Less than a month later…

His apartment had changed. While the couch and chair had once faced away from the simple wooden door they now confronted the entryway directly. And that wooden door, which had at one time only possessed a simple lock on the knob and a chain lock above, was now firmly secured shut and locked by a massive slab of metal.

It was also messy. Before, the room could be considered untidy at times if he left books and documents astray while researching, but this way a different kind of mess. The kitchen sink was neglected, with dirty coffee mugs piled haphazardly in the chrome basin. Plates, coated in the grime of instant meals, were stacked on the scummy counter. Meanwhile, a thick layer of dust coated almost every surface – left behind while the owner of the forlorn living space had been away.

And in the heart of it all sat Spencer Reid. He gripped one of the last clean coffee mugs in his right hand and his revolver in his left. The grandfather clock that stood behind his large bookcase read 3:17 a.m. It had been almost a day since he slept. But even so he had only gotten three hours of rest at the most. His mind would not let him lose consciousness. It was on the defense from unknown peril that he could only assume waited outside his door.

There were four notifications for missed calls on his phone – one of them only popped up 45 minutes ago. That one was Emily. The others were from Morgan, Hotch and Garcia. He knew he should have answered them, but he couldn't bear to let them hear how weak he likely sounded.

When he, Emily and JJ were discharged from the hospital in Montana the future seemed bright. They had survived and were ready to move on with their lives. But that changed once the flashes began. They were swift and unexpected. The first one happened while he was standing in his usual coffee shop, just an hour before he was expected at the BAU for his physical and psych evaluation to begin work again. It was the plaid shirt the barista was wearing underneath his apron. It was so close to the print one of them wore – Davey or Jim, he couldn't remember which. And in a flash he was back in the basement. He felt phantom hands all over his body and the sensation of being strangled. A woman behind him put a hand on his shoulder and asked him if he was okay. Still in a haze, he pushed her to the ground. When he finally came to he was surrounded by hoard of customers looking at him in horror. A manager approached – "You need to leave or we're calling the cops." So he left and took the metro back home. On the train he texted Hotch – "I need another day. I'm sorry."

That was two weeks ago. He had spoken to members of the team here and there, but he usually cut the conversation short by confessing he was tired. And he was. The only thing keeping him going was the caffeine was streamlining, but it only did so much. He needed something stronger, but he wouldn't let himself fall that far again. Not even if it meant escaping the flashes of the hell he and his teammates had endured.

Emily

She pressed the home button on her phone again. Still nothing. No texts, no attempts to call her back, nothing. She was worried. Morgan, Hotch and Garcia had all tried calling him throughout the day, but he hadn't called any of them back. Reid's welfare had been a constant conversation over the past week. At first they just wanted to give him time to breathe and refocus. They knew his coping skills weren't the greatest. Although Emily had passed her evaluations with flying colors, it was mostly because she had mastered the skill of compartmentalizing. There was something in her DNA that caused her to refuse to let others see her pain. And it was certainly there. However, she only let it slip out in moments of privacy.

J.J hadn't returned either, but that was because she wanted to devote at least a month to her family. Fortunately Henry was at an age where he wasn't able to comprehend what had went on, but Will was a different story. He almost lost her and he was afraid to let her out of his sight. So he was also taking a month of leave. However, she was still in constant contact with the team and had made numerous attempts to see Reid. But there was always an excuse.

This time was different. He should have checked in with at least one of them. Enough was enough. She slipped a pair of jeans and t-shirt on, grabbed her bag and headed out the door of her apartment. She first arrived at J.J's doorstep. She had texted her on the way there – "Reid isn't responding. We need to meet now." J.J agreed.

J.J quietly opened the front door and greeted Emily with a hug. The events in Montana had actually brought them closer. They had been best friends before, but now there was almost a sisterly bond between them. She supposed that made Reid their lost little brother.

"Let's go," Emily said, almost in a whisper.

It was another 30 minutes before they reached Reid's complex. They quietly made their way up the stairs of his building and found themselves in front of his door. Last time she was there, Emily had noticed the microscopic spy camera affixed to the door. It only worried her slightly less than the massive lock he had installed on the other side.

"I'll call him again first," she whispered to J.J., not wanting to disturb Reid's neighbors.

So she did, but again the call went unanswered. She texted him as well – "J.J and I are outside your door."

Nothing stirred.

"That's it…" she huffed.

BAM BAM BAM.

"Reid. Open the door… now," Emily demanded, trying to maintain her composure.

Oh God, she thought, what if he had hurt himself and they were too late.

Those thoughts were calmed when she heard movement. She let out a breath of relief. But a minute passed and he still hadn't opened the door.

"Reid, we're going to have to call someone if you don't let us in," J.J tried. Who that "someone" was she wasn't quite sure of yet – Hotch? The police?

It worked. They heard the sound of the locks being undone and finally the largest one was slid open. The door opened slowly, and only with just enough room for the two women to slide inside.

They looked around and felt an immediate sense of sadness. The place was a wreck and so was their friend.

Authors Note: Thank you to everyone who has remained faithful to this story. Although my life isn't as tragic as those of our favorite agents, I have been through hardships over the past year which have prevented me from writing as much as I would like. However, I'm trying to get things back in order and I'd like to continue this story. I was originally going to create a new story as a sequel, but I decided it would be easier to continue to update here. Some of you who are new to my work may be wondering how this story has been going on for almost 7 year. All I can say is that life is complicated and I'm not as fast a most people when it comes to updating. But I hope those of you who remain invested enjoy this chapter and those that will follow.