Criminal Minds 1. Chapter 1

**A/N: ****Back from a loooong break! My writer's muse has returned in the form of Criminal Minds! I hope you enjoy this, I'm probably a bit rusty but no worries, this story is written to completion already! Reviews and cookies wanted!**

Chapter 1

Flies buzzed frenzied circles drawn towards the copious blood. Heat waves distorted their sight as they circled the crime scene. Gideon was taking the lead in the conversation prowling and picking apart the murder with vicious detail. It was a small suburban home belying the horrors within the neighbors all stood around whispering trying to invent what occurred within the home. Reid scanned their audience observing their observers for suspect behavior. The killer was probably going to come back to admire his work. He wiped the sweat from his brow yearning for a cold wind. He estimated it was a hundred and eight degrees today and he hated every moment of it. He much preferred the cold where he could just get bundled.

"The unsub is devolving, he's gone from a clearly planned and controlled murder into an impulse killing."

"The killings will increase, become random, anyone that presents him the opportunity could become the killer's target"

"Did we do this? Get this family killed because of what we did?" Gideon wiped sweat from his brow before answering.

"No, the unsub would have kept killing. In his mind he has no choice, what we did put the stress on him to make him go off script…" A scream ripped the thick atmosphere jolting all the agents and cops into action guns drawn charging the house next door. A brunette woman fled from the house sobbing and stumbling screaming in scared when she ran straight into Hotchner. He dragged her off to the side allowing the other's room to breach the house.

"He's falling apart faster than we thought. He went straight from those murders to here, no cooling off period." Gideon felt his heart sink as he stared at the fifth murdered family in as many days.

"He only used his ritual on the two girls, the father and uncle were killed in a panic. Even with the girls it looks like he was barely able to keep to his M.O" Derek circled again eager to pick up more clues, mistakes. He could still hear the woman outside sobbing hysterically and Hotchner trying to calm her unsuccessful. He'd heard too much crying the past few days. The strain was starting to get to him with this one. It was always families that were well connected, happy, minor secrets but nothing dark or horrendous. If they hadn't been slaughtered they would have been happy their whole lives. It was one of those cases that left him feeling inadequate. If they couldn't save these families from a man they were already chasing then what good were they?

"Derek, you ready to go?" He startled from his thoughts by Spencer whom fidgeted from foot to foot ready to leave.

"Yeah" He supposed the cooler air would help his mood. Reid got to the car first tossing his bag in and getting buckled before Morgan reached his side. Derek stopped hand on the door hesitating to get in a strange feeling pricking at his neck.

"Morgan?" he shook his head. He was being paranoid. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah fine, too hot is all" He slid into the seat and the keys into the ignition and buckled. Reid made coughing choke that sounded almost like a cry.

"Reid are you" his gut twisted seeing the large knife against his throat a small bead of blood formed near the hilt where it pressed the hardest.

"Don't move or he dies"

"You don't have to do that, what do you want?"

"Turn on the car, get the air on then keep your hands on the wheel where I can see them" He pressed the knife harder into Spencer's throat forcing him to gag a little for air and a small rivulet of blood to drip.

"Take it easy" Derek complied tense feeling the man relieve him of his gun.

"Drive, normally"

"Where to?" He glanced at the crowd so close by but no one noticed.

"I don't know…the freeway, west"

"Okay, okay, ease up with the knife. We've got speed bumps ahead. I don't want you to accidentally cut his throat"

"Don't tell me what to do!" he hissed and struck Reid's temple with the butt of the gun.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told you what to do" Morgan risked a glance over to Reid again. His eyes were waving, eyes a bit pinched and neck staining red but it wasn't a dangerous about of blood, yet.

Silence filled the car for a while as he drove, polite and careful, afraid to provoke the man. In the back the man was muttering to himself to quiet and disordered to be understood and rocked back and forth too anxious to sit still.

"This isn't right, isn't right, it shouldn't have happened like this!" the knife loosened from Spencer's throat a bit.

"What happened?" Reid chanced the question. If he could get the man talking he could get a profile.

"You weren't supposed to be there, why were you there!"

"There was a murder at the other two houses."

"I didn't do it! I didn't do you you're not pinning this on me! You hear me! I won't be your bitch!" he exploded yanking Reid's head back by his hair digging the knife deep into his flesh. By luck alone the knife twisted upward to cut into the bottom of his jaw.

"Hey hey! Leave him alone! Stop it!"

"Don't tell me what to do! I'm in charge I'm in charge I'm in charge!" Spencer cried out writhing in the seat trying to get out of the seat belt used to pin his arms down the man behind him striking the underside of his jaw with the sharp edge of the knife.

"I'm sorry! We're sorry we didn't mean you! We weren't looking for you" Morgan pleaded desperate to make him stop. Even out of the corner of his eyes he could see blood rolling down the dashboard. As quickly as it started it stopped the man breathing hard from the outburst. Derek didn't dare say a word afraid to cause another outburst but he did risk a glance to Spencer. He was shaking and pale breathing hard. His eyes were clenched shut and he sat stiff struggling not to move as the knife went back to his throat. Morgan couldn't see the extent of the damage but the bleed was slow. He didn't think it was enough to be dangerous for now. He checked the clock. It'd been an hour already and it was another hour later before the silence snapped with the ring of a phone.

"Who's is that? Tell me now," he shook Spencer's head sharply barely able to contain his anger as he spoke.

"It's mine, we've been gone a while"

"Give it to me" Morgan moved slow reaching into his pocket and surrendered his phone just in time for it to shut off and then seconds later Spencer's rang. "Phones, both of you, now!" Morgan noticed that Reid's hands shook as he sluggishly complied. He couldn't tell if the kid was just shaky and scared or in shock. Their phones were thrown out the window but the man didn't relax. Morgan hoped he didn't notice he was being watched in the mirror. One thing was true, this wasn't the unsub that had murdered the two families. This man was uncontrolled, panicked and disorganized.

"What do you want us to do next?" Spencer ventured tentatively. He sounded tired and his voice wispy. Morgan braced afraid of another attack on the kid but it didn't come. Reid had phrased it right keeping the authority in the man's court.

"W-we need a new car, supplies" a moment of silence. They both realized they needed to guide him passively so he felt in charge. He was operating without a script.

"How do you want to do that?" Morgan took the discussion from Reid not wanting him to draw attention to himself again.

"There, the convenience store, pull over. Park next to those two red SUV's"

"Now what?"

"Get out and switch the plates, and don't forget, your friend is here with me so don't try anything"

"Alright, no tricks, just don't hurt him" He was surprised to get handed an army knife with a screw driver attachment. He checked Reid one more time. He seemed okay for now, keeping it together. Switching the license plates was quick leaving his fingertips a bit scorched from the hot metal. "It's done, what do you want me to do now?"

"Get into this one here, the driver's seat, and handcuff both hands to the steering wheel" Morgan hesitated. "Now!" the man slashed Spencer's cheek with the blade.

"Alright, easy!" He tried all the doors of the car but they were all locked. He felt desperate. He didn't think this man could take any sort of complication. It was only a small sense of relief when the hatchback was left open. He was able to crawl into the car unlocking each door before he reached the driver seat and cuffed himself to the wheel. As soon as finished the man dragged Spencer out of the car and put him in the passenger seat again. He pulled off his tie and bound his hands behind his back then buckled him in and tightening the straps restricting him tightly. Morgan didn't have a chance to ask what next when he was pistol whipped repeatedly until he surrendered consciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I do love them! Another chapter for you!**

Chapter 2

He was aware of sound first. It was distorted and wavering. There was a vague recognition of words but he couldn't discern them. There was an urgency to the voice. He sounded worried, and scared. There was a sharp throbbing at his temple that he couldn't quite ignore. He found himself not wanting to crawl out of the darkness but he had no choice. It was happening against his will.

"Morgan? Morgan?" It was Reid. That's right, they were hostages in the car, stolen from the scene. He begrudged opening his eyes the hot sun burning his retinas.

"Reid…I'm good. Where are we?" he pulled himself to sit up straight gulping back a bit of nausea.

"Another convenience store, he's panicking" Ever since the first convenience store he'd been going in swapping cars whenever there were two nearly identical to swap plates with and then he would rob it stealing water, food, and cash. He would knock them unconscious each time. His vision blurred for a second looking over to Reid. His temple was covered in a bruise that was blackening his eye now from the repeated blows with a few to his jaw which had actually helped to staunch the bleeding. It was nearing sundown now and they were in their sixth new car. Morgan was worried about their pace. He knew the others would be looking by now, maybe even found their phones but this man was erratic. He wasn't running in a straight line and his violence was escalating. He couldn't know about Spencer because he always woke first but it was taking him longer to regain consciousness each time and it was more of a struggle to focus each time.

"We need to slow him down, get him to stay at a hotel or something. The others need time to catch up, and for him to calm down"

"I think the stressor might have been a wife leaving, or cheating, he keeps insisting he's in charge, not anyone's bitch"

"Yeah, it fits, you think he ki.." the door burst open and the man jumped in behind Reid again tossing a bag of stuff onto the seat.

"Drive" They kept silent while he drove. The man went through his loot tossing out a small bit of cash, handful of water bottles and prepackaged food. The entire back of the car was filled with food and water and petty cash but only the unsub got any of it. His stomach had been rumbling for a while and despite the air conditioning he was hot and dehydrated and if he was in that state what state did that put Spencer in having been bleeding significantly. "Stop at the next hotel you see" Both of them sighed in relief. It was twenty minutes before they came across a motel. "No, not this one, find one that isn't full"

"If I may, picking a near empty motel will make you more noticeable" Spencer ventured nervously. They were too close to the state line and he really didn't want to cross it at all let alone tonight. His head was aching and his tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth. Maybe if they stopped he'd be more willing to give out food and water. He was worried about Morgan. The unsub hadn't noticed but his driving was less steady, drifting a bit in the same lane and he was blinking too often, like he were having to clear his vision.

"What do you care boy?"

"It's a known statistic that the more nervous you are you're more 69% more likely to harm your hostages if you're at risk of getting captured"

"Huh, right, you're a cop. You wouldn't be trying to trick me would you, _cop_"

"N-no, I don't want to trick you" Morgan glanced at him recognizing the lie. He was right that empty was a bad thing for the unsub, but so was a hotel this full, easier to notice a man forcing two hostages into a room.

"Alright then boy, but remember, if this is a trick, the consequences will not be light" both believed him. They moved into a spot in the middle of the lot where they wouldn't be noticed. No one spoke for a moment. "Here's how it's going to happen. You" he jabbed Derek in the arm with the gun, "are going to go in, order a room with one bed. You will come back and pick up the duffel bags and go to the room. Wait for me and remember, I've got the kid here and you wouldn't want anything to happen, would you?" he stroked the gun up and down his neck and face enjoying watch him fruitlessly try to pull away from it.

"I won't trick you"

"Good, and pay with cash" he shoved one of the packs of money still in the bank wrapper.

"Any room preference?"

"First floor, go" Derek took a breath and headed to the motel. It looked cheap but not entirely seedy. They might have a chance of being noticed. There was a couple checking out ahead of him but it wasn't a long wait for which he was grateful. The thought of Spencer alone with the man made him sick.

"Good evening Sir, what can I do for you?"

"I'd like a room with one bed" he could see the man eyeing his black eye but only when he thought he wasn't looking.

"How many nights?" Derek froze for a moment. The man hadn't said how many nights.

"Two, and do you have anything on the first floor?"

"Yes sir we do that'll be two hundred and twelve dollars" Derek pulled out the entire money pack making an effort to toss it in everyone's line of sight with the bank sticker up. He couldn't say about the people around him but the clerk certainly noticed. He concluded his business then went back out to the car feeling eyes at his back.

"It's done, we have room 125 on the first floor"

"No tricks I hope? Take these and get in there. Remember, plant yourself against a wall where I can see you and wait" Spencer gave him a nod that he was okay then went back to the hotel. It was nothing special, but not bad either. He hoped it would keep the unsub calmer. He left the key just outside the door then dug through the bags grabbing some water bottles and a bag of jerky then scanned the room for the place most likely for him to restrain them and stashed it out of sight. He didn't see anything he could use for a weapon so he settled against the wall directly across from the door. He kept glancing back and forth from the door and the clock. Too much time was passing, nearly half an hour. He was about to get up afraid he was getting rid of Spencer when the door clicked open. He couldn't hide the sigh of relief as he Reid came through first. He locked door behind him relaxing a bit and scanned the room. "Cuff yourself to those pipes, good boy" he tossed the cuffs to Derek who complied. This wasn't his opportunity. Once he was secure the man pushed Spencer down and pulled out actual ropes to secure him.

"You okay?" Derek leaned over and whispered looking the kid up and down. He didn't see any knew injuries.

"I'm fine"

"Quiet." He pulled a cup of noodles from the bag and proceeded to eat until he'd had four. The smell was making their stomachs rumbling. "I'm hitting the shower, you make any noise and he gets a bullet in the hand" he pointed the gun at Reid"

"No trouble" Morgan promised careful to keep his voice quiet.

"Good" they waited for the shower to run for a few minutes.

"You okay? You were out there a long time what happened?" Morgan leaned closer grateful the best tie down spots had been on the same wall.

"Nothing happened, we just sat there, didn't say anything." Derek eyed him but he didn't see any tells for a lie.

"Under the night stand, there's some jerky and water" He pulled it out clumsily barely having the mobility to push the goods to the wall and reach them.

"Spencer, where did he get the bank packs?" Reid stared at him worried.

"Before the last convenience store he hit two banks. You didn't wake up from the convenience store before it" It made sense now the worried looks Spencer had had when he finally did wake up.

"I made sure to flash the bank stickers at least, maybe someone noticed" they nodded watching the bathroom door. The pilfered food and water had helped. The shower clicked off and they scrambled to stuff the empty bottle and left over jerky back under the nightstand. The man came back out and leered at them sitting quietly again.

"Good boys"

"Garcia what've you got?"

"Okay, I got this from some of the media coverage, it didn't make the news portion but they had it in the uncut film" she started the film which showed Spencer and Derek getting into the car. It sits for a minute then drives off normally.

"You must have more than this, it doesn't show anything unusual" JJ complained. It was mid-morning the day after they'd driven off and disappeared.

"Trust your goddess divine I'm not finished, they had a neighbor who's a bit paranoid and installed around the clock video surveillance of their driveway that caught a better angle. They watched silently. It all seemed normal as they watched the agents rushing to the second house and begin processing the scene. Penelope fast forwarded a few hours to a few minutes before the pair left. A figure from the house immediately to the right the front door opened and a man clearly in a panic ran. He was making clear efforts to get past unnoticed until darted into the car and waited.

"We need to check out that house, he's panicked for a reason."

"Do you think he planned to take them? An exit strategy?" Hotchner postulated.

"Whatever happened in that house may tell us. Did we get his face?" Gideon asked.

"Unfortunately no he never turned to face the camera"

"Guys, they just found Derek's car abandon at a convenience mart that was robbed shortly after the guys drove off"

"So he does something in that house that triggers him to panic, kidnaps two FBI and then goes and robs a convenience mart?"

"He's devolving fast, we just have to find out why, and where he's going"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: thanks for the reviews! Yes you're allowed to love the unsub, villains tend to be my favorite in tv shows too!**

Chapter 3

The occupants of the car were quiet. Tension was not so tight today. The man's confidence seemed to have stabilized having made it through the previous day uncaught but he was still nervous. He didn't ride with a knife to Spencer's throat anymore but the gun was still out and ready if he needed it. He had Derek driving cuffed to the steering wheel again. They were going south now. He didn't know if their chaotic route constantly turning around on itself was to evade authorities or indecisive circling. They had passed the Virginia line several hours ago and were in North Carolina now headed towards Tennessee. They were changing directions and cars too fast too often. It would be real hard for the team to track their movements. Today the unsub hadn't demanded any stops, no robberies but the more time that past the more Morgan felt like something was going to happen. They startled at the abrupt loud crackle of paper as the unsub unfolded a map. He began to mutter to himself about what to do next. Spencer glanced at Morgan hoping he had a plan but the almost imperceptible shake of head didn't give him the answer he wanted.

"You, kid, you're FBI right? Right?" He jabbed Reid in the head with the gun finding he enjoyed the way the kid jumped with each touch.

"Y-yes, I'm a profiler"

"Alright Mr. FBI profiler, what's my next move?" he hissed.

"It depends on why you're running, what you did. The motive of guilt affects the path of escape" Morgan shot him a warning glance.

"You're trying to trick me! You want me to confess? Huh kid?" he yanked Reid's head back sharply.

"N-no, I can't, outside a court of law there's nothing I can do to you, it wouldn't be admissible to any court but I need to know to understand what you need to do to escape" The unsub gripped his hair tighter and twisted it around a few hairs pulling free.

"I don't believe you. You're a fed and you'll _always_ try to hurt me!" both agents gulped seeing the knife reappear dangerously close to Reid's eye.

"I can't, you're in control here, you've got the gun and the knife, my friend is cuffed to the wheel and powerless. You are in charge here, just you" Spencer grimaced as he dragged the knife down his cheek drawing more blood then stopped as if to think.

"You're right, I've got the power here, and if you try anything, even if I just _think_ you're thinking about trying something"

"We won't, we know when we're outmatched" Morgan interceded.

"Good, now, what next kid?"

"You need to slow down, all the car swaps and robberies will draw attention to yourself" Everyone went silent for a few minutes. Morgan kept his eyes on the pair the knife still too close to his friend for comfort and the gun clearly visible in his near hand. A car's horn screeched along with wheels smoked as Morgan drifted into the oncoming lane both cars barely missing. Morgan froze at the whoop of a police car immediately following the near miss.

"Shit!" the unsub hissed.

"What do you want me to do?" Morgan glanced at the other two biting his lip seeing the knife nearly drawing blood from his friend's neck again. The police car blipped its siren again pulling closer. He could hear the man digging through the bags suddenly followed by a grunt from Reid as he was suddenly scrubbing the blood from his face and neck haphazardly then changed to sit behind Derek.

"Pull over, keep it nice and calm we're just on a road trip." He complied taking a chance look at Spencer again once they were stopped but there were still traces of blood on him. The man gave Reid the keys to his cuffs which were quickly tucked out of sight. Tension was thick as the cop approached the car.

"License and registration sir" Morgan didn't say anything as he fumbled for his wallet. He held his breath as the man walked away and again a few minutes later as he walked back. Derek lurched away from the window neck sizzling from the heat of the gunshot burning his skin. The cop dropped fast.

"Get his guns and cuffs. Keep your back to the cop car I know they got cameras and get your wallet too, I don't want them tracking us" Morgan moved slow afraid to spook the man watching traffic infuriated. Why didn't anyone notice? He knelt by the man heart sinking to see him already dead as he pulled the demanded items from his belt. At the wallet he hesitated, hands shaking, then flipped his open and deftly switched the driver's licenses praying the unsub didn't notice. He had to leave a trace for the team to find them. He got back inside and they sped off unnoticed by commuters.

They stood over the bodies frustrated. Inside the third house had told them numerous details about their unsub. They didn't have his identity yet but they'd found a couple in the home bludgeoned to death clearly in a rage.

"It's either the woman's husband or lover, probably in a jealous rage. I'm betting he came home early and caught them in the middle of something and then got trapped when we hit the other crime scenes. Used Derek and Spencer to ensure his escape"

"He's disorganized, panicked, this is a single event that got out of control"

"Guys, a cop was just found dead on the side of the north highway, it lines up perfectly in a cluster of convenience mart robberies along with two banks" JJ burst into the scene.

"What's that got to do with this?"

"Because Morgan's driver's license was found in the cop's wallet, Garcia's already got the tape from his car cam"

"JJ you look into the robberies, they may be connected, Hotchner you handle the cop shooting, I'll work this scene, if they're connected they're sure to give us enough plenty for a profile" Hours later they reconvened, tired and worried.

"What do we know?" Gideon began.

"Each of the robberies was done by the unsub. He pulled up to any location that had two cars similar or the same in appearance. I didn't get a great look but it appears Derek swapped the plates from the two identical cars then loaded Morgan and Reid into the vehicle. I can't see for sure but it looks like he knocks them out then goes in and commits the robbery and they take off in the new car" JJ detailed. "No injuries at any of the robberies"

"The house was the stressor. The husband was fired from his job so he came home early and found the wife in bed with another man and suffered a break killing them both and we arrived moments after"

"The cop pulled them over because Morgan, whom is apparently driving, nearly struck a vehicle when he drifted into the oncoming lane. They didn't pull over right way and when they did Morgan gave his wallet over with registration. When he came back a single shot was fired, origin of the shot is unknown. Morgan gets out keeping his back to the camera and seems to take the wallet, gun and handcuffs then they drove off"

"This guy is all over the map, what's his plan?"

"He doesn't have one, he's devolving fast and out of control. He's acting on impulse. We need to catch up with him fast he will probably escalate and fast now that he's killed a cop and kidnapped two FBI agents" JJ's phone interrupted the meeting.

"Hello….What? No…Yes…Aright thank you"

"What was that?"

"There was another bank robbery but this one was different"

"How so?"

"The bank robber came in with a hostage, none of the employees or customers resisted but after he took the money he killed everyone but the hostage he came in with"

"It's our guy isn't it?"

"we got photos of this this, the hostage was Reid"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Well even though I got no love and reviews for the last chapter I'll still give you this one and beg again for your comments! Hope you like it!**

Chapter 4

Reid sat quietly on the cold marble floor separated from the others in the bank while the unsub stashed money into a duffel bag. He was relieved that this bank had only a few customers and few employees this time. He watched desperate for an opportunity to overpower the man. He didn't know if he could watch all these people get slaughtered like the last bank. He hadn't seen that coming and there'd been no time to stop it. The unsub had had him cuffed to a desk. This time he was more confident and paying less attention to him. He glanced back to the other hostages huddled in the farthest corner. All mother's with babies. He had to do something and soon. He waved the women to sit still and do nothing as they looked to him terrified. He looked back at the man preparing to pounce.

Outside Derek sat fidgeting in the driver's seat of their newest sedan straining to see inside the bank. It had been ten minutes already and he didn't hear a thing since the first shot which he prayed was just a warning. He didn't know what to expect this time. He knew something had gone terribly wrong at the last bank robbery. The horrified, lost, look he'd seen in Reid after the last one he suspected the man had killed someone, but then he knew how he was more easily effected by the evil things they saw then the others, more sensitive, there could be hope that someone had just been hurt. A sudden hail of gunfire plunged him into a fierce fight against the handcuffs futilely.

"No. Reid! Reid!" he didn't notice his skin break against the cuffs still unable to see what was happening. His mind imagined the worst until the pair exploded through the bank doors. Reid crumbled instantly to the dirt the man kicking him repeatedly screaming too enraged to be understood. "Hey! Hey leave him alone! Stop!" Morgan tried to beat the glass with his elbow, break the handcuffs and honk the horn, anything to draw his attention from Spencer. It felt like hours passed before it finally stopped leaving the man breathing hard teeth clenched struggling to rein in his rage with Spencer curled up and shaking from the beating. The man recovered from the outburst first dragging Reid up by his hair and throwing him into the car again, hands cuffed behind the seat as usual.

"Let's go, now!" He pulled out and headed back the direction they had been traveling but his attention was on Reid. He still quivered breathing hard, face pinched with pain constantly shifting in his seat trying to get in a less painful position.

"Reid?" he whispered. "Reid you okay man?" He nodded disjointedly.

"I'm fine" Morgan looked back at the unsub but he wasn't paying attention to them for now.

"What happened?"

"I couldn't let him do it again, I tried to stop him"

"From doing what?" Spencer didn't answer starting to drift away his head having taken several kicks, "Reid, stay with me, what did he do?" Reid licked his lips fighting against the dizziness.

"He killed them all, they didn't fight and he still killed them. I didn't…didn't see"

"It wasn't your fault, hey, listen to me, you can't control him, it's not on you"

"Shut up! Stop plotting against me!" He cracked the gun against Derek's shoulder repeatedly until a large crack split through the car muffled by his cry of pain and the swerve of the car.

"Morgan! Back off you want us to crash cause you're beating the driver?"

"I said shut up!" turned the attack to Spencer bashing the gun against him hard enough his head bounced off the side window. The wild honks of nearby cars couldn't distract the brawl until the car suddenly began to roll end over end, off the road.

Muted tones were all he could hear. He felt like he was underwater. He was aware of pain but there was a disconnect somewhere that he didn't feel it yet. He had the sense that he had to do something, find something, and quickly. There was a strong lack of time. Blood streaked blonde hung in his vision confusing him for a moment before he realized it was his own hair. Beyond his hair was spider webs which left him further disoriented. His mind flipped away from the webs searching for that missing piece he was supposed to find. Something dark and blurry was off to his left smudged by the blood dripping into his eyes. He tried to wipe it away but his arms were still too heavy but blinking fast seemed to clear it.

"M-" he coughed "Morgan" he coughed again as something hot and sticky sliding up the inside of his throat. "Morgan you have to wake up" he tried to draw a deep breath but it hitched around the ribs pain bouncing off them. His brain caught another piece of reality that he was in a car and the car was on its side. He didn't know when his body caught up to his brain but when he reached for Morgan he succeeded. Relief filled him as he could feel him breathing a bit rough but breathing. He shook him but he wasn't answering. Spencer couldn't see blood but he wasn't responding. He cried out suddenly feeling arms wrap around his chest and try to pull him out only to get stopped short by the handcuffs.

"What the hell?" he didn't recognize the voice. It wasn't the unsub, it wasn't Morgan. Where did this new person come from then? He felt the person, a man, let go of him and a shadow move across the spider webs then Morgan disappeared from his sight.

"Morgan? Morgan!"

"Take it easy buddy he's by the car"

"the hell do they have cuffs on?" their rescuer whispered uneasily. He went back around for the backseat occupant. Spencer was shocked back into awareness by a loud blast and a soft thud. The handcuffs were released and he felt himself dragged out of the car. He could only stare at the dead body of the strange man by the car.

"What-what did you do?" he didn't fight back struggling to keep up mentally until he was thrown into a new car, this time the driver's seat, and one hand was cuffed to the wheel. He regretted looking around when he saw the original owners of the new car dead beside it and the road devoid of other cars. It had been an empty road for several hours now. He whipped around as Morgan was thrown into the passenger seat hands and feet cuffed deeply unconscious. He reached across to shake him again but the unsub bashed his wrist with the gun.

"Drive! We have to get out of here fast"

"What will you do now? How long do you think you can keep this up?"

"Shut up!"

"You killed the cop, then the six in the bank, now these three, you won't be allowed to escape, it would be better to stop now, surrender and they will take it into account that you surrendered and returned us alive"

"I've had enough of you" he hissed pressing the gun to his skull pulling the trigger but only a dull click sounded. It was enough to nearly scare Reid right into a roadside ditch. "Damn, you got lucky this time kid." Spencer felt sick the click of the empty chamber still echoing in his head. He had to find a way to slow this guy down, get him in a hotel for a few days, if for no other reason than to stop him killing. He couldn't imagine the rate he was devolving. He didn't know the first stressor but he snapped to serial killer so fast. It terrified him how fast he'd gone from that first hour to robbery to murder. He watched the clock and the road almost equally every minute seeming an unbearable eternity. Hours passed in a tense, exhausted silence. It was nearly sundown before the pattern was broken.

"Move to the west highway again then find a remote hotel. I want to stop for a while" Spencer sighed and nodded silently. He felt shaky and weak. He hadn't been sure how much longer he could keep going. It didn't take them long to find a remote lightly occupied motel and he didn't question how their disheveled group got in and settled unnoticed. Again the man didn't give them any food or water and there'd been no opportunity to filch some so his gut churned with hunger. He gave no resistance as the unsub went about his evening until he'd calmed himself enough to sleep. It was around two in the morning before he felt it was safe to even move.

"Morgan…Morgan" he whispered harshly trying to kick him gently. It was the only way he could reach him, cuffed up like he was. To his surprise Morgan lurched with a short gasp and froze as the pain hit him. Reid kept his eyes on him as he seemed to struggle to get his bearings. Even when he looked to Reid he seemed fuzzy. Another minute and he sat up straighter, wincing, and swallowed thickly.

"I'm…okay."

"You sure? You've ben unconscious for hours" he glanced back at the bed but the man didn't seem disturbed.

"Just thirsty" He shifted again unable to get to a comfortable position.

"Are you sure? The crash was over twelve hours ago and you've been unconscious until now" the man snorted and rolled over making them each flinch.

"I'm fine, really, a little food and water is all I need. What's he done" he fought to swallow again, "since"

"Killed the man that tried to pull us out of the crash and then two more for a new car"

"Damn, we have to do something to stop him"

"But what? He's keeping us tied up diligently and each time he's killed he's gotten more confident, I think he's started to like it" They jumped.

"You're right…I do"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! They make me so happy that you're enjoying! Here's today's chapter once again I beg for reviews! We're halfway done!**

Chapter 5

Gideon stood back looking at the board pinned full with the trail of bodies and evidence left behind by James Chaplin. Fingerprints had verified he was the murderous husband and his psychotic break was severe. He'd ramped up fast to serial killings and there didn't seem to be any discretion to who he killed or how. They weren't sure if he would last long enough to develop a style and signature before he devolved into chaos.

"He's enjoying this, the chase, the killings, all of it. It didn't start that way but when he killed the cop…."

"He found a taste for killing, it gave him a release" Hotchner added joining Gideon.

"But where does he satisfy the need? Is it the shooting of his victims or is that just the available weapon he has?" Gideon responded.

"And where is he going? None of the robberies or murders occur in locations with any connection to him. There's no comfort zone but there's no apparent mission either"

"The first stressor was the loss of his job and the cheating wife. All evidence shows he was subservient in the relationship with a dominating wife. The second stressor was getting hemmed in by FBI just after he killed them which drove him to the kidnapping. Everything was survival based until after he killed the cop"

"I'll have Garcia look deeper into his past. He may be weaving recklessly through the states now but given enough time he'll probably develop a plan. Go to a comfort zone and find his signature" Hotchner stormed off sick of the constant guesswork.

"Or he'll just keep spiraling into a self-destruct" Gideon added to the empty room.

Morgan watched Spencer silently. He'd curled up into a somewhat protective and comfortable position some time ago but he was resisting the need for sleep fiercely. He couldn't blame the kid for not wanting to rest in this situation but it wasn't going to end anytime soon and he couldn't stop it for much longer. He knew Reid had stayed up through the night on guard while he slept and probably every night before that too. They were alone for the time being but shouting hadn't drawn any attention and the pipes they were cuffed to were in good order. Even unguarded they were stuck. It was little comfort that they'd finally been given some food and water before the man left. It had done them a world of good but it didn't fix the injuries they'd been accumulating. He was sure they were both concussed and he suspected his shoulder was dislocated, or maybe his collarbone broken. The pain was so widespread and swollen he couldn't be sure. He scowled when Spencer sucked in a sharp breath and shook hard to wake himself up again.

"Where do you think we're going?" he mumbled tiredly.

"I'm not sure but he's been favoring north lately. I think he might be figuring out a plan now"

"Think the others…know who he is…yet?" even talking he was struggling to keep awake.

"They've got his life story and are gonna bust his ass any minute now, and they'll bring pancakes, with sausage and bacon with them just to be thorough" Reid snorted at Morgan's fantasy.

"Mm, bacon, you know Sir Francis Bacon" the door exploded open.

"Sup bitches" Spencer's mouth dropped open staring at the unsub's new appearance. He'd gone from the appearance of a middle aged, married man, possibly family man to a black leather jacket, torn up blue jeans and fingerless leather gloves with silver studs on them. His hair was black but half was slicked back, half was spiked up and under the leather jacket he could still see a basic shirt and tie as if he couldn't quite fit into either identity he attempted yet. He tossed several bags onto the bed then sauntered over to Reid like he was trying to be a tough gang biker but it looked odd, stilted. He pulled out the gun, just a few shots left, and stroked Spencer's cheek with it. "have my _ pets_ been behaving?"

"Where have you been?" Morgan demanded with as much authority he could muster. He wanted the unsub's attention as far from Reid as possible and the only way he could think of was a direct challenge. He wouldn't be able to ignore the attack on his superiority. He was proven right painfully getting a sharp gun butt to the forehead whiting out his vision for a time.

"Don't talk to me that way! I ask the questions! Me! I'm in charge! Me! Me!" he punctuated each 'me' with a crack against Derek's cheekbone. Reid didn't hesitate to think kicking hard as he could grinding his heels into the side of the man's knee sending him rolling across the room with a cry. Derek weaved and swayed dazed by the attack blinking rapidly to recover. "Why you little!" Chaplin jumped up again limping some and pistol whipped Spencer immediately pressing muzzle to his forehead ready to shoot, "I oughta kill you now" Spencer stared paralyzed as the gun cocked followed by tense silence. "No, not yet, I've got a better idea" He uncuffed one of Reid's hands giving him no chance to resist dragging him to the center of the room and cuffing his hands around the bed leg.

"Wait, what're you gonna" a hand towel was shoved into his mouth then a second long cloth was tied around his head keeping the cloth in place. Reid kicked out wildly landing a few glancing blows before he skittered out of the way and jammed the gun to his forehead again.

"You do that again _boy_ and I'll break your legs, you understand me…_boy_" he hissed. Spencer hesitated before nodding. This wasn't a big or powerful man but he could see a dozen or so tools and methods at the guy's disposal that would be able to break his legs. "You kick like a schoolgirl anyways, it won't do you any good" Everyone kept quiet as he went to the bags on the bed and started unloading them. He looked to Morgan fearfully as objects like wire cutters, a hammer, a long whip-like rod were lined up on the bed.

"If you touch him I swear I will beat you so bad you don't make it to prison" Derek growled seeing three different knives and a taser join the supply. Chaplin stopped surprisingly silent, turned to Derek glowering and removed his belt. Derek braced himself to have it thrown around his neck he was totally unprepared for the heel crushing in his nose and cried out shocked by the belt being jammed into his mouth. He gagged and tried to jerk away but there was nowhere to go as it was cinched tight until he could feel the skin at the corners of his mouth starting to tear. Chaplin grabbed a Philips screwdriver and stabbed a new hole then buckled it in place.

"There, no more interruptions should probably just kill you, but later, I want to have some fun" Derek pulled futilely at the handcuffs seeing the fear in Reid's eyes as the man's hand hovered over the instruments trying to decide which to try first. Spencer couldn't see what he selected. He sat on the bed behind him. The wait drove him crazy half wanting it to just get started and half of him hoped he'd changed his mind. There was a bright glint and the large pin thick as two large needles and almost half the length of his forearm. It pressed deep into his bicep slowly then pulled out swiftly. He bit down on the gag not wanting to satisfy him with a sound. "Hmm" he changed positions this time burying the weapon deep into the shoulder joint then turned it scraping a wide circle in the muscle. He shuddered harshly the pain far more severe this time. The man grunted again and stood again leaving the pin in his shoulder joint. This time he returned with a knife and knelt down in front of him, straddling his knees. He pressed the blade cautiously into his upper abdomen afraid almost of the weapon. Spencer couldn't stop the groan or the need to squirm at the feeling of his muscle being torn in two. He broke into a cold sweat after the fourth slow drag of the blade. He didn't know whether he was relief or terrified as the knife was tossed aside apparently displeasing. "Oh! I know! Let's play a game." He got up undoing the belt gagging Morgan waiting for him to stop coughing and working his frozen up jaw. "You, you've always got something to say, pick the next toy"

"No"

"It's not a choice, refuse again and I'll use every one of them for an hour each, no breaks, he'd probably die for sure" he went back to the bed tossing the wire cutters to the floor followed one by one by the long wiry rod, a hammer and a lighter enjoying as Reid jumped with each thump. Derek looked to Spencer gut twisting at the panicked look. How could he choose? He didn't know if he'd get away with it but he tried mouthing each item hoping for a clue. He started with cutters getting an instant, rigorous shake of his head not noticed by Chaplin as he circled his back to them. He tried hammer getting only a slightly less vehement refusal. Spencer wheezed the wind knocked out of him by the heel to his diaphragm. "No hints! He picks your pain" Morgan sank with dread. The lighter or the whipping rod, which would Reid suffer from least? They could each do severe damage and pain. "Hurry up!" Morgan went with the one he thought had the least chance of permanent damage.

"The rod" he never got a chance to see Reid's reaction before Chaplin was on him and delivered two sharp lashes getting a grunt from his victim.

"Hmm, not quite right" He set down the rod with much more care than the other items leaned over Reid gripping his shirt and vest at the tears and finished shredding the shirt pulling it away from him leaving his skin bare. "That's better" this time when he smacked the rod, against his shoulder blade opened up to him as Reid rolled to protect his face, he could see the skin flush red and turn to purple as the welt formed. He got three more strikes.

"You keep the hell away from him!" Morgan growled again jerking the cuffs.

"Oh, right" He grumbled under his breath grabbing the belt, "Cooperate or I cut his pinky off with the wire cutters" Morgan opened his mouth wincing as it was tightened and a bit of blood dripped into his mouth. "Back to the fun" He stroked the rod for a moment standing over Reid before he began again more furiously. Spencer curled up tight as he could trying to protect the vulnerable parts. He struggled to breath normally clamping down on the gag to keep from making any noise. He didn't know if it made a difference for this guy but it gave him some form of rebellion. The pain mounted fast as the man got enthused and he struck faster as he went. Things were starting to blur together. He tried to focus on the clank of hand cuffs and the rumbling that he knew was Morgan fighting to get loose. He knew that if he hadn't broken free yet he wasn't going to but hearing the continued struggle helped somehow until he wasn't aware of anything at all.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: As a reward for all the scrumptious reviews I've posted this chapter early! Hope you enjoy it!**

Chapter 6

Morgan was driving again. Chaplin had insisted on moving to another more remote hotel. They were consistently heading northwest now. He hoped it meant there was a specific destination in mind now. It would make them easier to find if they went somewhere specific. They could figure it out from his profile. An air of confidence and arrogance exuded from the backseat today. Morgan recognized this. He was settling into himself if he hadn't found his exact preferences he was very close and he knew it. He wore his hair slicked back today, not half and half, the tie was missing from around his neck and while he still had on a dress shirt under his leather jacket he'd cut off the collar and chopped the sleeves to above the elbow. He was also taking less care in his hostages. Only one of his hands was cuffed to the steering wheel and Reid's hands were cuffed in front of him instead of around the back of the seat. He turned his attention to Spencer. He was curled up in the seat not moving, sitting too tensely and breathing shallow but steady. No matter how long he stared he couldn't figure out if he was unconscious or shut down either way he was keeping very quiet and too still, pinched with pain. He heard a distinct zip and shuffle of clothing and then the familiar panting and grunting. Derek rolled his window down the rush of air muffling the sound feeling his stomach turn sour. The bastard had started masturbating almost immediately after he'd beaten Reid unconscious with the rod and then every few hours after reliving it while holding the weapon. He'd always been disgusted by sexual sadists but witnessing the creation of one sickened him to the core. He was just glad Reid was out for most of this.

"Mmm, this is so much better" Chaplin rumbled suddenly. Morgan didn't respond until his chair was kicked sharply.

"The violence get you going" he dug his fingernails into the steering wheel.

"Like I've never gone before, like that _woman_ could never do, what's your _FBI profile_ say about that hmmm? That she's a nothing of a woman, right? _Right_" he kept thumping his seat as Morgan tried to disregard the question.

"Right" he brushed off not wanting to aggravate the man.

"I don't believe you FBI man, tell me the truth or else"

"In the majority of cases a sexual sadist, which you are, is impotent except when performing acts of violence, especially in cases where their home and family were constant sources of emasculation." Reid suddenly mumbled into the conversation. Derek braced instinctively for the ramifications.

"Mmm, the little bitch speaks, finally awake my _pet_" Spencer sat himself up further back arching off the seat painfully. Derek cringed every time he heard the man call Reid his pet. He was developing some dangerous ties to the kid as he delved deeper into his growing sadism. He had to find a way to break the ties or slow it down until they could be found. He didn't want Reid being the lab rat for this guy's sadist exploration.

"So what happened, to make you a serial killer?" Reid continued. Morgan shot him a glare but it was missed because his eyes were still closed.

"What business is that of yours? You ask to many questions kid" he kicked Spencer's seat this time grinning at his hiss of pain.

"You wanted us to know what the FBI profile said about you, it matters to the profile"

"So I'm a _sexual sadist_, sounds like _fun_" he grinned sitting up and replacing his clothing. "Take the side road up here" Derek missed the turn off intentionally. He knew a road that went to the middle of nowhere when he saw one." Hey! You deaf, that was our road!"

"Oops" He heard the growl but he didn't expect the man to suddenly lunge over the seat and whip the steering wheel so they screeched onto the rest stop off ramp. Morgan broke hard his head rebounding off the window as the unsub collapsed on him and the steering wheel. They barely got the car parked at the abandon rest stop before the man leaped out of the car and dragged Derek with him leaving the handcuffs dangling.

"Oops! Oops! I'll show you oops! You stupid filthy piece of trash!" He kicked fast and hard never giving Morgan a chance to recover or retaliate. Blood sprayed across the dirt in small globs the less time Derek had to curl protectively and more severe blows landed. Reid flew at him with a full body slam both of them to the ground giving Morgan a chance to roll away. They scrambled back and forth in the dirt unable to get the upper hand on each other. Reid shoved him farther away this time buying a spare moment before the next attack scanning the horizon for Derek. At the same moment the man got a powerful choke hold on him dragging him backwards faster than he could keep up and Morgan appeared into the scene again very unsteady on his feet. "Stop or I kill him!" the gun pressed to his temple. Morgan stopped instantly.

"You can't keep this up you know. You've left a helluva body count" Derek tried to negotiate.

"Shut up! I'm in charge!"

"If you let us go now it'll go better for you. The courts will take it into account that you willingly gave your two FBI hostages go" the man growled furious moving the gun somewhere at Reid's back.

"How many bullets do you think he can take?" There was a silent pause.

"If you shoot me you could kill me, you're not a medical doctor you could easily hit something vital."

"So?" Reid felt him shift his grip on the gun nervously.

"If I die, he's got no reason to hold back, he wouldn't hesitate coming after you" Reid struggled to breathe normally as the new bruising began to smart. Everyone could sense he was thinking the problem over.

"You know, you're right, shooting you won't help me" The gunshot echoed through the air like a crack of thunder. Morgan dropped instantly curled and groaning.

"No!" blood pooled under Derek fast but he couldn't see where it was coming from this far away. He slammed his head back not caring about the crunch and spray of blood on his neck or the stars that erupted in his vision. The man lost his grip on him.

"Morgan, Morgan where're you hit?" he bolted to him rolling him onto his back. He tried to straighten him out to see the wound centered somewhere in his abdomen but he fought to keep curled protectively arms covering the injury. "Let me see Morgan I have to stop the bleeding" He used a little force this time getting him to lay flat but not still, with a sharp groan. Chaplin ripped him away dragging him around to the other side of the car throwing him into the back seat despite his struggles and cuffed him directly to the door. He circled around back to Morgan watching him struggle to get up and fail.

"Now, you're no threat" he chuckled. He pulled the handcuff from the steering wheel then hefted Morgan from the ground tossing him into the backseat whipping him around and cuffing his left ankle to Reid's right then his hands to the door. Spencer's focus was all on Morgan as they drove off again. He was still breathing rapidly, fidgeting from pain. He could see blood already starting to drip off the seat.

"Morgan, did it go all the way through? Morgan?" he kept his voice low afraid to aggravate their captor.

"N-no, still…in" he closed his eyes resting his weight on the door suddenly feeling exhausted.

"Morgan stay awake" he heard an odd thump and could feel that Reid was shifting. He opened eyes again curious to see Reid holding a towel between his now bare toes draping it clumsily over his wound. "Sorry, I have to stop the bleeding" he pressed down hard with his heel. Derek covered a cry of pain with a strangled grunt making it difficult for Reid to keep the pressure consistent. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" He could hear the kid muttering audibly guilt ridden.

"Not…your fault, his" he sucked in a breath again as the pain spiked, "Jus' worry about, the bleeding" After that everything went fuzzy as he drifted in an out.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Alright everybody, chapters are coming fast for ya cause you've been so nice about reviewing! As a little teaser I'll tell you I finished the sequel to this ten minutes ago! Now doesn't that just pique the curiosity! Punctuation has been fixed now!**

Chapter 7

Hotchner sat staring at the evidence frustrated taking it out on the fast food. They were tearing apart Chaplin's life but they couldn't quite figure out his path. They knew that Chaplin was suffering a masculinity crisis. He'd been working as a secretary for nearly fifteen years while his wife had been a high power executive of the same company and having an affair with a janitor. They didn't know if Chaplin had known but the wife's scandal had been the cause of his termination. In every step of his life he'd been the submissive, out of control, emasculated and now he'd snapped. The progression of compensation was intense. He evolved into a sexual sadist swiftly. He was never going to admit it to his team but he was terrified by the thought of Reid and Morgan being in this guy's control as he developed his style of sadism. Morgan was the alpha male that could trigger him in his unstable state and Reid was the perfect target for him to fuel his confidence in his delusion as an alpha male. It was a perfect storm for Chaplin to practice on his men.

"Hotch, Hotch" he started looking up to see JJ leaning in the room.

"You found something?"

"A hotel in Nebraska, they may have stayed there overnight. I didn't get a lot of details but they're keeping the scene intact for us"

"Was there a crime committed?"

"Maybe? Something made them look closer at the guests but they didn't say what. Jet's ready in fifteen." Over the flight he insisted they all get some sleep having been working around the clock since it started. They needed fresh eyes. It was only a few hours later when they pulled up to the hotel. It was a bit remote but not completely isolated. It wasn't a bad spot to hide if you arrived at the right time and kept pretty quiet. They went straight to the room which was on the first floor; specially requested. The room was nothing special with one bed, primitive, small bathroom, cheap furniture and cheap carpet.

"We've got scuff marks on these pipes. They could be from handcuffs, two spots, two hostages" Hotchner circled like a hawk.

"Shower's been used The towels and soaps are gone. Blood at the foot of this bed. There are two knives and a long pin needle kicked under the bed too"

"He experimented. This is probably his first transition from spree kill to sexual sadism. It's probably Reid's blood. Chaplin will see him as the weaker, submissive of the two and easier to control. It's exactly the confidence boost he needs, especially if he's testing out his preferences."

"I just talked to the desk clerk. He identified Chaplin's photo but he said his appearance was very different. He's wearing a leather jacket but he had a dress shirt and tie underneath. He has black hair and he had half of it spiked up and half of it slicked back and silver studded half gloves like a biker would wear." JJ strutted into the room.

"He's searching for a new identity, adopting overtly masculine tendencies but he wasn't settled, still uncomfortable with his new identity. This will change the more he experiments and adapts to his sense of dominance."

"They found semen in the bed. Only one contributor which matched Chaplin." Hotchner flipped through the preliminary notes.

"So what does that mean for Spence and Morgan?"

"It means we need to get them back and soon." JJ's phone rang and the room went silent for its duration.

"We just got a 9-1-1 call. We may have a sighting of Chaplin at a rest stop on the Nebraska and South Dakota state line. They say that it was a shooting."

"They're heading consistently northwest now." Hotchner noticed.

"That's good. A consistent route means a possible destination. He may be done running wild and we can predict it."

When they arrived the rest stop was empty. A normal status by the looks of it. It was dingy with the trash from litter blown in stuck in the trees and weeds and smelled of urine. Just out of sight of the road were signs of a struggle. The dirt was kicked up and gouged. There were tire tracks leading up to it and away from it but most disturbing was the blood soaked mud next to the tracks. The alleged witness was sitting on one of the cop cars sipping water looking bored with the wait.

"A homeless man is the witness?" JJ inquired of the nearest cop.

"I'm not homeless. I'm on a road trip and wanted to travel by foot. It used to be normal you know" he walked up surprising her.

"Oh, I'm sorry sir, I meant no offense"

"Whatever, I'm not out for your approval. You have some questions for me?"

"Yes sir, we want to know what you saw, no detail is too small"

"Well I was stopped here around 2 pm for a pit stop. I'd just finished taking care of my…business…when I came out a car came screeching up. It barely stopped when this guy jumped out of the back and pulled a man from the driver's seat out real fast and starting beating the shit outta him. That's when a third guy got outta the car but it was odd. He was running with his hands always held in front of him, like they were tied. Anyways, he started brawling with the first guy that got out. They kept up for a few minutes then the first guy got the third guy by the neck and put a gun to his head and started arguing with the other guy. That was when he shot the guy he wasn't choking. He threw them both in the back seat and drove off after that" Gideon schooled his reactions. One of them had been shot and beaten.

"Did you hear what they were arguing about?" the man thought about it for a moment.

"I didn't hear it real well but it sounded like he was trying to convince them he was in charge. They said something about hostages and keeping something up. I don't know. It was real hard to hear. I was just trying to keep outta sight"

"We understand. Can you identify any of these as the men you saw?" they showed him the photos of Chaplin, Reid and Morgan.

"Y-yeah all three. This guy" he pointed to Chaplin, "was the guy that got outta the back and had the gun. The black guy was driving and that one was the one that got out last"

"One last question. Which one of these men was shot?"

"The black guy."

"You're sure?"

"Yup."

"Alright thank you for your help." JJ hurried to Hotch and Gideon.

"JJ"

"We've got a problem. According to the witness the three got into a fight which ended with Morgan getting shot."

"Do we know how bad?"

"No, he said they drove off immediately after"

"It's a good sign he took them both. If he thought it would be fatal anytime soon he would have left him." Hotchner commented.

"Unless he's getting better, trying to disguise his path by dumping him elsewhere."

"No, he's not organized enough for that. Even with his development he's never shown any attempt to prevent us from finding his crimes. He just slows us down in finding him"

"He's still switching cars at every opportunity. Have Garcia dig as deep back into the family history. See if there's anyone Chaplin might idolize as masculine. He may try to emulate it or even go to them."

"Whatever we do we have to do it fast or we're going to be picking up more bodies."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Here we go another chapter for you! Hopefully the punctuation isn't so bad this time. I had forgotten to proofread these before posting, plus I'm bad at grammar anyways, my english teacher's teaching technique was mad libs, no joke. I forgot to mention this is the first in a sequence of stories part of my Bad Penny series, all oriented around Reid. I completely understand loving Reid whump more than Morgan whump but alas, I must whump them all! As always I beg for reviews!**

Chapter 8

The next time Morgan was truly conscious and not drifting they weren't in a car anymore. It was cold around him but it looked like he was inside a small house. He looked up blearily at a window above him leeching cold air onto him with pine trees bending under a sharp wind. He felt like gravity pulled twice as hard on him, pressing him into the floor and he couldn't resist it. Strange sounds from deeper in the room drew his attention. The room spun whenever he turned his head but once it settled he could see two men on the floor. His lethargic mind took too long to recognize Chapman on top crushing the strange man's neck below him. His struggles were feeble at best and having no effect on Chaplin whom wore a manic grin with an excited glint in his eyes. Another moment and his arms fell slack to the floor but his feet still shuffled as Chaplin leaned heavier on his jugular. Morgan tugged at his hands' restraints. He was cuffed to a metal ring bolted into the wall but the set up was secure. He had no chance of breaking free without bolt cutters at least. Unable to bring himself to watch the unknown man die he scanned the room finding Spencer quickly. He was cuffed to another metal ring in the wall curled up tight as he could, head resting in the crook of his elbow staring back dully. As soon as he realized Morgan was watching him he looked away, closing his eyes at the thumps of the man's final moments of life.

Morgan's attention flicked back to Chaplin whom sat up still on top of his victim breathing hard. He leered at Derek then sauntered over to Reid yanking him by his chin to look him in the eye.

"Wasn't that fun? Don't you think that was fun _boy_?" he gave Reid a hard shake making him wince. Derek's gut twisted with anger seeing the grotesque hand print bruises covering his neck and the thin outline of purple around his lips he hadn't seen earlier.

"Leave him…alone." The unnatural thickness of his own voice startled him. Chaplin stood.

"So you're awake now are you? FBI man Morgan, the _great_ protector." He mocked, "Going to protect your little friend are you? But then, look at you. All tied up, like a wounded rabbit. A pretty useless protector aren't you? You feel safe with _him_ protecting you kid? Hmmm? Do you want _him_ defending your _life_?" he rattled him by the hair, pulling hairs from his scalp. Spencer kept his eyes averted and jaws clamped shut silently. Chaplin smacked him hard his head rebounding off the wall. Still he remained silent. "Tsk Tsk, so stubborn." Chaplin pulled a taser from the nightstand activating it a few times grinning each time Spencer flinch at the sound.

"Hey! Leave him alone! Get the hell away from him!" Morgan bellowed as Chaplin pressed the live taser to his shoulder. A full ten seconds passed before he stopped and Reid quivered for almost a minute longer.

"Well, you want your life in his hands kid? Answer me." He gave a few abrupt zaps with the taser.

"Y-yes….without…a….second…thought." He fought to control his muscles but the short bursts had done a number on them. They twitched and jumped against his will.

"You hear that? He doesn't even hesitate to trust you with his life. So Mr. FBI, when you feel like deserving his trust, feel free to stop me when you're ready to make good on his faith." He turned and began kicking Reid hard and fast fueled by his cries of pain and Morgan's shouted threats until Spencer slumped backwards hanging from the cuffs heavily. He was still conscious but just barely. Chaplin shot Derek a mocking grin before dragging the dead man out of the house followed by the sounds of digging.

"Reid, Reid, c'mon kid answer me." his head lolled and he muttered unintelligibly. "C'mon Reid you can do this. Stay awake and fight it." He thumped his head against the wall for a moment frustrated at himself. "I'm sorry. I should be able to stop him." He yanked on the restraints again shuddering at the pain piercing his gut.

"Not your…fault, can't get…loose." He lumbered to sit up again and managed to get leaned on the wall which was only slightly more comfortable. "You…okay? Been out..almost….day and a half…" he labored to breathe normally.

"I'll be fine. I'm just worried about you. He's fixating on you." Spencer sunk a little lower head tilting forward dipping in and out of consciousness. "Hey! Reid, stay awake, Reid!"

"I'm good, I'm good." he sucked in a breath jerking back to sitting up.

"Reid what's he been doing while I was out?" Reid shook his head to clear the cobwebs.

"Jus what you saw."

"Was that the first?" Morgan hesitated, "The first man he's brought back and killed?" Reid changed his posture again trying to take pressure off his ribs.

"No, it's…the third."

"Damn, he's a fast mover."

"He's enjoying…having FBI agents, as hostages."

"He's after the power, compensating for weakness he's felt his whole life and it makes him feel good again."

"Yes, it does." They jumped not having heard him return. "You seem to have perked up since our last _game_. Now that the work's done, I think we can play another game."

"No! You leave him alone!" Derek wasn't surprised that he was ignored. Spencer fought him hard as he could even managing to re-break the guy's nose with an errant elbow but despite his efforts he was still dragged into the bathroom the door locked behind them. Morgan strained against the restraints but nothing would budge. He could hear scuffling feet and water running. Minutes passed and occasionally he could hear laughing. He only broke his gaze from the door to check the clock. It was a little over half an hour later before Chaplin emerged, alone, looking to the wall restraints then to Morgan and grinned.

"No, I don't think so. It's worse for you not knowing." he disappeared into the bathroom and dragged an immobile Reid through the room and out the front door. He could hear pounding like a hammer and then a few minutes later he came back alone.

"Where is he? What the hell did you do to him!"

"It just burns you up not knowing doesn't it? You have to have the control of knowing everything, protecting everyone, don't you?" he left Morgan seething while he got a long hot shower and then a big bowl of hot cup of noodles chuckling every time Morgan's stomach rumbled taunted by the smell. He hadn't eaten in days, neither had Spencer, and his body was desperate for food. "Well get some sleep, it's going to be a long _cold_ night."

Outside Spencer shivered in the cold air, his hair and clothes soaked through with water. He was on the edge of consciousness not quite able to reach either. Even out here he could smell the food, his gut churning for just a bite. When he could control himself enough to move he curled up tight trying to conserve what little warmth he had. He couldn't quite track the passing of time but he could see the shadows moving with the moon and figured it was almost directly above him when it started to snow. The sounds of snoring from within blended in with the wildlife prowling the night. In his more lucid moments he was able to get some of the snow from the ground eating it tentatively feeling a little relief from his thirst.

"Reid, Reid!" he could just barely hear the shouted whispers. He tried to respond but his raw throat and the water still in his lungs prevented him from getting enough volume to be heard inside. He didn't try to push the snow away from him as it stacked up around him. No matter how uncomfortable it was pressed against his skin it would help to insulate him as well. He didn't know how far up the mountain they were and couldn't calculate what the temperature was now or what it would drop to in the dark hours of the morning. He did know that whenever the moonlight showed through the trees at just the right angle he could see frost forming over his skin and the growing tightness in his chest. He tested his restraints again but they were pounded in solid and he was weak with hunger and the injuries. He tamped down on the frustration at their helplessness and tucked his face between his elbows trying to block out more of the cold and focused on just surviving the night.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Here we go another chapter for you! We have one left after this and then it's on to the sequel! I worked on getting a little more story on that one to balance out the whump! I tend to be a whumpage addict. Reviews are always wanted!**

Chapter 9

It was strange the things that went through his head in this situation. Even now as bubbles burst through his vision, deeply submerged, lungs flooding with water, and all he could think of was how glad he was that the water was warm against his icy skin. Breathing or drowning he was too lethargic to really distinguish either. His lungs burned and his head throbbed. His vision was darkened and distorted the indistinct shapes. The bathtub drowning had become his favorite torment when he wasn't using the taser. He didn't focus on the details much but this time he noticed the man was wearing a rubber suit and gloves and it would worry him if he had the energy. He had no warning when the taser was dipped into the water his body flying into spasm. He never got a chance to recover from each jolt before the next followed. There was a vague recollection of being resuscitated a few times but he couldn't be sure. His world had lost reality.

Discovering himself slumped against a wall suddenly startled him. He wanted to open his eyes and figure out which was real, water or wall, but his eyes were sticky like glue and he couldn't remember leaving or arriving. He couldn't breathe normally no matter how he tried his chest was so tight. There was a flopping feeling like a fish struggling inside it. He tried to squirm away from the sensation but he wasn't sure if he succeeded to move and he certainly didn't manage to relieve the pain. He still felt half frozen. His first sight when he didn't manage to open his eyes was the filthy carpet. It took him a long time before he could shift his gaze to anything else and he found the window above Morgan the bright sun burning his eyes eliciting a whimper of pain. He buried his head between his arms desperate to escape the torturous light. Even the smallest movements made his chest clench harder and the spasms through his chest worsening.

"Reid, Reid!" his head twitched in the direction of the voice. "Spencer, wake up! Spencer!" this time when he opened his eyes it was dark this time. It still hurt but it was bearable. He heard the person call for him again. He blinked sluggishly trying to muster the drive to find his friend and even when he did he was barely discernable. He tried to focus, eyes rolling, but failed. "Spencer, you gotta breathe man, slow it down." He hadn't even noticed the rapid staccato breaths he was taking as the pressure in his chest building. Across the room Morgan was on the verge of panic. Even in the night light he could see something was seriously wrong with the kid and rapidly getting worse. He'd never really recovered from the night in the cold remaining mostly unresponsive and shivering all day until he'd been dragged into the bathroom again. This time taking the taser. They'd been in there over an hour this time and when they came out Spencer was insensible and heavily favoring his left side, especially the arm. Now hours later he was only getting worse, hyperventilating, left arm crushed to his chest. "Spencer, look at me, c'mon kid."

"M-Morgan?" he licked his lips thickly sounding unsure of what he was seeing.

"Tell me what's going on? Left side of your chest hurting? Getting hard to breathe?"

"Hey! You two keep quiet!" the front door slammed shut neither hostage having heard him arrive.

"You need to let him go. He needs medical attention" Derek argued.

"Shut up." he set down the bag of groceries.

"How much trouble do you think you'll be in if a member of the FBI dies, huh?"

"I don't care!" Chaplin snarled snatching up the taser and jamming it into Reid's chest so hard they could hear the plastic casing cracking. All the shouting in the world didn't get him to stop until a full minute later when he left Reid seizing violently and walked away with a smirk. He sucked in shallow breaths desperately but could get enough, couldn't exhale, gripping his left elbow so tight he drew blood.

"Reid! Reid, listen to me! You're having a heart attack, you gotta cough, cough as hard and long as you can. Reid, Reid, do it!" He couldn't tell if the kid could even hear him until after an eternity he did the over long cough like he was told albeit weakly. "That's good keep coughing just like that Reid" he kept coaching him through the attack. It took over an hour before he was slumped calmly against the wall again, breathing almost normally. Morgan kept watching him ignoring the burning in his own gut and the sweat dripping down his back. He wanted to sleep but he forced himself awake to watch over Reid. He hoped the team was close because they were in trouble.

"Okay my lovelies I've been digging into Chaplin's family history and he's got a great grandfather that lived in South Dakota. I've only got stories passed down but apparently the great grandfather was the ultimate in masculinity. Rumor had it he had two or three girls in every state and children by the dozen, his nickname was…ew, Johnny Appleseed."

"Sounds like someone Chaplin would idolize while he's going through a psychotic break over masculinity. Do we have any information about land or property he might have owned?"

"I'm working on it and will get back to you when my goddess powers get results." she hung up on the conference. JJ's phone rang. The conversation was short and abrupt, immediately after she called up Garcia again.

"Hey Garcia, try running your search in the Fall River's area of South Dakota."

"Righty O just give me a moment for the magic to work."

"What's going on in Fall River?"

"Three men have disappeared, signs of a struggle but no evidence yet, the only connection so far is they're all considered strong alpha male types."

"They would make prime targets for Chaplin to reassert his masculinity."

"JJ you were right, I've got a small house that was built by the great grandfather and passed down through the family straight down to Chaplin. I'm sending you the address." Their phones all beeped.

"Thanks Garcia, that's where they must be now, it's the only other place Chaplin would have to go."

"Bring my babies back safe and sound."

"Don't worry Garcia, we'll get them back."

It was a two hour drive out to the house. The air got cold and quiet the farther up the mountain roadside a sense of remoteness overwhelmed them. The trees got so thick that you couldn't see the sky as they pulled up to the house. There was no noise coming from inside the house as they approached silently, JJ and Gideon at the back door and Hotchner at the front. They busted down the doors and charged the house with practiced ease clearing rooms quickly.

"FBI surrender now!" Chaplin moved fast whipping out the gun and ducking against the wall gripping Reid by the hair lifting his head back and around to face them as he pressed the gun to his temple.

"Back off or he's dead!" he kept shifting his grip on the gun.

"Think it through Chaplin, you're surrounded, and outgunned. You've killed a lot of people, you really think we're going to let you go?" Hotch spared a quick glance at Morgan against the other wall unresponsive, dripping with sweat and clearly bloody. Gideon stepped in front of him protectively while JJ moved around to the center sealing the last tiniest hole he could escape through.

"You will if you want him alive!"

"Think it through, three FBI agents against you. Even if you tried you wouldn't make it out of here." He pulled out a cuff key undoing Reid cautious to keep the gun dangerously ready then dragging him up by his neck to be a better shield. He borderline conscious but he still whimpered face pinched with pain, breathing erratically. Hotchner didn't blink keeping a solid cold glare on Chaplin.

"Do you _want_ me to kill him?" He jabbed Reid with the gun a few times getting another groan. Hotchner pushed him taking a large step forward.

"You've lost, there's no way out for you except surrender."

"Stop it! Stop it! I will kill him!" he squeezed the trigger a little harder threateningly.

"It won't matter. You kill him you're at best captured and at worst dead. You can't win here." That took Chaplin back a moment. In the small distraction, his arm tired, he let Spencer slide lower. JJ took the shot. Hotch caught Reid before he could fall and dragged him from Chaplin while JJ kicked away the gun and checked he really was dead then called in two ambulances. Gideon checked Morgan finding he had a very high fever with a bad gunshot wound to his abdomen that wasn't currently bleeding but had been recently given the blood stain on the floor but he seemed stable for now. Gideon got him laid down with his legs propped up to keep him stable. Across the room was anything but stability.

"Reid, Reid." Hotch had him lying flat a blanket thrown over him and his legs propped partway on the bed trying to combat the shock. He was a sickly ashen grey and cold to the touch. His right side shook violently but the left side was tensed to immobility and curling up to his chest despite their efforts to keep him still and flat. His eyes drifted open and closed again heavily. "Reid you have to stay awake." He obeyed this time but it was clearly a struggle.

"H-Ho..." He coughed and whimpered gaze slipping for a second before finding Hotch again.

"Good, that's good Reid." A coughing fit hit Reid hard, his lips going a bit blue. JJ slid in beside them on the phone again checking his pulse, leaning in to listen to his breathing and reporting it to the other person on the phone.

"That was the paramedics they say it's at least 3 hours for them to get out here and to drive him in ourselves. They say keep them as still as we can and keep them warm. They'll have a chopper waiting for us at the first available site it can land by the roadside."

"Pull the car up to the door I don't want to carry them farther than we have to."

"We need to find aspirin the medics say think Reid's been having heart attacks or is having one now." Gideon jumped up and began searching. Hotch got ahold of some water bottles and sat Reid up giving him small sips. At first he coughed and spluttered then he surged forward gulping it back as fast as he could only to turn roll to his side and vomit the second Hotch got it away from him. Hotch waited until he was done to admonish him unsure whether his slower pace the second time was because of obedience or exhaustion. In minutes they had Reid sprawled in the backseat, covered with multiple blankets that barely kept him warm and Morgan in the front passenger with the seat laid back while Gideon drove and Hotch sat in the back foot well and JJ remained at the scene.

The ride to the chopper rendezvous was agonizingly long, especially for Reid. When he wasn't coughing violently it was vomiting and no matter how smooth the ride or how he was positioned the pain was inescapable and increasing. He was disoriented at best seldom grasping anything beyond that. Hotch was always sitting nearby constantly telling him to be still or to stay awake. Derek remained unconscious but stable and Gideon silent. In comparison to the hour drive the chopper flight was the blink of an eye. Hotchner continued with his team mates while Gideon went back to JJ. The flight did nothing to calm Hotch's fears for the pair, especially Spencer, with the medics' flurry of activity around him, the unnatural rhythms audible through the heart monitor and the numerous tubes being iv's being added to them both. It was an almost out of body feeling when he finally found himself standing in the hospital hallways, alone, his team members taken away by doctors, with nothing to do but wait. It took a nurse suggesting he get some coffee and have a seat while he wait to get him moving again. He complied, finding and found himself with a hot coffee checking his phone with a half-hearted chuckle. There were ten voicemails and twenty two texts from Garcia.

_Are my babies safe?_


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Alrighty, this is the last chapter for this story in the Bad Penny series. The next one is already finished. I'm working hard to improve my skills and add in more character depth to balance out the character whump! Always pushing for better. Reviews are always wanted and begged for! I hope you enjoyed it! Keep an eye out for the sequel, The Papercut Murders.**

Chapter 10

Sandpaper lined the inside of his eyelids and they were unnaturally heavy. There was a strange blend of white noise and total silence around him. There was a vague sense that he should be in pain but it was dull and distant. There were memories just out of reach he was sure were urgent but he resigned to having to wait until he had the energy. He sucked in a deep slow breath his lungs feeling reluctant. When he finally got his eyes open everything was too bright and too white. The sandpaper feeling transformed into a sticky sensation and it took a moment for his vision to clear. He was in a hospital room which lead his mind to recognize the drugs flowing through his system.

"Hey lover." He blinked and sucked in another breath before finding Garcia sitting next to him looking all sorts of worried and relieved.

"Baby Girl."

"Oh how sweet it is to hear your chocolate syrupy voice again" he grinned then gulped the water greedily when she gave it to him only have it snatched again with a light slap at his shoulder. "Slow down baby you'll get sick if you drink too fast."

"Sorry baby girl, haven't had water in days." He took the water in controlled sips this time.

"I know. They said you were severely dehydrated and malnourished. Oh my poor chocolate bunny" she petted his head for a moment until his thirst was slaked. Before he could ask any of the questions surfacing through the drug haze she skipped to the phone and dialed, "Hey Hotch, my chocolate thunder is awake!" he chuckled while struggling to sit up.

"Where're my clothes? Where's Spencer? Did you get the unsub?" he started to push himself off the bed ignoring how hard his arm shook.

"No you don't, you're not getting out of that bed" he pressed him back down to the bed with the mere force of her pinky pressed to his forehead. She ignored his growl of irritation that he couldn't resist such a feeble subduing gesture. "You've been out cold for two days with a severe infection, you have a broken clavicle and had an aggravated grade three concussion. Your sugar bum is staying in that bed until I say so, not the doctors, not Hotch, _me._" He chuckled with a puff of discontent to follow.

"I'm fine baby girl, I gotta see Reid."

"You lay down and behave or I _will_ punish you." Morgan lay back in defeat accepting she would overpower him every time and just how exhausted he felt.

"Alright, no need for threats but you gotta feed me some info baby girl. What's going on? How's Reid?"

"I think I can answer a few of those questions." Hotch let himself into the room. "How are you feeling?" Morgan grumbled and rolled his eyes.

"I'm fine, why won't anyone believe I'm fine?"

"You were in a seven hour surgery, borderline septicemic, and unconscious for two days, it'll go by faster if you cooperate." Morgan muttered under his breath but settled further into the bed compliantly.

"Good boy." Garcia patted his head pleased, "I'll go get you some food"

"Talk to me Hotch. What happened? Where's Reid?"

"The unsub was a man named Chaplin. He lost his job and killed his cheating wife and her lover but got trapped on the scene when we arrived. He forced us to shoot him." Hotch began.

"And Reid, how is he? Don't tell me he's dead Hotch, don't tell me that."

"He's not dead, but he's in bad shape, he had had four or five heart attacks before we arrived, some of them serious ones, and another two since he got to the hospital. He had a significant amount of water in his lungs, early signs of frostbite and a severe case of pneumonia."

"Damn, the bastard was drowning him in the bathtub and made him stay outside one night just to piss me off."

"It's not your fault, we know you both did what you could."

"Yeah well it wasn't enough." He resisted the growing exhaustion.

"It was more than anyone could have expected of you. Chaplin was cautious, he always left you restrained, unconscious or separated."

"Alrighty I brought you some scrumptious chicken soup with salt crackers and juice. They said eat it slowly so you don't upset your tummy." Garcia fluttered around them.

"I'm going to check on Reid. Take good care of him Garcia." He went up a floor to the intensive care unit which was even quieter than all the others. There were a few people sitting and waiting solemnly avoiding the gaze of passers. He waited at the door for a moment observing JJ asleep her hand holding Reid's hand. He looked frail underneath he bruises and fevered sweats. He still shook roughly, eyes sunken, fidgeting constantly in his sleep. "JJ." he put a hand on her shoulder knowing the touch would wake her.

"Hotch." she stretched back popping with dark circles under her eyes.

"Go home, get some real sleep and a hot meal."

"I'm fine."

"JJ, go home."

"Fine, you'll call if he wakes up?"

"Of course, the doctor's said it could be any time. They're trying to keep him off all sedatives and most drugs, something about not straining his system." He gave her a good push out the door so she couldn't stall any longer before taking her chair. He couldn't stop the impulse to press a palm to his forehead and neck like he did with Jack surprised when his head tilted into his palm.

"Reid, are you awake?" he got no response and pulled his hand away surprised by Spencer's groan. He quickly replaced his hand on his forehead and Reid instantly pressed into his palm. He left it this time instinctively rubbing his forehead with his thumb which seemed to soothe him further. It was the only responsiveness he showed. He kept relatively quiet through the night only occasionally stirring and muttering incomprehensibly. More often than not he seemed pinched with discomfort. The doctors came and went, sometimes saying he was improving and sometimes saying he was holding steady. It must have been near three in the morning when he saw Gideon appear in the doorway.

"It's always the youngest that suffer the most."

"It shouldn't be like this. He should be the most protected, of all of us he's the most innocent."

"He's a tough kid."

"Tougher than he lets show but he shouldn't have to go through this. We need to protect him better."

"Hotch we couldn't have prevented this. We had no way of knowing what happened at that third house. Reid would hate it but it was a stroke of bad luck."

"He would hate calling it luck." A groan interrupted their conversation. They expected him to settle again like before but he remained distressed. "Reid, Reid are you awake?" Hotch rubbed his forehead again feeling hopeful seeing the kid respond. It took a few minutes before he actually opened his eyes and stared bleary and vacant.

"Reid, you with us?" Gideon stepped up putting a hand on his elbow. Another minute and a bit of clarity returned to his eyes and he began to look around sluggishly.

"Reid?"

"Wha? Hotch?" he slurred faintly.

"Reid, do you know where you are?" Reid tried to sit up further but stopped before anyone could reprimand him with a wince at the dull ache in his chest. He swallowed thickly then looked back to Hotch and Gideon abandoning his hope at movement.

"Where m'I?" he shifted a bit still uncomfortable.

"You're at the hospital, you've been here for almost three days now" Reid tried to focus his thoughts but he felt fuzzy, stupid.

"Was h-hostage, car…Morgan!" he bolted up remembering the days with the unsub on the run but he couldn't remember what happened at the end or where Morgan was now.

"Hey, take it easy, you need to keep calm, you've had several bad heart attacks." Hotch pushed him back down to the bed glancing at the heart monitor fearfully until it settled into the normal pace, established by the drugs, again. He prevented any further questions with a glass of water which was eagerly accepted.

"Heart attacks?" He was having trouble tracking the facts.

"The unsub, Chaplin, used a taser on you severely enough to cause numerous heart attacks."

"Oh." he felt drained eyes getting heavy.

"Get some sleep, your both safe now, everything will be okay" Reid drifted into sleep again completely at ease with the team near.

Somewhere in a distant, dark room filled will mold and musk a lone figure sat with a bowl of macaroni watching the news report play across the screen. His interest was aroused by the spree killer, Chaplin, he thought the name was, taking two FBI men hostage, robbing banks and convenience marts, murdering most anyone that crossed his path. Then they displayed the photos of the agents and he jumped up, macaroni spilling everywhere, sinewy fingers stroking the photo of Dr. Spencer Reid.

"Beautiful."


End file.
