The next morning, everyone showed up at work earlier than usual, hoping to make some progress on the case. JJ walked in, setting a tray of coffees on the table.
"Good to see I'm not the only one who couldn't wait to get in," she said, grabbing her cup and sitting down, sipping it.
Derek shrugged. "Who can sleep with this bastard not saying a word?" He turned to Garcia. "Anything on the other two yet, Baby Girl?"
"Hotch and Rossi are on their way to hopefully pick one of them up right now."
"Jayje, any reports of muggings in D.C. last night?" Emily asked, pouring sugar into her own coffee.
She sighed. "Derek went to the scene this morning, and Hotch already talked to the victim. No physical description on the unsubs."
Derek groaned. "How much longer do we have?"
JJ rolled up her sleeve, checking her watch. "33 more hours."
"How the hell are we supposed to get him to start talking? He's definitely not going to lawyer up, but if he keeps quiet-"
"…Maybe I could help?"
They all spun around in their chairs to see Spencer limping in, walking over to his chair.
Garcia looked over. "Can I get you anything?"
He shook his head, sitting down and reaching for the case file.
JJ put her hand down on it, holding it against the table. "Spence, are you sure you want to see this?"
He glanced up at her. "I see this every time I look in the mirror at home, or anytime I pass the microwave and catch my reflection in it. I know what they're going through and I could help."
"Did Hotch give you permission to come back?"
"He didn't not give me permission."
She let go of the case file, allowing him to pick it up.
"How did you get here? You didn't-" Emily started.
"I took a cab." He took a deep breath, resting a hand on his side.
Garcia frowned. "Everything okay over there, Boy Wonder?"
He nodded slightly. "With fractured ribs, you need to take a deep breath every hour, and it's still a bit painful, but I'm fine." He opened the case file, looking through and swallowing. "Up to 9 victims?"
JJ nodded. "Ninth happened after we took the first into custody."
He set it down on the table. "I want to see him."
They looked at each other uneasily. "Spence, are you sure-"
"The only way we can arrest him is if a victim identifies him. The only victim that ever saw him is sitting right here, and we have less than 33 hours before he walks. I may not actually be working this case, but I'm the best chance we have to not only put him behind bars, but end this before anyone else gets hurt."
There was silence in the room until something went off on Garcia's laptop.
Derek raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"
She looked down, biting her lip. "…There's a match on the last unsub."
"Show me," Spencer said without hesitating.
"Reid, I don't know-" Garcia started.
"I saw them, I know what they look like-"
She looked across the table at Derek, who shook his head.
The silence was once again broken when someone else walked in.
"Reid, what are you doing here?"
He winced, turning to face his superior. "I'm here to help."
"Did your doctor say you could go back to work?"
He closed his eyes, sighing. "I haven't seen her since I was attacked Tuesday night, so no."
JJ cleared her throat. "Hotch, what if he doesn't do anything involving the case file, but he goes with Derek while he interviews Tony Lewis? He can stay behind the glass, one of us can go with him, and if he identifies him as his attacker, we can finish this and get back to working other cases."
"And I'll give him a ride home afterward," Derek added.
Spencer hated these conditions, but looked up at Hotch hopefully. "After a few questions, I can ID both of them just by the sound of their voice. My memory may be eidetic, but I can do this. I never forget a voice."
Hotch looked around at the team and sighed. "Reid, I don't want you on this case, is that clear? After this is over, I want you to go home and take the rest of the week, as you were supposed to."
"Okay. I'll need new credentials-"
"They'll be on your desk Monday morning."
Spencer sighed, turning to Derek. "Ready when you are."
Derek got up, walking over to the elevator, Spencer behind him.
"Do you need anything?"
Spencer shook his head, sighing. "I need to feel safe again, and that'll happen once they're behind bars." He stepped in the elevator and pressed the button for the floor they needed.
To both of their surprise, Rossi followed, pressing the button to close the doors.
"How are you feeling, kid?"
He shrugged, groaning. "Damn I need to remember to stop doing that."
Derek laughed softly. "I'm sure."
"Not that I don't appreciate the tag-along, but… why?" Spencer asked.
"Morgan can't be there while you identify them and inside the rooms at the same time."
He bit down on his lip, wincing and nodding as the elevator started going down.
Before walking into the interrogation room, Derek turned to him.
"You're sure you want to do this?"
"I told you yesterday, Derek. I need this to be over." He sighed. "I need to stop living in constant fear, and if this is how that happens? So be it."
Rossi walked in, turning off his phone. "Garcia got a match on the last unsub. Hotch and Prentiss are on their way now."
Spencer started pacing the room, exhaling.
"You're positive-"
"Morgan, just go in."
He gave him one final look before walking into the room, sitting across from who possibly attacked him. Rossi saw Spencer's nerves and brought a chair over. "It won't do your knee any good to stand while we're waiting."
He nodded and sat down, rubbing his knee. "Judging by the fact you only just got him into custody yesterday, the case isn't going very well?"
Rossi shrugged. "What can I say? We're nothing without our resident genius."
He smiled slightly. "Thanks."
"It actually got to a point where Derek was ready to take it into his own hands and hunt down these guys himself."
"I'm not surprised." He groaned, rubbing his shoulder.
"How long are you in the sling?"
"I'm in this for another three weeks. In general, most dislocated shoulders take 4-12 weeks to heal, depending on a lot of factors, such as the amount of structural damage to the muscles, age, and physical therapy. With my luck, it'll be 12 weeks."
"It was killing you not having someone to fact spurt to, wasn't it?"
"A little bit."
"How long has he been in there?"
Rossi looked up at the clock. "20 minutes and not a word."
He chewed on his lip, shifting uneasily in his seat. "What if he knows I'm here to identify him, and that's why he's not talking?"
"No unsub thinks that far ahead. He's somebody who gets people from behind and attacks them. He's not smart enough to do that because he's a coward."
He reached up, wiping his eyes. "Damnit. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be getting upset."
"I can't even imagine being in your shoes right now, so I'm in no place to judge."
He nodded, sighing. "I just want to sleep at night again."
"You and me both."
It had been over an hour of Derek questioning him before he started losing his temper. He leaned back in his chair. "You know what, maybe you didn't do this. Because whoever did? Would be a cocky son of a bitch and be proud of his work. He wouldn't sit in front of me like a damn coward, staying silent for hours on end."
Once again greeted with silence, he leaned forward, trying a different approach. "We know you're not the leader of the group and you were probably roped into this and in way over your head. Whatever the case? That doesn't matter. You attacked a federal agent. If you cooperate, we can make a deal. If you keep this up? I will make sure they nail your ass to the wall."
He glanced up at Derek, clearing his throat.
"He's cracking," Spencer started. "Caving under the pressure. Derek's right, he's definitely not the leader, and he's going to want to stay safe, even if it means throwing the other two under the bus."
"You'll make a deal?"
Spencer's head snapped up.
"Does it sound familiar?"
He nodded slightly. "The hesitation in his voice… I-I heard it. He tried getting the other two to stop. Based on the case file, he's always been a follower, and that's what got him in trouble over the years." He screwed his eyes shut. "'That's enough, I think you've made your point', not to mention he was the first one to start running after the attack. I just… I don't think he ever laid a hand on me. One of them had a ring in his left hand, which he doesn't, and judging by how the fists flew, they were above six feet. He's just under." He opened his eyes, looking up at Rossi. "He was there, but he didn't touch me. I'm sorry."
Rossi shook his head, patting his shoulder. "You have nothing to apologize for."
Derek walked out a few minutes later, looking at Spencer hopefully.
"He… he was there that night, but he didn't touch me. The others did. I'm sorry."
Derek tried not to show his emotions. "Don't apologize. We have two of them in custody, and he's admitted he was there. Any word from Hotch yet?"
"Nothing yet. Reid, how about I take you home so you can get some sleep?"
Spencer was quick to shake his head. "I'm not sleeping until all three of them are in custody."
Rossi looked up at Derek who shrugged. "What do you expect me to do? He's the most hard-headed of all of us, and I'm not telling him no."
He looked between the two and sighed. "Reid, are you going to be able to watch him question your second attacker?"
He nodded slightly, pushing himself out of the chair and following Derek out of the room.
While Derek was interviewing the second suspect, Spencer sighed, hoping he would say something. Rossi went to comfort him when his phone started going off in his pocket. He took it out, walking out of the room and closing the door behind him.
"Yeah, Aaron?"
"Are you with Reid?"
"He's in the other room, why?"
Hotch sighed, and Rossi knew this was going to be something he didn't want to hear. "He wasn't at his apartment, and there's no sign of him."
"Do you think he fled?"
"I'm not sure. We're searching his place now."
He peeked back in the room and saw Spencer sitting there, his leg twitching. "Keep me updated. I'll have Reid stay with somebody tonight."
"Do you really think he'd go after him?"
"He went through his bag. He keeps everything in there. If his two partners in crime are in custody, and only one of the victims has ever seen them-"
"I've got it. I'll let you know if I find anything."
He hung up, walking back in. Spencer quickly looked up at him. "Is something wrong?"
He shook his head. "Anything yet?"
"Not yet."
"George, we know you did it. We have you ID'd, and your boy Tony threw you under the bus just on the off chance we'd make a deal with him. Now it's your chance. Tell us where he is, and you'll get less of a sentence than he does."
Spencer looked closely and saw him adjusting a ring on his finger. He gasped, his eyes widening. "It's him."
"How are you sure? He hasn't said anything."
He swallowed, pointing to the ring, then lifting his hair to show a similar indent in a bruise on his forehead.
Rossi studied it and did a double-take on the ring. He took out his phone, snapping a picture and walking into the room, handing it to Derek.
He raised an eyebrow, glancing at the phone, and at his hand. He laughed softly, looking him in the eyes. "Two options. You own up to this right now, or I nail your ass to the wall. Your choice." He pushed the pen and paper over to him. "Sell your boy out, and we'll talk."
Spencer pushed himself out of the chair, sighing. Yes, he'd been able to identify two of his attackers successfully, but one was still at large, and he was the most threatening of them all. He just wanted to sleep at night, but he felt that this could possibly be worse than having none of them at all. Not only is he most likely on the run, but he's going to be extremely pissed off, especially at him. He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling, hoping to calm himself down before his co-workers came back in.
Derek walked out. "You did a great job, Pretty Boy."
He smiled slightly. "Thank you."
"How about I give you a ride home? It's been a long day for you."
He nodded, biting his lip. "Please? I forgot my Tylenol and really just need to get some sleep."
"No problem." He walked out to the elevator, Spencer behind him.
He crossed his arms in front of him and stayed silent at his desk while Derek got his things together.
"How'd it go, Spence?"
He shrugged, wincing. "God damnit. I was able to identify both of them, but they're both just pawns in the ringleader's game. I'm not going to be able to sleep at night until he's in custody with the other two. Any word on that yet?"
JJ shook her head. "Not yet, but I'm sure Hotch will get back to us soon."
Derek pulled on his jacket. "Ready to go?"
Spencer nodded, giving JJ a quick wave before leaving.
Pulling up to Spencer's apartment, Derek looked at him. "Want me to walk you inside?"
Spencer thought about it for a minute before nodding. "It's just… with my knee, I don't know if I can make it back up the stairs by myself, and we don't have a working elevator right now, and-"
Derek put up his hand. "Stop before you give yourself a migraine." He took the keys out, walking around and helping Spencer out of the car.
While going up the stairs, he stood behind him, ready to catch him if his knee gave out, or if he lost his footing. Finally making it to his floor, Spencer limped up to his door, Derek not far behind.
"Something's wrong," Spencer said softly, looking at his door.
"…What?"
He bit his lip, putting his key into his pocket and pushing on the door. When it opened, he turned toward Derek.
Derek stepped forward, hand on his sidearm. He pushed it open and stepped into the apartment, Spencer tailing him. He did a full sweep of the place and didn't see anybody there.
"Are you sure you didn't leave your door unlocked?"
"I double-checked it, Derek. It was locked before I left."
He stepped forward, looking at the doorframe. The lock was busted off and the wood was split. "Is there anything missing?"
Spencer paused, rushing to his bedroom and checking his drawer. Sure enough, the lock was broken and the drawer was empty. "…My gun is gone."