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The Lies of Life	By : hatochiisai Category: 1 through F > Criminal Minds Views: 6846 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds, nor do I make any financial profit off of writing this story.

Chapter List
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Chapter 5

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Reid shivered and looked up at the moon, then down at the man on the horse before him.

“… Dad?” He called.

“Yes, Alex?”

“… Where are we going to go?”

“I don’t know, son.” The man sighed. “For now, we’re going to just hide here in the woods.” A few minutes later, he reined Flint to a halt.

“… Is that a hunting screen?” Reid asked, looking up at the small hut in a tree.

“Yep.” Jonathan said, and dismounted. Reid blinked and did the same. “Up you go, Alex.” Reid blinked and climbed up into the thing. It was small… really only room for one…

Suddenly, an arm wrapped around him, forcibly, and then there was a sharp pain in the side of his neck. Reid gasped and thrashed. But Jonathan pinned him down. Within seconds, Reid’s struggles weakened.

“I’m sorry, son…” Jonathan gasped out. He removed the large coil of rope slung over his shoulder. He bound Reid’s wrists behind him, looping the end of the rope around his neck so that if he struggled, he would strangle himself. Then he coiled the long length down Reid’s body, wrapping it around his upper arms, pinning them to his body. The rope spiraled down his body and around his legs. He coiled it several times around Reid’s thighs, then against just below his knees, and then his ankles. With the final length of rope, he linked Reid’s wrists and ankles. Then he gagged the boy with his own scarf.

Jonathan sighed and gently stroked Reid’s hair, leaning over and kissing his forehead. “I’m so sorry, son. Don’t worry. It’s gonna be okay… I’m gonna fix everything.” He climbed down to the ground and tied Flint to the tree, then mounted Baron. Then he turned and rode away, leaving Reid sedated in the dark.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“What do we do now?” JJ asked, looking at Hotch when the man walked up to her.

“We get a search party together. Talk to the locals.” The man said. “And we find Reid.” Within two hours, the farm was crawling with Police and FBI.

Suddenly, a radio crackled to life.

“Got a rider heading across the field!”

The Agents moved. Their hearts were pounding. It was the bay… but the rider wasn’t Reid. Halfway across the field the rider stopped. He had seen the activity. He turned the horse and headed back the way he came, but it was too late. Officers had surrounded him.

“Get off the horse!!!” Morgan shouted, running across the grass. Jonathan stared around, wildly.

“Please! I just… I just came to get something!” The man cried.

“I don’t think so, man, get off the horse!” Morgan ordered. Jonathan looked panicked at all of the guns, and Baron snorted and pranced, nervously.

“Where is he, Wilkes?!” Hotch shouted.

“… I won’t tell you.” The man gasped. “Just let me have his cats. I’ll take care of him.”

“He’s already remembering, Wilkes.” Rossi said, walking closer. “You can’t fool him. Reid is brilliant. You know it. You wrote it in your journals. We know perfectly well that if we let you go, you’ll kill him.”

“… If you don’t let me go he’ll die sooner.” Jonathan gasped.

“Let me tell you something.” Morgan snapped. “What did he name those cats, huh?! My name is Derek Morgan. Another of our team is Penelope Garcia. Morgan and Garcia. He’s remembering. Now where is he?!”

“… I won’t tell you.” Jonathan hissed, then turned and horse and kicked it. Shots rang out. The horse screamed and reared back, then crashed to the ground. Jonathan howled in pain and law enforcement swarmed in. They jerked him to his feet and he yelped, buckling on his twisted ankle. Baron got to his feet and stood there, trembling, blood running down his side.

“Baron!” Jonathan cried, and tried to get to the horse.

“We’ll have him seen to.” Morgan snarled. “But YOU are coming with us right now.”

An hour later Jonathan found himself sitting in an interrogation room.

“We have minimal forensic evidence…” The sheriff said, frowning.

“We don’t need it.” Hotch said. “There’s enough to make the circumstantial evidence rock solid. We have twenty seven victims, each holding the syringe that was used to murder them with the next victim’s prints on it. The latest victim held a syringe with Reid’s prints on it, and Wilkes had Reid. The victims all resemble his son who died exactly a year before the first abduction. I guarantee a conviction. And once we have Reid’s testimony…”

“IF we can find him alive.” The sheriff snorted. The BAU team leveled cold glares on the man.

“We’ll find him.” Hotch said. “Morgan and I are going to head up the search back at the farm. Rossi and Prentiss, I want you to try to get a confession from Wilkes, and see if you can get him to spill Reid’s location.”

Rossi nodded, then turned and headed into the interrogation room. Wilkes looked at him, nervously.

“You’ve uh… you’ve had it rough, Jonathan.” He said, sitting down. “Your… wife died… then your son… killed by your prize stallion.” Jonathan Wilkes stared hard at he table. “I’m sorry.” Rossi continued. “No man should go through what you have gone through.”

“… No man should have to bury his son…” Jonathan gasped.

“You’re right.” Rossi agreed. “But now, twenty seven mothers and twenty seven fathers will have to do just that.” Jonathan winced.

“Alex was all I had.” He gasped.

“… And Spencer Reid has a mother. And he is all SHE has. Where is he?”

“… Don’t do this.” Jonathan gasped, his face haunted with guilt.

“Reid wrote letters to his mother every day. She’s sick, you know. In a hospital. She lives there. Her only contact with the outside world are the letters from her son. Letters that suddenly stopped a month ago. He was going to visit her, you know. She was expecting him. Waiting for him. And he never showed.”

“Shut up!” Jonathan cried.

“Her son disappeared! And was taken by a man who tried to turn him into someone else! And when he couldn’t fulfill that fantasy, he was going to die! And his mother would never know what happened to her son… Just like her husband.”

“What?”

“His father left them when he was ten. Diana Reid is just like you. Lost her husband… and now may lose her child. At least you have your work. She doesn’t even have this. She will spend the rest of her life remembering. And grieving.” Rossi hissed. “Do you want someone to suffer as you suffered?!”

“NO!”

“WHERE IS REID?!”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Reid groaned. He was cold… so cold. It was dark… His head spun, and his body ached. What happened?

He heard the wind, and the soft rattling of trees. Blinking his eyes open, the moonlight revealed that he was in the little hunters’ hutch. He tried to move. But he was bound tightly. Any struggling cut off his breath. His body ached, but he could do nothing about it… He couldn’t even call out for help!

A snort and stomp below him…

One of the horses was still there. Why would his father do this?! Inject him and leave him tied up in the cold… Reid frowned. Unless… he wasn’t his father.

Suddenly, he felt hands on the sides of his head, and he heard a woman’s voice.

“Your mind… such a treasure…”

Reid shook his head, slightly. That voice… so familiar. It filled him with so many feelings. Love. Joy.

Guilt…

He thought back to the FBI Agents… And now he regretted running from them. Why had he run?

Oh… Oh no… That’s right… he was a murderer. He had killed someone. But who?!

Suddenly, flashes. Reid cried out into the night.

A man with dark hair lifting an automatic weapon at the FBI Agent called Hotch. And then there was a gun in his hands. He pulled the trigger. And the man went down.

He was kneeling in the dirt, holding a revolver. The man from one of his flashbacks, Tobias, stood there with a knife. “Only one bullet in that gun, boy.” He said, and moved forwards. And the shot rang out. And Tobias fell.

“NO!” Reid cried into the gag. He had killed them! But then, there was another memory. A man. And Reid felt… affection for this man. Admiration… A need to please him…

“You did what you had to do. A lot of good people are alive because of what you did… I’m proud of you.” The man said. And the memory of those words soothed Reid’s soul.

His mind spun. These memories… If he was Alexander Wilkes… he shouldn’t have them. But he had them. So… he was not Alexander Wilkes.

And now, there was only one thought in his mind.

Who am I?

Then, he remembered the Agents.

Reid…

Spence…

Spencer!

He rolled it over in his mind. Spencer Reid. Spencer Reid.

Doctor.

He blinked.

Dr. Spencer Reid.

“Do you know why he always introduces me as Doctor Reid?” He heard himself ask.

Hotch responded. “Because he knows that people see you as a kid and he wants to make sure that they respect you.”

Reid sighed. That’s who he was. Dr. Spencer Reid. Now, he was finally getting answers. The question now was… would he live to get more?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hotch stared to the east. The sun was just peeking over the horizon. JJ emerged from Jonathan Wilkes’ house.

“Here.” She said, handing him a cup of coffee.

“Thank you.” Hotch said.

“And… this is for Spence.” She handed him a canteen. “Hot coffee. Extra sugar. If he’s out here, he’s gonna be freezing.” Hotch blinked, then smiled. Then he saw her jacket move. A moment later, a kitten poked its head out of it and meowed. Hotch blinked.

“Taking care of them, I see?” He said, smiling slightly.

“I’ve been going over Wilkes’ journals regarding Reid. He says that Reid adopted them and… well… dotes on them like a loving parent. I’m taking care of them for him. I think that he’ll take them home with him when we get him back.”

“… Maybe.” Hotch said, then sighed. “Anything in those journals about where he may have taken Reid?”

“… No. I mean… anywhere. According to his journals and photos, he’s hunted these woods his whole life. He knows them like the back of his hand.”

“That’s why we have locals helping us.” Hotch said. “They’ll know these woods.”

“Hotch…”

“Yeah?”

“You can’t trek through the woods like that.” JJ said. And the man blinked. “… Come on.” JJ tugged him into the house and went to Jonathan’s bedroom, then returned a moment later. “Here. Get changed. You and Wilkes are about the same size.”

Hotch blinked at the jeans and sweater, then sighed and smiled.

“Okay.” He said, and took the clothes to the bathroom and changed out of his suit. When he came out, JJ was standing there with two pairs of hiking boots.

“See if these fit.” She said. Hotch eyed them, then grabbed a pair and pulled them on.

“A bit big, but they’ll work.” He said, then polished off his coffee. “Thanks JJ.” He looked at the woman, and she smiled. “What would we do without you?”

“I shudder to think.” She laughed. “Now go find Reid.” Hotch nodded and went outside. The farm was swarming with FBI, police, and local volunteers, many of them looking shocked and amazed, but morbidly fascinated. The local vet was a serial killer!

“Okay! I’m SSA Aaron Hotchner, Unit Chief with the BAU of the FBI. In other words, I’m the guy in charge.” He called. There were chuckles in the crowd. “Everyone has received and understands all the instructions?” Affirmative shouts.

“Okay! Each team has been assigned an officer or an Agent. This is your team leader. But we’re counting on YOU to guide us because you know the area. You’ve all seen the photo of the man we’re looking for?” More affirmative calls.

“Okay. His name is Dr. Spencer Reid and he is with the FBI. But this is important. He has amnesia, and believes that he is Alexander Wilkes. However, his memory may be coming back. While we search, I want you to call for him by BOTH of these names. Understand?” He sighed at the response. “Alright then. Let’s move out!”

Morgan clapped Hotch on the shoulder, and the large group of people split into organized chaos, heading into the woods in the direction that Wilkes had come from when they caught him. They searched all day. Shouts rose from the trees.

“Alex!”

“Dr. Reid?!”

“Spencer!”

“Alex Wilkes!”

“Agent Reid!”

“Spencer Reid!”

“Alexander?!”

But there were no answers to any of the calls…

Night fell. And the search was called off. A cold wind blew. Colder than the previous night.

Hotch and Morgan watched, tired and frustrated, as the searchers all departed for home, but all promising to return in the morning…

JJ was waiting at the house for them. She had raided Wilkes’ kitchen and had a hot meal prepared for the two exhausted men.

“No luck?” She asked, even though she already knew the answer.

“No.” Morgan sighed, glancing down at the kittens gamboling around the kitchen. He and Hotch sat down and ate, their stomachs growling loudly. But neither of them really enjoyed it… they couldn’t help but think about Reid… that he was out there in the cold… hungry.

And he was. Reid was shivering. He was hungry and thirsty. But he wasn’t focused on it. He was concentrating. He was remembering. He remembered walking down a hall full of teenagers. Almost all of them were at LEAST a foot taller than he was. Even the girls! Jocks watched him pass, leering at him and laughing when he flinched away… his back was aching from the weight of the books in his backpack, and more that he had clutched in his arms…

That memory led to another. His books scattered around on the ground, papers blowing away. He was crying, trying to scramble away from the cruel young men who were torturing him. One of them dangled his glasses before him and jerked them away when he stretched his fingers out towards them.

That led to another memory… He was sitting on a counter. A woman stood before him.

“Oh, Spencer…” She sighed. She had long, unruly blonde hair cascading around her shoulders and down her back. Her face was thin and deeply lined. Her blue eyes held warmth and wisdom… but Reid knew that sometimes, there would also be madness. But this woman was aware right now. She was dabbing at his lip with a wet cloth, a sad look on her face.

“Things like this happen all the time, baby.” She said, softly. “People pick on those they don’t understand, or whom they feel threatened by. Your mind… it will always make you a target, Spencer. But remember. It’s not YOUR fault. Just because that’s how humanity is, it doesn’t mean it’s right.” She put the cloth down and brushed his hair out of his face, looking at the bloodshot brown eyes, one of them almost swollen shut.

“You will be a better man than any of them could EVER be.” And she took his face in her hands, and kissed his forehead. He smiled slightly, his lip stinging at the motion. She smiled back at him, then turned and picked up his broken glasses. She sighed and put them in her pocket, then lifted him off of the counter. “Come on, baby. Let’s go get you a new pair.”

Reid came out of that memory with tears in his eyes… His heart was pounding in his chest…

He remembered his mother… And then, he remembered his father. And it wasn’t Jonathan Wilkes. Then, names.

William and Diana Reid. Father and Mother of Spencer Reid. The man with a brilliant mind.

“Your mind… such a treasure…” He heard his mother’s words in his brain. Then he heard his father.

“I stopped being surprised by Spencer’s mind a long time ago.”

Reid sighed and stared off into the darkness.

“We’re not statistics, Spencer.” His father had left. He closed his eyes. He knew that remembering who he was would not all be fun. He would have to remember the bad as well as the good. But that didn’t make it any easier.

His father had left. When he was ten. Just a little boy. Left him with his mother. Hi schizophrenic mother!

Schizophrenic…

“I know what it’s like to be afraid of your own mind…”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hotch stood in the doorway of Alexander Wilkes’ bedroom. The room where Reid had slept for the past month. He sighed and stepped in. JJ and Morgan were asleep on the sofas in the living room.

Hotch stepped in and looked around. He smiled slightly. Books were everywhere. Just like Reid. Slowly, he sat down on the bed. A moment later, the kittens leapt up and moved over to him, sniffing curiously.

“Guess we should get used to each other…” Hotch murmured, reaching out and petting Morgan. “If Reid takes you home when we get him back, we’ll be seeing a lot of each other…” And he slowly lay down, resting his head on the pillow. And he was suddenly assaulted by Reid’s scent. Hotch moaned slightly, turning his head into the pillow and inhaling, deeply. God, he missed the boy. The kittens decided that this guy was okay, and curled up next to him. And Hotch was lulled to sleep by the scent of his lover, and the purring of the kittens.
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The Lies of Life