A/N: Hey guys. This is a long chapter, but most of it follows along with the CM episode 'Spencer.' Obviously for this story, several of the details are different… mainly the character parts, but due to what I'm writing for it later on, adding this chapter was necessary. I'm very pleased with the storyline I have in my head right now, so there are certain chapters that I can't wait to complete and post, but this whole thing is taking a bit of time for me. I hope I find more spare time to write in the upcoming weeks, but please bear with me if not. Thank you, and please let me know your thoughts!
…
Street agreed to take JJ straight to the BAU when they got back into town. She already spoke to Hotch, who didn't know any more than she did about the situation, and sent a text to the rest of the team telling them to meet her at the BAU.
Her mind was spinning with thoughts of her agent, of her friend, and worries of how he ended up in this position. She had to get to Matamoros and get this straightened out. There was no way Spence was guilty of the charges, she knew better than to even consider that… so what the hell was going on?
He had to have been framed… but by who? And why was he in Mexico to begin with?
There were so many questions right now, so many possibilities, but JJ was determined to get answers.
The rest of the drive to Quantico felt like it took ages, but after a while, Street was walking with her up to the sixth floor of FBI headquarters. He stopped her before they could get to the double doors. "So you're really flying to Mexico?"
"I have to, Jim. Reid's alone down there, and I have to figure out what's going on. There's had to have been a mistake, or he's being framed." The desperation in her voice was evident, coupled with the concern in Street's eyes.
He nodded in understanding. "I know, Jay. I just want you to be careful."
She squeezed his hand, hoping to ease his worry. "I will be, I promise… I just have to bring him home."
"Okay. I should go. I'd just be in the way if I stayed here… but listen, keep me posted, and I don't know what it would be, but if SWAT can do anything just let me know."
"Thank you." She savored the feel of him as he leaned down to kiss her goodbye.
"I love you, baby. Please be safe."
"I love you, too." She gave his hand one final squeeze before walking through the door he held open for her.
The team was waiting for her in the conference room, but she stopped by Hotch's office first.
"JJ, I've already made plans for you and I to fly to Matamoros. We're wheels up in forty minutes. We'll debrief the team before we go and they can work the case from here. Garrett is sending some of his agents from the IRT to meet us on the ground, but it will have to be after they wrap up their current case. That could be a while."
JJ nodded then voiced a thought that popped into her head during the car ride. "What about Scratch? I mean, he dropped off the grid months ago. This sounds like something he would take a shot at, right?"
"Yes, but we need to work this case from all angles. We can't be certain of anything yet."
"I know, I know." She looked away, trying to push away the panic that had been surfacing all afternoon.
Hotch took a step closer and forced her to meet his eyes. His stoic expression faltered for a fraction of a second, and the concern that JJ felt was mirrored on his features. "We'll figure it out, JJ."
She took in a deep breath and nodded. "We have to." After a reassuring glance from Hotch, they both headed into the conference room where the rest of the team was gathered.
Alvez spoke up from his seat at the round table. "What's going on, JJ? Your text was pretty cryptic."
"Sorry, I didn't want to say anything until I knew more… but Reid has been arrested."
Garcia gasped and Rossi went to ask a question, but JJ held up her hand.
"Before you ask anything, here's what we know so far. He's in Matamoros, Mexico, and he was found with heroin and cocaine. They've got him on possession with the intent to distribute. We don't know why he's been in Mexico, or how he was found with drugs, but Hotch and I are getting ready to fly down there. It doesn't look like a mistake, so the working theory is that he's been framed." Just as she was about to continue, her tablet buzzed on the table.
Hotch looked over. "Is that about Reid?"
"Yeah, the arrest report just came in." She quickly read over the report, stunned by what was listed, then informed the others on what it held. "It says Reid was involved in a high-speed chase, trying to cross the boarder, cocaine, heroin and cash were all found in the trunk of his car. When they arrested him, he appeared to be high. They're running a tox screen to see what's in his system."
The team appeared to be just as shocked as JJ felt, and she wasn't sure how to ease their minds. The rest of the debrief went quickly, but they discussed why Reid would have made the trip to Mexico, and who, besides Scratch, would benefit from framing him. JJ also had Rossi check in with Reid's mom and the caregiver assigned to her.
Within the next little while, JJ and Hotch were on their way to their agent. JJ couldn't sit still. She was up, pacing between the cabin and galley, not knowing what to do with herself until they landed. She had the team working several angles from the ground, and she was anxious to hear back from them.
"JJ, sit down."
JJ's eyes snapped over to Hotch, who was seated towards the plane's exit. His gaze locked on hers, and though she felt like arguing, his stern tone proved it would be futile. With a huff, she found her way back to the seat across from him, and like an temperamental teenager, gave him an icy glare. "There. Happy?"
"JJ, I know emotions are running high right now, but you need to keep your cool. Wearing yourself out is not going to solve anything.. And neither is getting upset with me."
Realizing how harsh she sounded a moment ago, she gave her boss a sheepish look. "Sorry."
He shook his head. "Don't be. We all care about Reid, but I know how close the two of you are. JJ, we'll take care of this, but you need to stay focused. Reid needs you, and so do the rest of us."
JJ gave him a small, but grateful smile. "Okay, I'll be fine. I'll keep my head in the game, I promise."
"I know you will."
Before anything else could be said, JJ's phone buzzed from her pocket. It was Garcia. "Penelope, you're on speaker. What've you got?"
Garcia relayed to JJ what she, and the rest of the team had found. Peter Lewis was completely off the grid, but they found a lot of medical journals and research that Reid had been browsing before taking his time off. So far, everything was okay with his mom. Garcia promised to call back with updates as soon as she had them.
JJ hung up the phone and looked across the table at Hotch. "Okay, I still think this has something to do with his mom… especially now. All those medical journals… they go along with what he told me before he left. He said he was changing up her supplements, but that he was going to speak with her doctor in Houston."
"Okay, well Garcia said that he made it to Houston. If this is all about his mother, then we need to figure out what or who he found in Mexico that was supposed to help her."
…
After the nearly four hour flight, JJ and Hotch found themselves standing in the same jail where Reid was being held. JJ was anxious to see him, so as soon as they spoke to the police chief, they were escorted back to Reid's holding cell.
Hotch let JJ approach first, knowing she needed a minute with him.
JJ's heart clenched at the sight of Reid. He was sitting on a bench inside the cell, his gaze was unfocused, eyes weak and bloodshot. For a split second, her thoughts went somewhere else… to a place ten years ago when the BAU found Reid at that old cemetery.
Shaking her mind out of that horrid memory, she returned to the here and now. "Spence?" She tried to get his attention, but when he looked up, she could tell he was disoriented. "Spence, it's JJ."
It took a brief moment, but he stood from the bench and made his way to the bars that were separating them. Finally, recognition dawned on his features. "JJ."
She gave him a reassuring smile. "Yeah. Hotch and I are here. It's going to be okay."
"Thank you."
Hotch approached them after a few seconds. "Reid, how are you feeling?"
"I-I'm okay."
JJ knew that couldn't be true, but she and Hotch both let it slide. "Spence, do you remember what happened?"
He thought for a second, but shook his head.
"Chief Casteneda said you were chasing someone in a truck when you were headed to the boarder. Do you know who that was?"
Another pause. "I don't remember."
It was clear that Reid was missing a lot of time, and JJ knew that had everything to do with the drugs coursing through his system…whatever they were. Still, they had to ask these questions. It was the only way to clear Reid's name and take him home.
Hotch continued the line of questioning. "Reid, do you remember what you were doing in Mexico to begin with?"
JJ was surprised when, this time, Reid nodded. "I was meeting someone."
"Who?"
"Rosa Medina. She's a doctor." He rolled up his shirt sleeve, and written across his forearm was the woman's name.
JJ quickly snapped a picture of the writing, not failing to notice the bandage on Reid's other hand. She silently wondered how he got the cut that Casteneda mentioned to them several moments earlier.
Hotch, obviously noticing the same thing, asked Reid about it, but he had no recollection of what happened. They asked a few more questions, but it was to no avail, so JJ sent the picture to Garcia and told Reid they would get to the bottom of this.
…
Within a few hours, all hell had broke loose. On top of learning that Reid crossed the boarder without alerting the bureau, three different times, the team had also found Rosa Medina. Her real name was Nadie Ramos, and she was now dead… her body being found in a motel where she met with Reid.
JJ's heart dropped when they found the doctor's body. She knew things had just gone from bad to worse for her agent. Now, there was a missing murder weapon, and a police chief that was ready to lock up Reid for good.
It was nearing six in the morning, and the team had been working all night. JJ was currently in one of the empty interrogation rooms, munching on some food that Hotch brought her from a vending machine.
He had given it to her with a stern look, saying she needed to take care of herself and that the protein bars in her purse weren't enough for the baby. She thanked him, knowing he was right, and stepped aside to call Street. He had texted her a few minutes prior, and she needed to give him an update.
He picked up on the first ring. "Jay?"
"Hey, sorry I haven't called sooner."
"It's okay, I understand. How's it going with Reid?"
She closed her eyes, finding comfort in the sound of his voice. "It's bad… worse than we thought, actually."
"I'm sorry to hear that. How are you doing… dealing with it all, I mean?"
"I'm glad Hotch came with me because if not, honestly I don't think I'd know where to turn next." It was the truth. She knew she was a good agent, but when it came to her team, her heart overruled any kind of rational thinking. "It's just a lot more going on than we expected, but I'm okay."
"I'm glad he's with you too. Are you safe down there?"
"Yeah, it's not me I'm worried about."
"Well, I'm worried about you."
"I know, but I'll be fine." She appreciated the concern, and knew it would be reciprocated if it was the other way around. "How are you? Are you leaving for work soon?"
"Yeah, I think some kind of case is brewing."
"Well, please stay safe." She turned at the sound of her name being called.
It was Hotch. "They have the blood results."
She nodded before speaking into the phone again. "I've got to go. I love you."
"I love you, too."
With a whole lot of reluctance, she disconnected the call with Street, and followed Hotch into the hallway. Chief Casteneda was waiting for them, and he informed them of Reid's tox screen results.. Positive for both heroin and cocaine.
Still knowing Reid had been drugged, JJ asked the chief to dig a little deeper. "I need a full panel run, I'm looking specifically for scopolamine." She knew that would explain Reid's loss of certain memories.
The chief looked like he was about to argue, but JJ gave him a sharp look. "This is my agent, and I'm working to prove his innocence. You seem to only be looking for things that go against him, not proof to the contrary. You shouldn't be jumping to conclusions, and you wouldn't if you really knew my agent."
"I'm just doing my job… but since you feel so strongly about him, maybe I ought to show you these." He held out his hand, showing a bag of vials filled with a dark liquid. "They were in your agent's bag, maybe we should see if he recognizes them."
Hotch spoke up from beside of JJ. "What's in them?"
"I don't know. I'm about to run them through the lab."
The trio walked the short distance to Reid's cell, and Casteneda asked him if he recognized the vials.
Reid thought for a minute, his mind seemingly far away. He shook his head, but JJ didn't believe it. She knew Reid well enough to know when he was lying. He recognized something about those vials.
"Spence, do you think I could do a cognitive on you?" She could tell he was coming down, so she wanted to try whatever she could to get to the bottom of this.
"Yeah, let's try."
The chief directed them to an empty office that JJ could use. Hotch said he would wait outside and update the rest of the BAU.
Reid was brought in by a couple officers and took a seat across from JJ. Soon, it was just the two of them.
Reid's hazel eyes, with a bit more clarity than before, met JJ's from across the table. "JJ, whatever's in those vials, I know I was giving it to my mom. I-I think that's why I came down here."
"Okay." She gave him a soft smile. "We'll look into that. Are you ready to do this?"
"Yeah."
JJ grabbed her phone, and pressing record, she continued her search for answers.
…
Street sighed and grabbed his keys before heading towards the door. He had just spoken to JJ a few minutes ago, but the conversation did little to ease the worry he felt for her and their child.
He had no doubts that JJ would look after the baby, but he also knew her tendency to put so much stress on herself without even realizing it. He just wished he could be there with her, but since he couldn't, the next best thing was to talk to the person who was. Grabbing his phone, he dialed the correct number and waited for an answer.
"Hotchner."
"Hotch, it's Street. I know you're busy, so I won't keep you, but…"
"You're calling to check on JJ." It was a statement rather than a question, and if Hotch would have been there, he would have witnessed the sheepish look that crossed Street's face.
"I know she can handle herself, but I also know how she gets when someone she cares about is in trouble… she focuses on that to the point of neglecting her own well-being. I talked to her just a little while ago and she admitted that she's kind of struggling with it, but I don't think she was telling the extent of it."
"She doesn't want you to worry anymore than you already are, Street. I know what you said about her well-being is true, but now she's got someone else to look after, and you and I both know she will do anything to take care of your baby."
"I do know that, and I also know that you're there to look after them both. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called."
"It's alright. There's nothing wrong with you worrying about JJ… but yes, I will keep an eye on her."
"Thank you, Hotch. Uh, JJ said things were pretty bad down there. I'm sorry about that. Reid's a good guy. I hope you all get things straightened out soon."
"So do we, thanks. JJ's in doing a cognitive on him right now. Hopefully something of use will surface. "
"Okay. Well, thanks again." Street hung up the phone, feeling considerably better. It was without a doubt that Hotch would do whatever it took to ensure JJ's safety. Street knew it was like that with all of Hotch's agents, but he seemed to be especially protective over JJ. It was appreciated though.
Looking at the clock, Street realized he was running late. He needed to get to HQ. Maybe whatever was going on there could take his mind off of his worries… that was a pretty big maybe.
…
Not even thirty minutes later, JJ emerged from the interview. She sent an officer to take care of Reid's wound, as it had been aggravated during the interview. The good thing, he was definitely coming down, but there were still a lot of missing pieces.
JJ was relieved that the drugs weren't as prominent in his system as earlier. Seeing him like that, so much like the time after his abduction, really scared her. Reid worked hard to get over his dilaudid addiction, and she couldn't stand the thoughts of someone using any kind of drug against him. It made her blood boil.
Before she could lose her cool again, Hotch found her in the hallway, and his grim expression made her heart catch. "Aaron?"
"JJ, he's already being charged with Nadie's murder."
"What?" She wanted to find the chief, and argue that this couldn't happen, but she was suddenly feeling sick. She didn't know if it was morning sickness, or the revelation that this case had been shot to hell, but whatever it was, she needed to find the bathroom… fast.
Pushing her way past Hotch, she made her way to the nearest bathroom before emptying what little contents her stomach contained.
After a few minutes, she cleaned herself up and stepped back into the hall where Hotch was standing looking concerned.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." That was a lie… she was nowhere near fine. Reid was being charged with murder, and at this point, there wasn't anything she could do to stop it. It was her job to protect her agent, and right now she didn't have the ability to do so.
One thing she could do, though, was prevent the chief from obtaining any more evidence against Reid. That meant deleting the recording of the cognitive. As far as she was concerned, it wasn't going to provide any help in getting the new charges dropped.
Pulling out her phone, she deleted the audio without hesitation. She was fairly sure Hotch knew exactly what she was doing, but he didn't seem to mind. He knew it was for the right reason.
Before anything else could be said, Hotch was alerted to a text on his own phone. "Simmons and Seger are here from the IRT."
JJ let out a sigh of relief. They could use all the help they could get.
…
By the end of the evening, JJ and the team were provided with some good news. While the charges against Reid were still in place, he was at least able to be extradited back to the U.S. That was a relief, as Chief Casteneda was getting ready to transfer him to a maximum security facility.
Now though, thanks to help from the IRT, and knowledge that Nadie Ramos had dual citizenship, the BAU was able to take their agent home.
Once they were all aboard the jet, JJ took the cuffs off of Reid and sat down next to him while Hotch was talking to Simmons and Seger. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm okay… better now that I get to go home. I know I'm not out of the woods yet, though."
"Not yet, but you will be. We will get you out of this, I promise."
He gave her a soft smile, and the thought that anyone believed him capable of murder broke her heart. "Thank you, JJ. I'm sorry I screwed up like I did."
"Spence, you were doing this for your mom. No one could blame you for it." She grasped his hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. "It'll be okay."
Once they landed, Reid was able to go to the BAU for a few minutes. The rest of the team had been standing by the elevators to greet him.
Walker pulled JJ and Hotch aside, reluctantly letting them know that Reid would not be defended by the bureau seeing as how he never briefed them on his plans to leave the country. JJ knew that was going to make this ten times harder.
Before long, it was time for her and Hotch to transport Reid to the federal jail. Hotch dealt with the legal aspect of it, while JJ took the moment to say a temporary goodbye to her friend. "I've got a few calls out to some contacts. We're going to get some legal representation for you. I'll be by to see you tomorrow afternoon, and we'll go over how to proceed."
"Thank you… for everything."
"You stay strong, Spence. We'll get this taken care of."
"I know. I have all the faith in the world in you and the team." His soft tone and defeated eyes nearly broke something in JJ, and the feeling only intensified when she had to leave him there.
After getting back to the BAU, she made the trek up to her office and closed herself off from the rest of the world. She pulled every file that Walker had compiled of Scratch, and everything that Garcia sent her on Nadie Ramos.
At this point, she didn't know if the murder was specifically targeted at Nadie, or if she was just the perfect way of getting to Reid… either way, all evidence was meant to frame her agent, and whoever was behind it was doing a damn good job.
JJ lost track of time while running through possible theories. It was well past nightfall, but she never bothered glancing at the clock. Her head was throbbing, and she desperately craved caffeine, but that was a temptation she couldn't give in to for the next six months.
A sharp knock on the door alerted the blonde to someone's presence, but before she could call for them to enter, they did so on their own accord. It was Hotch… she should have known seeing as how they had been the only ones still at the BAU.
"What are you still doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing."
"JJ, do you know what time it is?" He was already answering his own question before she could. "It's nearing one in the morning. Go home."
Wow, it was that late… or early? "Hotch, I-"
"No, JJ. You're going home to get some sleep. That's an order. I will personally escort you out to your car if I have to."
If it was anyone else telling her that, she would have waved them off… but it was Hotch, and she knew he was dead serious.
"I know you want to help Reid, we all do, but you can't help him if you burn yourself out. Get some sleep, some decent food for both yourself and the baby, and spend time with Street. Then, get back here in the morning and we'll all start fresh."
JJ knew he was right, like he usually was, so she stood from her desk and grabbed her bag. "Okay, I'll go… and no, you don't have to escort me to my car."
"What about driving you home? You don't have to answer that, I'm doing it anyway."
She went to protest, but he silenced her with one of his looks.
"You're too sleep-deprived, I'm not letting you drive."
It wasn't lost on her that he hadn't slept any more than she had, but she thought better of saying anything. Arguing with him was pointless, so she shut her mouth, as well as her office, and followed him out to the parking garage.
It was a relatively quiet drive to JJ's apartment. Both agents were lost in their own thoughts of how to deal with the current situation. JJ leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. It was just hitting her how tired she truly was.
Once Hotch pulled into the complex, JJ turned to him with a soft smile. "Thanks, Hotch."
"Anytime, JJ. Get some sleep, I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah, you too." She got out of the car, fishing through her purse for her keys. Street's Ducati was parked out front, and there were several lights on inside the apartment. Hotch pulled away only after seeing that JJ made it inside.
She felt like she was going to crash by the time she stepped into the apartment. She was exhausted as if she had just come off an adrenaline high. After laying her keys on the table by the door, she stopped as she saw Street asleep on the couch.
A couple of lamps were providing a soft light in the living room, and the TV was turned to some cooking show that Street always liked to watch.
JJ didn't want to wake him up, but knew he would be more comfortable in bed. She smiled at the sight of him laying there in only a pair of sweatpants, his damp hair evidence of a recent shower.
She carefully made her way over to him, knowing he could be a light sleeper at times. That came with the job, always being ready to react… even during sleep. She didn't want to trigger that, so she spoke his name and gently ran her hand down his arm.
Street slowly opened his eyes, smiling when he saw it was JJ. "Hey, babe." He sat up, pulling her into a much needed embrace. "I missed you."
"I missed you too." She buried her face in his neck, breathing in his comforting scent. "You have no idea how much."
"Oh, I think I do." They stayed like that for a moment before he pulled back far enough to give her a kiss. "How'd it go? I know you were able to bring Reid home." He leaned back on the couch, pulling her with him.
"Yeah, but there's still a lot to work through." She ran through the events of the past two days, and Street looked as shocked as everyone else.
"How could anyone even think that about Reid?"
JJ shook her head. "I don't know, but there's still so many unanswered questions.. And since he's not eligible to receive legal help from the bureau, we're on our own to prove his innocence."
"Damn. Is there anything SWAT can do?"
"I wish there was, but at this point, I don't know what it would be." JJ felt her eyes getting heavy as she leaned against Street. "How's work been for you?"
"Not too bad. We had a man and woman to bring in today. They had went on the run after stealing a few valuables. We had to deal with the bounty hunters that were chasing them too."
"Sounds interesting."
Street hummed his agreement before reaching down to stroke JJ's stomach. "How's our little one?"
"Making mommy's pants fit too tight."
He chuckled at that and placed a kiss on her head. "Well, you look amazing, babe."
"Yeah, right." She closed her eyes, desperately wanting to sleep, but she was too exhausted to move from the couch.
Street must've picked up on that fact. He stood from the couch, and before she could do anything, lifted her up in his arms. "C'mon, Jay. Let's go to bed."
She smiled and curled into his chest. "Thank you."