out of the way. Those in the cars were rubbernecking to see what the fuss was about. The officers had already set up the "Crime Scene" tape and lifted it up as the BAU agents went to the car. In the distance, Spencer could hear the church bells chiming. It was two in the afternoon, according to the bells. Suddenly, Reid started walking towards the sound of the bells.

"Reid? Reid, wait up! Hotch, I'm going with him!" Morgan called over his shoulder and followed the young doctor as he headed away from the crime scene. Morgan walked a few steps behind Reid as they turned the corner and walked. Finally, they stopped in front of a church. Reid opened the door and walked inside, Morgan following.

The church was beautiful inside. Straight ahead was the alter with a picture of Jesus on the cross with a woman on either side of him. Reid looked around and found a picture of Mary holding the baby Jesus to the right of the entrance. Morgan stood by the entrance and watched the young doctor go. Reid stopped and looked at the picture. Mary was smiling ever so slightly as she her baby sat up straight in her lap, raising his hand. Reid decided it would be disrespectful to point out that most babies sat up on their own when they were six to eight months old. This baby Jesus looked like an infant.

He shook his head and looked at the candle holder in front of him. Every space had a candle, although a fair amount of them had burned out. He removed one and put it in the trashcan next to the stand. He then took a new candle and saw the sign that said "Offerings" above a slot for money. Reid smiled slightly as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a dollar bill, slipping it inside. He put his candle near a flaming one and watched as the fire transferred to his candle. He stared at the flame and sighed, placing it in the holder and looking around. Reid had been inside churches before and remembered seeing people sit down after lighting a candle to pray. It couldn't hurt, could it?

Reid walked to the pews that all faced the alter. He noticed that each pew was dedicated to a deceased member of the parish. He sat in the one closest to the candles and folded his hands awkwardly. What should he say? He hadn't been in a church since he was in high school and used it to run away from the bullies. He had never been to a mass in his life. He wasn't even sure if he was allowed in here, there was no one else besides him and Morgan. Taking a deep breath, he thought he'd just wing it.

Um…hello God, he thought, So I haven't prayed before so just…bear with me I guess. Olivia told me to come here and I thought since I was so close, I'd light a candle for her. I guess she likes Mary. I just wanted to ask if you could please help us find Olivia. Her sister is devastated, as I'm sure the rest of her family is. Well, not her father because he's an ass…am I allowed to say that to You? Sorry about that. Anyway, I miss her too. God, I really like her and I feel so guilty about everything. I should've protected her but I didn't and now she's with Steve and…I really don't want to think about that. Olivia's such a wonderful person and she doesn't deserve any of this. She has a heart of gold, loves all of Your creatures, and looks out for everyone. Please just help us find her so we can take her home, safe and sound. So…that's all I really wanted to say. I guess I should wrap this up then.

"Amen," he whispered and leaned back in the pew. The sunlight hit the plate that had the name of the remembered deceased on the chair's arm and Spencer covered his eyes to block out the glare. He looked at the name plate and froze. No way…

"Morgan!" Spencer hissed, "Morgan, get over here!"

"What is it Reid?" he asked and looked at the plate Reid was pointing at, "Oh my God."

Spencer resisted the urge to tell Morgan not to take that name in vain and stared at the plate. It read In memory of Ethan Parker (1925-2009) God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins. (Acts 5:31).

Author's Note: Who loves a good plot twist? ME! Haha! Thank you to my reviewers for making me smile with your wonderful reviews. Also, thank you to my sister missdavinci77 for searching through the dark depths of my chapters for errors. Don't worry, all will be explained in the chapters to come.

Speaking of upcoming chapters, I'm sorry to tell you guys this but I have to get my computer serviced tomorrow since the battery refuses to hold a charge. Then this Wednesday, we're leaving for the beach to celebrate my mom's birthday. We don't get back until around the 28th of August. Since we have no internet at the beach anyway, I will not be able to update until I get back. I promise to update with TWO chapters when I get back though to make up for it though…does that help? Maybe?

Please leave all comments by pressing the lovely little review button down below and PM me if you have any questions. Thanks guys! :)