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Time	By : cr8zymommy Category: 1 through F > Criminal Minds Views: 4585 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story

Chapter List
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The station held an even more frantic air than before. It grew worse when JJ and Dave came back, only to find out that Spencer was now gone. Emily and Dave both had to catch her arms to keep her from dropping straight to the ground. Spencer’s name was a low moan on her lips. This was all too much. It was just too much for her to handle. Morgan reached out, taking her hand in his,. He had no strength to offer but he could lend his support and understanding.
A sudden shout interrupted them. “Guys, guys!” Garcia shouted. “Someone’s hacking the station’s system!”
The team moved as a unit to stand behind Garcia. Just as they reached her, every computer in the police station went to a black screen before popping up with the same image. It was of a small room. Inside it were Henry and Spencer.
The little boy was chained off on the side of the room to a pipe on the wall. There was a cloth tied over his eyes, thankfully, and he looked unharmed. There was no blood on him, no visible marks. His small sobs were echoing over the speakers.
In center screen was Spencer. The sight of his body gripped Morgan, holding him frozen in place. Sweet God his mind whispered. There was already blood dripping down Spencer’s arm from his gunshot wound and from a new wound on his side. Fresh bruises mottled his skin in various places. A look of absolute terror was on his face, though it was obvious that he was trying to contain it.
The silence in the room was finally broken. “Oh sweet God. Henry.” JJ whispered as her tears started to spill over. She couldn’t stop her hand from coming out, fingers tracing over the computer image of her son. He was alive. Scared, but alive. And in the hands of a maniac.
The smirking face of Vincent appeared on the screen. “Hello there, FBI agents. As you see, it’s just like I told you all. My boy is right back where he belongs. It was easy, really. All I had to do was use this little shit over here to lure him back home. I know my boy better than any of you. I know how to handle him.”
Suddenly the smirk slid off Vincent’s face. “Now all of you are going to see what your interference has caused. You’ll all suffer for stepping in like this. You, Agent Morgan, can see what you could have prevented if you’d just left my property alone! I had to make you see so you can understand!” He paused, gathering his composure. “Who should take the punishment, do you think? My boy, or yours, JJ?” he snarled. The use of her name had JJ startling. A moan slid past her lips. No, no! Not her son. Morgan grabbed one of her hands while Emily took the other, gripping them tightly. Garcia put a hand on her hip and she even felt Hotch and Rossi behind her, touching her shoulders. Please, God, don’t let him hurt my son!
Apparently she wasn’t the only one that was thinking that way. All of a sudden Spencer started to twitch in his chains. “No!” He shouted, startling all of them, Vincent included. “No! That wasn’t the deal! I came home, Master! I came here. You said you wouldn’t hurt him!”
There was a thud as Vincent spun and punched Spencer in the stomach. The sound made Henry jump and sob harder.
“If I want to hurt him, boy, you aren’t going to stop me.” Vincent snarled at Spencer. He gripped his hair, tipping his head back. But Spencer wasn’t done. Panting through the pain he was obviously feeling, he spoke again. “Don’t hurt him, Master. Don’t. He’s just a child.”
This time Vincent let go of Spencer’s hair and punched him right in his mouth. It still didn’t stop Spencer, though. The others watched with horror as Spencer spit out what looked like a tooth and let the blood trail down his face, speaking around it. “Please, Master. Please. You don’t want a child. What good would he be for you? He’s just a two year old. There’s no fun there. None at all. He may scream, but he won’t scream well. He’d die too quickly. Little bodies just aren’t up for this. Look at him; he’s nothing like what you want. He’s useless to you.”
Sobs tried to rip their way up JJ’s frame as she listened to Spencer’s harsh words. What on earth was he doing? “He’s going to make Vincent kill my baby!” she whispered starkly.
Morgan spoke up softly beside her. Pain echoed through every word; he knew what Spencer was doing and it broke his heart. “No, he’s not. He’s a profiler, JJ, and he knows this man better than any. He knows Vincent won’t kill him.”
“Then what the hell is he doing?”
It was Spencer who spoke then, answering her question. Surprisingly, Vincent was standing, staring at Spencer, not hitting him for talking. “Master, look at him, he’s nothing like what you want. He’s too small. He probably couldn’t even get in more than two screams.” Swallowing, Spencer looked at his tormenter. “Why don’t you send him away? Drop him off somewhere or just open the door and let him out. He’s too little. He won’t be able to tell where we are. Then…then I’m all yours. You can have me to yourself just like it’s meant to be.”
When he saw that Vincent wasn’t getting angry, Spencer kept going, his voice more eager. “Remember how it was, Master? Why bother with his little screams? I’ll scream for you. I’ll scream for you for hours. You know I can. You love listening to me scream. I’ll bleed for you, Master. Remember how sweet it tastes? No one can make me bleed, make me scream, like you can when you Have me. Remember how good it feels, Master? You don’t need him. Your boy is right here, waiting for you. I need you. I’ve been a bad boy, Master. I need you, please, punish me. Only you can take care of me.”
“You’ve been a bad boy, hm?” Vincent took a step forward, tipping his head to look Spencer in the face.
Eagerly Spencer nodded. “Yes, Master. Please, I want to be alone with you. Just you and me, the way it’s supposed to be. Let the kid go. We don’t need him. I’m right here, all yours. I’m not going anywhere. I’m home, where I belong. With you. Please, Master, I need you to punish me.”
The indecision was still on Vincent’s face. All of them saw the knowledge flash in Spencer’s eyes, followed by something that almost looked like resignation before it was masked underneath his shield. His next words made no sense to anyone but Morgan and Garcia. “Remember how good the Inferno felt, Master? Remember how it made you feel? It’s been a long time.”
Garcia gasped and Morgan moaned, long and low and painful, but they said nothing. A flash came into Vincent’s eyes. He grabbed Spencer’s chin, pulling him in for a sharp kiss before shoving him back. Then he moved quickly across the room to Henry. A moan slid past JJ’s lips when the man roughly unhooked her boy and yanked him up. He looked to the camera. “I’m going to drive him away and drop him off by a payphone, where I will dial the station number and leave the child with the phone.”
That said, the man turned and raced with Henry from the room, forgetting entirely about the camera. Everyone in the station watched on their screens as Spencer cocked his head, listening for a sound. Apparently he was satisfied with what he heard because his gaze turned to the camera. There was such a dead look in his eyes.
“JJ, if you’re watching this, I am so sorry he took Henry from you. He didn’t hurt him that I know of. I am so sorry your son had to go through this terror. He was blindfolded, but I hope he didn’t hear anything too traumatic. Please, make sure he knows his Godfather loved him. With counseling and with your and Will’s love, I know he’ll make it out of this. You’re one of my best friends, JJ. One of the kindest, sweetest, most gentle women I’ve ever known. You’ve always been like a mother and a sister rolled into one. I always appreciated all you did for me. Please know that.
“To the rest of you, I’m sorry. I had to do this. I couldn’t let him hurt my Godson. I’ve messed up so many things lately, but this was something I had to do. If anything, Master is a man of his word. Henry won’t be hurt. You’ll be getting a call soon in the next five to ten minutes, I’d guess.”
The station was so silent a pin dropping would have sounded like a bomb. No one could take their eyes from the screens.
“Hotch—Aaron—I know you did everything you could. I know that. You’ve been a strong, driving force in my life. If it wasn’t for some of the things you’ve taught me, I never would have made it as long as I have in any part of my life. You gave me so much and you taught me how to be a man, not just a kid. Thank you. Don’t let this shut you down. Don’t lock yourself away. There’s a difference between being a strong leader and isolating yourself from the world. So much has happened to you, but you don’t have to be alone. Don’t isolate yourself, you have so much to give and receive.
“Rossi, you’ve been like family to me. Like everyone’s favorite Uncle. Stern when you needed to be, but always there. Your door was always open and I may not have used it before this started, but it was a comfort to know it was there. Keep your door open for the others; they’re going to need it. You’re one of the biggest pegs that hold us together. We all hated when you came to replace Gideon, yet somehow you ended up being one of the most important parts of us.
“Emily. My pretty lady.” He paused, smiling softly. “You try and act so tough all the time and you think no one notices the soft person underneath. It’s a shield you put up to keep safe but at the same time you always looked desperately like you wanted someone to see the woman underneath there. I always did. You may be tough, but you’ve got a huge heart that’s just full of love. Don’t hold it back. Don’t keep from loving people. Remember that, no matter how cold the world gets, the sun is always there. Don’t forget to keep tilting your face up and letting it warm you, my sister. My pretty lady.”
Off somewhere in the station a phone rang. JJ hurried to it, hovering over the officer who answered the call. Within moments the two were racing out the door. Henry had been dropped off. Their time was limited.
“Garcia.” Spencer paused again, another smile curving his lips. “Sweet Penelope. Back at the beginning, back when I was first taken, memories of you helped me too. Everything happens for a reason, right? I held on to that through so many hellish nights, even when I couldn’t remember who you were, I held on to that belief. I still do. Don’t you let this destroy you, Penelope. Don’t. Your love of life is one of the best things about you. No matter what, you’ve always been able to make me smile, make me want to laugh, even when I felt like I was dead on the inside.”
Pausing, Spencer spat blood onto the ground. He sighed, his body shuddering. “Morgan. There are so many things I wish I could say to you, but I’m running out of time. I’ve probably got another five minutes. He’s probably speeding home. I want to tell you the things I didn’t have the strength, the courage, to say before.” All at once, even though he was bruised and bleeding and obviously in pain, a look of pure love was on Spencer’s face, so warm and sweet that it brought tears to Morgan’s eyes. “You are one of the most kind-hearted, courageous, beautiful people I have ever known. With every fiber of my being, Derek Morgan, I love you. I think that, more than anything else, that love was what kept me from going totally insane. It gave me the strength to take my core, my pride, and lock it deep down inside so I could do what I needed to do to stay alive. It gave me the strength to try and live again and it gave me the strength to walk back in here when Master took Henry. I love you so much, Derek.”
There wasn’t a dry eye in the station now. In the silence, Morgan’s words were audible to everyone. “I love you too, pretty boy.”
After spitting more blood out, Spencer lifted his chin. “Penelope, Morgan, I want you two to do me a favor. Don’t let the others watch the video if he leaves it on. He probably will be so caught up in what I offered that he won’t even think of it. I know you heard…you know what he’s going to do. It was the only way to entice him enough to take Henry to safety. The only way I could guarantee he’d take him away and not hurt him. You can explain to them why, but don’t let anyone watch it, please. No one needs to see that image. Turn it down so no one has to hear me. Please, just…let me die with some dignity left.” A breath shuddered out of Spencer. “I can’t tell you where I am because after I arrived, he moved me in a car. I know it wasn’t far, but I don’t know where.
“I came here knowing I’d die here. I’ve accepted that. I love all of you and I’m so sorry for the pain I’ve caused. Take care of each other, please.”
Something had Spencer’s head snapping up to the ceiling. A look flashed into his eyes, there and gone again. He swallowed, visible even on the computer screen. “Remember, don’t watch.” He begged them just as footsteps sounded off screen. “I love you. All of you.” Then his face closed off and they knew he was drawing inside his head, locking himself away from the pain that was coming.
Garcia’s fingers flew over the keyboard of the laptop she pulled out from a bag. Despite the tears on her face, she looked fierce and determined. Within moments the video disappeared off of all screens but the computer in front of her. She set her laptop by the desktop computer. “Morgan, take the team out of here.” She demanded harshly. “There’s a loophole in his firewall. I’ll find the son of a bitch, but it’ll take me at some time.” Her voice faltered for a moment. “If I…If that’s too long, we need to honor his wishes. Go.”
It was hard, but Morgan ushered everyone away from the computers and towards one of the conference rooms. He looked back, seeing Garcia reach up to mute the desktop speaker right as laughter started to come out. Then she was snapping orders for something to be set up on either side of her at the desk for privacy.
He couldn’t bring himself to shut the door all the way, hoping beyond hope that Garcia would get him an address where this was streaming from. If so, he wanted to be ready. But more than that, he knew that as soon as he was done in here, he was going back out there. No matter what Spencer said, Morgan was going to be with him. Even if they couldn’t get to him in time, even if Spencer didn’t want anyone to see him, Morgan was going to be with him in the only way he could. He wouldn’t let…wouldn’t let Spencer die alone.
One look at his friends told him that they were all still in shock…and that they were all waiting for an explanation. He knew exactly what for.
Air shuddered in and out of his lungs. It was so hard to think, so hard to do anything, knowing that his pretty boy, his Spencer, was right at that moment being hurt in the worst ways imaginable. But Spencer has asked him and Garcia to explain and Garcia was busy. That meant it was all left to him. He couldn’t bring himself to do anything beyond the numbness inside but honor what Spencer had asked of him.
He had to clear his throat a few times just to make his voice work. “When he asked him to remember how good the inferno felt, I knew what he meant. Garcia and I both did. That’s why he wanted us to make sure you guys don’t watch. So you don’t have to see him live through that.”
“What is it?” Emily asked in a small voice. It was so different from the usual strength she carried with her. That shield she always had up, the very same one Spencer had commented on, was definitely cracked at the moment.
This was the hardest part. Morgan had to close his eyes as he spoke the words that were ripping him apart. “Hotch, remember that day at the house, when Spencer freaked at what Ethan said? Well, one time, Spence performed Dante’s Inferno when he was made to recite. Apparently the idea intrigued Vincent. The next time he came down, he’d made a session known as the inferno. Spence said Vincent only did it twice the whole time he had him because it took Spence a week to recover from it each time.”
Opening his eyes, Morgan looked at them. “He said in Dante’s Inferno the character goes through the nine circles of hell.”
“Limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery.” Dave said softly.
Morgan nodded. For the next few minutes, he quickly summed up the conversation that he, Spencer and Garcia had had in Morgan’s bed that day. By the time he was done, there were tears in everyone’s eyes. Emily was gripping the back of a chair so hard her knuckles were white. Aaron looked so pale that Morgan was afraid he might pass out any second. Dave just looked sick. Horribly, completely sick.
His job done, Morgan didn’t waste time on his friends. He wanted to comfort them, yes. But nothing was more important than Spencer. Turning on his heel, he spun and headed right back toward the computer. Garcia was still sitting there, her fingers flying over the keys, cocooned in her little cubicle. She didn’t look up when Morgan pulled a chair over. Silently she scooted sideways. “I’d tell you to go, but you wouldn’t listen.” She said in a rough voice.
“No, I wouldn’t. I won’t let him go through this alone.”
She said nothing about the fact that Spencer wouldn’t know he was there. She just kept working as quickly as she could. Morgan gripped his hands tightly together and finally forced his eyes to lift to the screen. He had tried to brace himself for what he would see. He should have known that nothing could prepare him.
Spencer was lying on the ground on his back, just barely visible at this angle. Apparently Vincent really had forgotten entirely about the camera, because it wasn’t even turned down enough to properly view them. But Morgan could still see enough to know what was going on. Spencer’s hands were above his head, most likely secured to something on the floor. Vaguely Morgan wondered how this man had recreated his previous basement so well.
It looked like Spencer was sobbing something, trying to say something. Vincent was straddling his waist, grinning in a way that made Morgan sick. He couldn’t stop himself from rooting around, looking for headphones. He couldn’t stand the silence. Garcia must have been reading his mind because she suddenly handed him a pair. The two said nothing as he plugged them in and turned the sound back on before putting the little buds in his ears. Almost instantly Spencer’s voice filled them. “Please, please, no! Take it off, take it off!”
“Ah, ah, Boy. Quiet. I don’t want to hear you right now.”
Everything in Morgan clenched tightly when he saw Vincent lean forward and place his hands around Spencer’s neck. In his mind, Morgan heard Spencer’s voice, taking him back to that day that Spencer had described the Inferno to them. “For limbo, he figured that it meant that one was between life and death. So, he strangled me until I passed out. Then he revived me and would do it again.”
Helpless, he watched as Vincent strangled the life out of the young doctor. It was the hardest thing Morgan had ever witnessed. Somewhere right now his love was being murdered. Slowly, torturously. And there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. There was nothing he could do. I’m so sorry, Spencer. God, I’m sorry. I should have protected you. I should have been there for you. I love you, baby boy. I love you so much. If we get you out of here, I’m going to tell you that every single day for the rest of your life.
He couldn’t tear his eyes from the screen as Spencer’s voice gurgled in his ear, trying to draw in air. He watched that lithe body buck and shake and try to dislodge the figure that was relentlessly depriving it of oxygen. A sob threatened his throat when he watched Spencer’s body slump and go still. God. God.
“Oh God.” Garcia’s whimper was soft. She didn’t reach for him, though. Her hands just flew faster over the keyboard.
Morgan held his breath and prayed harder than he ever had in his entire life. As Vincent bent over Spencer’s mouth, blowing the air back in to his abused lungs, Morgan kept praying. When he finally saw Spencer’s body jerk and heard him cough, the sob trapped in his throat broke free. He was still alive!
“I’ve got it!”
The tech analyst’s scream echoed through the entire station. All at once everyone was silent, their eyes on Garcia as she spun toward Morgan. “I sent the address to your phones. Go get him!” She practically shrieked at him. Morgan didn’t need to be told twice. He ripped the headphones out of his ears and pulled out his phone even as he was rising and moving toward the station doors. He didn’t bother to see if his team was following; he knew they were.
Just as they reached the SUV’s, Aaron caught up with him, tossing him a Kevlar vest. “I’m driving.” Was all he said. As he made to climb into the front passenger seat, Morgan noticed JJ climbing in the back beside Emily and Dave. Her expression was hard and fierce, daring him to protest. “Will has Henry.” She told him in a voice gone cold as ice. “I’m bringing Spence home.”
He gave her a look just as fierce, a mutual anger radiating between them, bonding them together. They weren’t angry with each other; no, their rage was directed solely toward Vincent. Their determination matched. They would bring Spencer home. JJ was not going to stay and wait for them to rescue her friend. He had sacrificed everything to save her son, his Godson. She would do no less to bring him home.
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