Chapter Twenty-Two

11/09/2019. 06:33 hours. Spencer Reid's Apartment, Virginia.

Spencer had been more than ready to return to his apartment after his mandated six weeks medical leave ended in which he had remained with David. Spencer felt like he had intruded on the senior agent for too long. Once he was freed from the neck brace, he had had to regain some semblance of independence. He was immensely grateful to David for opening up his home to him yet again, but it never truly felt like home. Spencer's home was in his small apartment with his bookshelves filled with leather bound classics, his coffee and his Mozart.

Spencer gazed at his reflection in the mirror on the medicine cabinet above the washbasin as he knotted his black silk tie around his neck and straightened the collar of his dark grey button-up shirt. He still experienced some numbness in his left hand and foot which was to be expected, but would eventually go away. He corded his neck to stretch out his aching muscles. He sighed and looked away from the mirror. Shadows clung to the razor sharp edges of his cheekbones. The scarring on his face had made him even more self conscious than before. He turned on the hot water faucet and pushed his hands underneath the stream. His stomach clenched with nausea at the sight of the ghastly scars down his arms. His hair had grown somewhat and hung over his shirt collar. He shook the water from his hands and turned off the faucet. He quickly dried his hands and tugged down the sleeves of his shirt, buttoning the cuffs to hide his scars.

As Spencer returned to the lounge, he noticed that his cell phone had lit up with a message. He slipped his stainless steel watch over his left hand and picked up his cell. He smiled softly at the message on his screen.

Mel: I'm on the train to New York now for the conference. I'll let you know when I get settled. Call you tonight?

Spencer: Stay safe and enjoy. Speak to you tonight.

Spencer's heart fluttered. His relationship with Mel had truly blossomed. They both shared many interests. Some nights they would enjoy a movie or episodes of Dr Who or Star Trek. On other nights they would simply read, enjoying being in each other's company. Yet, he and Mel were also very different people. He had been truly taken aback when he had decided to surprise Mel with breakfast, only to walk in on her listening to some sort of heavy metal. She had been at the kitchen counter swaying her hips and bobbing her head in time to the music. She had not noticed Spencer until she turned around and he had set the takeout cups down on the coffee table and had his hands pressed over his ears to stifle the noise. None of that mattered though. Spencer had not felt a swell of love like this since Maeve. It scared Spencer knowing that Mel was going to be so far away from him, moreso if the team got a case that sent him to some unknown area of America, but she had been excited to attend a Department of Corrections conference in New York, particularly to consider opportunities available to her for promotion. If there was one thing Spencer was certain of, was that Mel knew how to take care of herself and more than deserved to climb the ranks.

Spencer pocketed his phone, credentials, and handcuffs. He clipped his ID card to his belt and slid his Smith and Wesson into the brown leather holster on his belt. He shrugged his grey, almost black blazer on and reached for his beloved satchel. Emily had had Spencer's belongings sent from San Quentin. He slung his satchel over his shoulder and grabbed his keys. He gave his apartment one last glance before exiting and locking the door behind him.

11/09/2019. 07:24 hours. FBI Offices, Quantico, Virginia.

It felt like Spencer had returned home when he pushed open the glass doors to the bullpen. Most of the desks were empty with the majority of agents not due to start yet. Spencer groaned inwardly at the pile of reports on his desk. No rest for the wicked… Spencer weaved around the desks until he reached his own. As he tugged his satchel over his head, he frowned as his eyes fell on a handwritten post-it note stuck to his computer monitor. He tore it off the screen and peered at it.

Meet me in the conference room. We need to talk.

Spencer's stomach clenched. He glanced around to see that he appeared to be very much alone. He was so lost in his thoughts, that he had not noticed the team's belongings tucked under their respective desks. He straightened his blazer and jogged up the few steps towards the offices, and crossed the mezzanine to the conference room. He cleared his throat and bowed his head before knocking gently on the closed door.

"Come in." Trying to swallow down the anxiety closing up his throat, Spencer grasped the door handle and pushed the door open to find the room in darkness.

"Hello?" The lights suddenly bursting to life dazzled him, forcing him to turn his face away and hide his eyes with his forearm. "Jesus!" Spencer blinked to readjust his vision to find the team gathered around the round table. A banner reading 'welcome back' was draped over the wall monitor. JJ was the first to pull him in for a firm hug and hand him a takeout cup of coffee. Matt was next, one arm around Spencer's back and a hand in the back of his curls. Luke followed, hugging the genius and patting him on the back. Tara and Emily hugged him together like he was filling in a sandwich. David planted a kiss on each cheek. Spencer had certainly expected the descent of colour on him when Penelope hugged him. He did not, however, expect a chocolate frosted donut with coloured sprinkles to be shoved into his unsuspecting maw. Frosting clung to the tip of his nose, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Welcome back, Spence," said Emily with a grin. Spencer held up his index finger for her to give him a minute as he tried to swipe the frosting away. Penelope licked a napkin and proceeded to clean him like a mother hen. Spencer's cheeks flushed crimson as he turned to the rest of the team, his face finally free of frosting.

"Thanks, guys. You really shouldn't have," responded Spencer with a smile.

"Just shhhh and take it in," answered Penelope. Spencer's eyebrows shot up.

"Yes, ma'am."

"How are you feeling being back?" asked Tara. Spencer nodded.

"I'm good. Any longer off and I think Mel would have tried to force me to watch the Harry Potter movies with her."

"How are things going between you and Mel?" asked JJ, her blue eyes sparkling.

"We're good. She's in New York for a conference. It's a big deal for her to try and find some promotion opportunities." JJ's mouth gaped at the blush on Spencer's cheeks, the twinkle in his eye and the corners of his mouth quirking upwards.

"Oh, my god. Spence is in love!" Spencer found himself speechless, unable to form a response in his head. Sometimes he hated profilers. Determined to shake the attention away from himself, Spencer lifted his head to look for a stack of folders.

"So, is there a case?" asked Spencer, unsure eyes moving from face to face. A snort of laughter sounded from Emily, followed by chuckles from the rest of the team.

"There is no case, genius." Penelope playfully flicked Spencer between the eyes and Matt ruffled his already messy curls. Tara shook her head, her expression a mixture of confusion and amusement.

"Wait… Isn't anyone going to acknowledge the fact that Reid hasn't seen any of the Harry Potter movies?" A burst of laughter sounded from the group, causing Spencer to blush more.

A pinging sound from Penelope's cell phone broke the comfortable atmosphere. All eyes turned to Penelope as she fished her cell phone from the pocket of her yellow floral dress. Her face fell as her eyes scanned the message from behind her cobalt blue spectacles.

"We have a case." The team dropped heavily into the chairs around the table. Spencer took his preferred seat near the window, his hand gripping his cup of coffee. He turned his attention to the monitor. Penelope tore down the banner and sat herself at her laptop with a huff of displeasure. The monitor powered to life with the faces of three women smiling down on them. All three had different hair colours, eye colours and skin tones. Spencer furrowed his brow.

"Patsy Klein, aged thirty-four, was a medical secretary." The picture of the blonde-haired, blue eyed woman popped up. "She was found three days ago in her bath tub with her wrists cut. Second, was Hannah Caine. She was thirty-three and a coffee barista. She was found hanging in her garage two days ago." The woman with light brown and blonde hair with green eyes smiled back at them. "Finally, Tara Wilkins, aged thirty-two was a barmaid. She was found having had an overdose on sleeping pills." Matt frowned at the image of the black-haired, grey-eyed woman..

"These look like simple suicides," said Matt with a tilt of his head. Penelope raised a finger as though in a eureka moment.

"They may look that way at first glance, however…" Spencer narrowed his eyes.

"They all have ligature marks on their wrists and there's a small puncture mark in their necks," responded Spencer.

"Correct, Boy Wonder! As our esteemed Dr Reid has pointed out, they were clearly drugged and bound." Spencer sat back in his chair.

"These were murders disguised as suicides. Is there anything that connects these women in any way?" asked Spencer. Penelope's fingers flew across her keyboard.

"They were all in therapy for PTSD and/or depression." Spencer's hackles automatically raised, his fists clenching. JJ stole a glance at her best friend to see his knuckles turning white, the skin over them taut with fear. The cup that Spencer had forgotten he was holding popped with his tightening grip, sending coffee splashing in all directions.

"Spence?" came JJ's voice as Spencer came to his feet and darted out of the conference room with his head in his hands.

…

Spencer grasped the cold ceramic of the wash basin, his chest heaving. Acid and bile burned his nasal passages and his throat. He had only had two sessions of therapy thus far, one of which had been EMDR and it had brought up memories that he had desperately wanted to keep locked away. The fact that the new victims had been restrained, drugged and made to look like they had ended their lives hit a little too close to home for the genius. The scars down his arms prickled. Spencer pressed his back to the tiled wall and slid down until he was seated on the gritty floor. Normally, statistics would be running wild in his brain about the number of pathogens on a bathroom floor, however the itch in his scars were drowning out the statistics. Spencer pulled back the cuffs of his blazer and shirt as far as they would go, and scratched mindlessly at the scars that ringed his wrist. It did not satiate the feeling in any way, so he clawed over the sleeve at the long, raised scar down the inside of his arm.

He did not hear the bathroom door clicking open, or the person who entered, until a figure knelt down in front of him and grasped his wrists to stop him from scratching. Spencer lifted his red-rimmed eyes to find Luke in front of him. Spencer's expression was unreadable and it unnerved Luke as he was unsure of how the doctor was going to react.

"Reid? Are you okay? Please, talk to me." Spencer pursed his lips and knitted his brows, his words lost in his rapidly-closing throat. "Everyone will understand if you need to sit this one out." Spencer's hands shook in Luke's grip. Spencer stared straight forward and began to smack his lips as blood seeped from his nose. Luke reached up with one hand and tugged some paper towels from the dispenser above him. He held the towels to Spencer's nose, the young man's hands continuing to rhythmically quiver in place. Luke knew that Spencer was having a complex partial seizure, and stress was often a trigger.

"You're okay, Reid. You're safe." After a few minutes, Spencer blinked sleepily, awareness creeping back in, and his hands stilled. He gazed at Luke, his eyes glassy and confused.

"Wha-?" slurred Spencer.

"You had a seizure. You're safe. Let's see if your nose has stopped bleeding." Spencer tilted his head back against the wall. Luke withdrew the blood-sodden towels away from Spencer's nose to find that the bleeding had stopped. Luke used the basin to pull himself to his feet and extended a hand down to Spencer.

"Come on, let's get you laid down for a while. I'm sure Prentiss or Rossi won't mind you using their couches." Spencer nodded slightly and reached out for Luke's hands. Luke helped him up onto his feet. The bathroom tilted slightly, forcing Spencer to groan and latch on to the basin to steady himself.

"'m sorry…" mumbled Spencer. He still felt dazed. Luke wrapped an arm around Spencer's waist and draped the genius' arm around his shoulders to keep him upright and walk him to Emily's office.

…

Luke sighed as he rejoined the team, having set Spencer down on the couch in Emily's office. Their eyes all turned to him, desperate for something. They had all been startled by the cup breaking and Spencer's swift exit. Luke rubbed his palms up and down his face.

"Is everything okay?" asked JJ. Luke let out a puff of air and scratched the back of his head.

"I found him sitting on the floor in the men's room scratching his arms. He had disassociated. Just as he was about to respond, he started to have a seizure. I've laid him down in your office, Emily. I think he vomited in the bathroom." David shook his head.

"I tried to tell the kid that he needed more time off."

"You know how Spencer is, Dave. He isn't capable of sitting still and watching daytime TV like us. And he knows too well how to flunk the psych evals," responded Emily.

"What he's been through is still going to be raw for him, and this case is bringing a lot of his trauma to the surface," said Tara. "Given that stress is a known trigger for seizures, it's likely he'll have more whilst we're working this case." Emily sighed.

"I can't take him off the case. You know what he's like. But someone will need to stay with him at all times. We can't risk him acting out, nor can we take the chance of him having a major seizure and injuring himself. Just remember what the doctor said. Observe from a distance if needs be. If he lashes out, he doesn't mean it. The case is in Fredericksburg so we'll be working the case from here." The team nodded their understanding and continued looking over the case.

11/09/2019. 13:02 hours. FBI Offices, Quantico, Virginia.

Spencer's memories felt hazy and jumbled. His body ached from the uncomfortable position he had found himself lying in on the couch in Emily's office. He could recall them discussing the case and then going to the bathroom. Everything after that was blank, as though the period had been cut out of his mind. He had no inkling as to how he came to be in Emily's office. Alone. He sat on the edge of the couch, his elbows pressed harshly into his knees and his hands in his hair. He shrugged his blazer off and rolled his shirt sleeves to his elbows. His scars prickled once again. Instead of raking at them, he gently ran the tip of his fingers up and down the scar on his left arm, feeling every bump and ridge. He was startled out of his reverie by the door swinging open. He turned his head and stared past the curls over his face to see Assistant Director Linda Barnes staring at him through narrowed eyes. The hatred he felt for the woman boiled in his blood. She clicked her tongue and tapped her heeled foot against the floor.

"What do you want?" asked Spencer, his voice laced with contempt.

"Is that how you address your superiors, Agent?"

"It's doctor, and it's how I address you." Linda raised an eyebrow at him.

"You've never had much respect for authority, have you, Agent Reid?" Spencer seethed at Linda's clear ignorance for the title he had worked so hard to obtain.

"Authority? Yes. Respect for you? No. Not after your stunt in trying to split the BAU."

"And look how that panned out. You all still went against my orders."

"That's because twenty-six people died when you split us up and sidelined the BAU. You only give a shit about what makes you look good. I'll ask again: what do you want?" Linda sidled into the room, allowing the door to close behind her. Spencer watched her, his jaw clenched in anger.

"So, you're back."

"Yes. What of it?"

"Director Michaels died because of you." Spencer frowned and rose to his feet, hands clenched at his sides in tight fists.

"Excuse me? Director Michaels tried to kill me and he came within minutes of doing so. Is your hatred for me so intense, you wish me dead?" Linda snorted.

"You got both of his sons and him killed. He was a good man." Spencer let out a dark laugh.

"A good man? One son murdered twenty people in five years, the other kidnapped and attempted to murder a federal agent. The director himself tied up and attempted to murder said federal agent aka me. So tell me again, how was Director Michaels a good man?" Linda bristled at the fury radiating from the doctor.

"Well, you failed to notice that he had a daughter that was closer than you thought." Linda reached forward and withdrew the Smith and Wesson from Spencer's holster.

Spencer raised his hands in an act of surrender as Linda raised the gun to his chest. He swallowed hard and noticed two armed agents approaching the room through the blinds. His stomach clenched when he realised that the blinds to the conference room were closed so the team would not see what was happening.

"I knew that the new case would trigger something in you. That's why I set it up. I knew you would go running off on your own. I also know that stress is one of your epilepsy triggers."

"You? You set this whole thing up to get me on my own? You do realise that my team will figure it out." Linda shrugged.

"Oh, I have no doubt. But you'll be dead before they figure it out. We'll need to move quickly. I'm sure Agent Prentiss will have someone babysitting you soon enough. Give me your badge." Spencer slowly reached into his pocket and handed over his credentials. "Where's your cuffs?"

"My pocket."

"Put them on yourself." Spencer felt a tremble descend on his limbs as he retrieved the pair of handcuffs from his trouser pocket. He eyed the barrel of the revolver aimed at him as he awkwardly clicked the handcuffs around his wrists. Using one hand, Linda tightened the cuffs to ensure the young man could not get out of them and threw his blazer over his wrists to hide the shackles.

"This won't accomplish anything," warned Spencer. Linda eyed the scars on his arms in disgust, making him suddenly feel self-conscious.

"You're a pitiful creature, Agent Reid." Spencer tensed, his rage burning in his veins. It took all the will he held to keep himself from attacking the woman. The door swung open once again, the two armed men entering with their weapons slung over their shoulders. They grasped each of Spencer's biceps and guided him out of the room. Spencer kept his head bowed, hoping and praying that none of the other agents noticed him. He failed to realise that there was one agent who did notice.

No sooner had Spencer entered the elevator with the two agents and Assistant Director Barnes, Agent Grant Anderson was on his feet and pacing up to the conference room. Usually, he would knock on the door but the urgency of the situation took precedence over manners. The team turned at the sound of the door opening.

"Anderson? What's going on?" Grant's blue eyes scanned the team.

"Was Dr Reid in your office?" he asked pointedly at Emily.

"Yeah. He had a seizure in the bathroom. Why?"

"So, would there be a reason he was just walked out of there by two armed men and AD Barnes?"

"Come again," snapped David.

"I've just seen Dr Reid being escorted to the elevators with two armed men and AD Barnes. I wasn't sure if he was in some kind of trouble. He looked kind of tense. He was carrying his jacket and I couldn't see his gun. Has he been suspended?" Emily's blood ran cold.

"No. When you say carrying his jacket, what do you mean?"

"Like he was keeping his hands warm." JJ's mind snapped back to when Spencer was returned to the US after his arrest in Mexico.

JJ's heart flipped at the sight of Spencer stepping out of the elevator. He still held a wild look on his face and his hair was dishevelled, but he looked better than he had in his mugshots. A folded FBI windbreaker was draped over his wrists that she knew were cuffed underneath.

"Hi," said JJ quietly as she pulled him in for a hug. "Oh. I'm so sorry." She gently patted the jacket. "It's only because there are other people around."

JJ's eyes widened in realisation.

"He's in handcuffs! We had to do the same thing when he was arrested in Mexico! She didn't want people to see them and talk!" Emily turned to Penelope, her dark eyes blazing with a fury no one knew she held inside.

"Garcia? I want everything you can find on AD Barnes. I don't care how small or insignificant." Penelope nodded.

"I can say for sure, there are no arrest warrants out in Spence's name," responded Penelope.

"This goes deeper. There's something we missed when we last dealt with her. She can't be holding a grudge with Reid after he stood up to her. There has to be something that would drive her to this." David had his head in his hands.

"This can't be happening," mumbled David in despair.

"We'll get him back," responded Emily. They would get him back, but to what end?

10/09/2019. 13:32 hours. Underground Parking Garage, FBI Offices, Quantico, Virginia.

The elevator ride down to the underground parking garage had been tense and stifling. The men had their rifles trained on Spencer the whole time. He had tried to twist his wrists out of the handcuffs but only earned himself welts in his skin. As the elevator doors slid open, he was jabbed in the back with a rifle to force him to walk forward. The parking complex was quiet, which was to be expected when the agents were working. They approached one of the parked up SUVs. Linda's heels tapping against the asphalt echoed around the garage. The two men shoved Spencer down to his knees, eliciting a groan from the young man as his kneecaps thudded against the ground. He watched as the larger of the two men shouldered his rifle and retrieved a roll of duct tape from his pocket. He fought against the hold of the other man who held him still. The agent turned and tore a long strip from the roll, then secured it over Spencer's mouth, pressing the tape down firmly with gloved hands. The roll of tape was tucked back into the agent's pocket. Spencer breathed heavily and angrily through his nose as he tried to tear himself away from the grip around his upper arms. The agent who had gagged him unravelled the knot in Spencer's silk tie and pulled it out from his collar. He draped it across Spencer's eyes and wrapped it around his head, knotting it tightly at the back. With two of senses cut off, Spencer relied heavily on his hearing to give him clues as to what was happening around him. A hand firmly gripped his hair and wrenched his head to the side, exposing his neck. He felt the sharp pinch of a needle enter his skin and the burn of whatever drug they were giving him enter his bloodstream. Within seconds, his limbs became heavy and his eyes fluttered shut behind the blindfold. The men scooped the unconscious doctor up and threw him onto the back seat of the SUV before climbing in themselves. Linda clambered into the back and lifted Spencer's head onto her lap. Once they were settled, the engine roared to life and the SUV peeled out of the garage.