Adult-FanFiction.org : Television / Streaming

Edge of Insanity	By : hatochiisai Category: 1 through F > Criminal Minds Views: 4649 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds, nor do I make any financial profit off of writing this story.

Chapter List
- 8
- 9
- 10
Edge of Insanity

Hatochiisai aka Ahmose Inarus

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Criminal Minds or any of its characters.

SLASH WARNING!!! Hotch/Reid

CHAPTER 9

Hotch burst into the BAU and hurried up to the conference room.

“What did you find?!” Hotch demanded to know.

“Nothing good.” Emily said, looking up. Hotch took in the looks on the faces of his team.

“What is it?”

“He and his family are living in a house on Long Boat Key.” Garcia said softly. “A house that has been on the market since…”

“Since right before Coronado took Reid to Brazil.” Morgan finished.

“… They’re living in that man’s house?” Hotch asked, eyes wide.

“This has something to do with Coronado.” Rossi said, grimly.

“Garcia, find out what happened to all of Coronado’s property upon his death.” Hotch ordered. Garcia began typing away.

“Um… He didn’t have a Will… everything was turned over to his listed Next of Kin… Someone named Eva Torres.”

“Who the hell is that?” Rossi asked.

“Hang on… Here. I have a picture. A Mug Shot from Mexico.” They watched as an image popped up. A young woman in her late teens, who might have been pretty if she had taken care of herself… But…

“Wait…” Hotch breathed, and leaned in closer. Then, his eyes widened. “That’s Paloma!” Everyone looked at the picture again, then looked at Hotch. “… I’m going to Long Boat Key. Rossi! With me! Morgan! I want you and Prentiss to start looking into the murder of Dr. Katherine Devereux! Garcia, I want you to run an audit of all of Coronado’s assets. JJ…” She looked up at him. “… I want you to confront Dr. Harris.” She nodded. The team dispersed.

Reid sat in his chair by the window, clutching his Bed Time bear, listening to his MP3 Player. Today it was the Soundtrack to ‘Jekyll & Hyde’. His mind, constantly in a fog, was having more trouble every day to keep itself grounded in reality. Even in that moment, as he listened to the first song on the soundtrack, it wasn’t the voice of Henry Jekyll playing over the ear buds… it was the voice of Aaron Hotchner, reaching out to the broken young man who was slowly but surely losing himself in his dreadful prison that told him that he was crazy…

Lost in the Darkness, Silence surrounds you

Once there was morning, Now endless night

If I could reach you, I’d guide you and teach you

To walk from the darkness, Back into the light

Deep in your silence, Please try to hear me.

I’ll keep you near me, Til night passes by

I will find the answer I’ll never desert you

I promise you this, Til the day that I die

Tears rolled down his face, blurring his vision of brightly colored trees in hues of brilliant yellows, oranges and reds… He wanted to go home…

‘Ah… but you don’t have a home… you were evicted, remember…?’ A nasty little voice said.

‘No.’ Reid told the voice. ‘My home is with Aaron.’

‘He took you in because you had nowhere else to go, and because he needed to keep an eye on you… make sure you didn’t go crazy after Coronado… so much for THAT.’

‘Stop it.’ Reid whimpered back, bowing his head and hiding his face in his knees and focusing in on the music to drown out the cynical voice.

There are preachers who kill; There are killers who preach

There are teachers who lie; There are liars who teach

Take your pick, dear

‘Cause it’s all a façade.

Reid sighed. How often had he seen things like that? Killer priests… and killers who preached their delusions… teachers lying to cover something up… and liars teaching people to believe in their lies… He didn’t have to take his pick… he saw it all. And suddenly, he hated it… it was all those things that led him to where he was now. The job that he loved so much had been his undoing. This never would have happened if he had just taken one of the numerous job offers by companies from all over the country…

Tears were absolutely FLOODING down his face now… It just wasn’t fair!!! How could the one thing he had wanted all his life, the CAREER he had DREAMED of, be the thing that hurt him to the point that he was beyond repair?! It just wasn’t fair…

It must be his fate to be miserable… he was doomed to suffering… This life… his happiness with Aaron… he knew it had been too good to be true… it wasn’t in the cards for him to have a lasting happiness. Every time he found some semblance of true contentment in his life, it was snatched away again. And he was sick of it. And again, all he could think about was just… ending it.

Look at me and tell me who I am

Why I am, what I am

Call me a fool and it’s true, I am

I don’t know who I am

It’s such a shame, I’m such a sham

No one knows who I am

Am I the face of future?

Am I the face of the past?

Am I the one who must finish last?

‘Why am I always the one to suffer? Why do all the bad things happen to me?’ Reid found himself thinking. ‘Why did I have to have this life? Why did I have to be… me?’ He sniffled and swiped his fist across his cheek, wiping away tears. Then he stood and began to slowly walk across the room. He was tired.

… Good and Evil, Each man has to choose;

Heaven and Hell is a helluva gamble to lose

But as I peruse this world we abuse,

It’s Hell that we choose and Heaven must lose.

Evil is everywhere, Good doesn’t stand a prayer

Good is commendable, Evil’s dependable

Evil is viable Good’s unreliable

Good may be thankable, Evil is bankable.

Reid snorted softly. Good and Evil. What’s the point? Supposedly, the Good went to Heaven, and the Evil went to Hell. He had devoted his life to Good… and yet here he was, in Hell. He tried to think of what he had done to deserve this… It was enough to drive anyone mad in their frustration. Maybe the lyrics were true… Good doesn’t stand a prayer… He had done so much good, and yet was a victim of evil over and over and over… Karma… what a joke.

You have your work, and nothing more

You are possessed; what is your demon?

You’ve never been this way before

You’ve lost the fire you built your dream

There’s something strange, there’s something wrong

I see a change, it’s like when hope dies

I who have known you for so long,

I see the pain in your eyes

Now that he thought about it, it was really amazing that more FBI Agents didn’t end up like this, locked up in the loony bin… So many of them had their work, and nothing more… they were obsessed with different demons… eventually, many lost that fire they had built their dream on…

‘Like me…’ Reid thought to himself. He curled up on his bed, leaning against the corner, and his mind spun dizzying circles of depression around him. It was quite a while later that a strong female voice over the headphones burst into song and brought him back to himself.

There’s a beast at the door and he’s wild and free

but we don’t let him in ‘cause we don’t want to see

What is lurking right behind the façade.

Man is not one but two, he is evil and good

and he walks the fine line that he’d cross if he could.

But he’s just waiting…

And Reid began to wonder… was there a beast lurking behind the doors of his mind? Was it wild and trying to get free? He always thought of himself as good, but was this beast his evil? Was everything, his shy demeanor, his desire to help and see justice done, all just a façade? Was he literally walking a fine line he didn’t even know was there? Was that beast waiting for him to cross that line? Was he going to snap and obliterate that line?

Is THAT what the doctors were seeing in him?

Was there a monster inside of him trying to get free? Was it possible that he was on his way to becoming like the UnSubs he had once hunted? He began to shake, and his tears returned. And he could only think one thing…

When will this end…?

JJ sat before Dr. Harris’ desk, staring at the man who sat behind it.

“What can I do for you, Agent Jareau?” Dr. Harris asked. She stared at him, then opened a folder and laid it down on the desk. Dr. Harris looked down at the photograph, and froze. His eyes widened, and he paled.

“… Tell me everything.” JJ said.

“… How… How did…?” Dr. Harris stammered.

“You’ve read Reid’s file. You know what happened to him in South America.” She told him, and he nodded. “THAT…” She spat, glaring at the photo, “Is Paloma.”

“… Oh… Oh my God…” The man gasped. “Oh my GOD!!!”

“She’s the reason he’s here, isn’t she?” JJ asked.

“She… she and a man were in my living room when I came home one night. She said she had a proposition for me. She said that there was a young man in the hospital, and she wanted him kept there. She offered me a lot of money… I told her no… That would be malpractice… wrongful imprisonment, maybe… We argued. She kept offering me more and more. And when I still refused, she made a threat. She would go after my family. My ex wife and my daughters… she would kill them… And so I agreed. She told me not to worry… I was her back up. Then she went to see Katherine… And she was dead the next morning. My guess is that Katherine refused her. Katherine was going to release Agent Reid with a clean bill of health.” JJ nodded. “Please, Agent Jareau. If this… Paloma finds out I talked to you…”

“Don’t worry.” JJ said. “We’ll protect you, and your family. I need to call my Unit Chief.” And she pulled out her cell.

“Fine. Do that.” The man said. “But I can’t release your Agent Reid until you’ve caught her.”

“But he—“

“NOT!!! Until you CATCH her. And that’s final.” Dr. Harris said firmly.

Hotch closed his phone as they pulled into the driveway of the Beach house of Jeff Winters.

“That was JJ.” Hotch said, looking at Rossi. “Harris talked. Paloma threatened his family if he didn’t keep Reid committed.” They got out of the car and went up to the door. As Hotch raised his hand to knock, the door suddenly slammed open and he stumbled back at the sudden impact against him.

“HRMMPH?!” Hotch exclaimed as he found soft, sweet tasting lips covering his own and a scantily clad female body pressed up against him.

“Mmmmm…” She purred, and then stepped back, grinning at the shell shocked look on the man’s face. “That’s for the ‘A’ I got on my psych term paper after interviewing your team.” The red head said.

“Courtney!” A male voice scolded from the doorway. Jeff Winters stood there, trying not to laugh. “What have I told you about molesting Agent Hotchner?!”

“That wasn’t molestation.” The girl snorted, then grinned. “THIS is.” And she grabbed the man’s crotch. The Unit Chief’s eyes widened as the girl grinned, looking down at the handful of his trousers. “Now that’s what I’m talking about…”

“COURTNEY!” Winters howled.

“I think Agent Hotchner will need a Scotch when she’s finished with him.” Rossi said calmly.

“Very funny, Dave.” Hotch growled, finally managing to get Courtney to release the Family Jewels. He walked up to Winters, and the men shook hands.

“What can I do for you?” Winters asked.

“Can we go inside?” Hotch asked.

“Of course.” Winters said. They all headed in and went to Winters’ study. The man sent Courtney to get them something to drink. “What can I do for you?”

“You brought Coronado’s slaves to the States.” Hotch started.

“Yes.” Winters said, grinning. “I wanted to help them have the lives they wanted.”

“How did that go?” Rossi asked.

“Wonderful! Preciosa, or Miranda Rios, is in Culinary School. Sirena, or Isabella Mondragon is picking up on English very quickly, and is working on her certification to be a Massage Therapist. Aguilo, or Armando Cortez, has gotten a job working as a model.”

“And the other two?” Rossi asked. Winters sighed.

“Well… Jaguar, or Mateo Santa Lucia… he uh… he left with Paloma… er, Eva—“

“Eva Torres.” Hotch growled.

“Yeah.” Winters said, looking surprised.

“You said they left?” Rossi asked.

“Yeah. After two weeks of staying with me.” Winters said, then frowned. “… Why?”

“… Paloma has been threatening and bribing doctors.” Hotch said. “Reid has been institutionalized on a false diagnosis. And we have evidence that she is behind it.”

“My God…” Winters breathed. “I… wish I could say that I was surprised… I… I think you should talk to the others. Hold on.” And he poked his head out of the door. “ISABELLA!!! ARMANDO!!! MIRANDA!!!

“Que quieres, senor?” A female voice called back.

“Ven aqui, por favor!” Winters called back.

“Perro—“

“Muy importante, Preciosa. Rapido!”

A moment later, Preciosa walked in. She froze, eyes wide.

“… You are the men who took Cachorro.” She said. Hotch and Rossi stared at her. A moment later, Aguilo and Sirena walked in. They stared, too.

“Ladies.” Rossi said, standing from his seat with a smile and offering the seat. Hotch stood and did the same.

“Thank you.” Sirena said softly, smiling and taking Hotch’s seat. After a moment, Preciosa sat in Rossi’s seat.

“What is this about?” Preciosa asked.

“It’s about Mateo and Eva.” Winters said.

“Jaguar y Paloma?” Aguilo asked, immediately.

“Are they okay?!” Preciosa demanded to know.

“Jaguar and Paloma have been bribing and threatening people.” Winters said. “To get revenge on Cachorro for killing Artuto.” The three former slaves stared.

“One of the people they threatened and paid off is now living in your Master’s house here on the island.” Rossi said.

“… I… I didn’t think she’d go through with it…” Winters said softly.

“I did.” The three slaves chorused. Hotch looked at them.

“Spencer is locked up in a mental institution, being told every day that he’s crazy.” The Unit Chief told them. Preciosa translated to Sirena, as the girl didn’t know enough English to follow the conversation thoroughly. “He won’t eat. He won’t speak. And now, he refuses to see visitors. He’s severely depressed and suicidal. He’s been there for nearly three weeks.” Hotch sighed. “And his sanity is slipping away. Now… your master kidnapped him. He beat him, starved him, raped him and tortured him, physically and psychologically. And when I came to help him, your master tried to kill me. He was GOING to kill me. Spencer stabbed him to stop him from killing me. And then he killed him because if he didn’t, your master would have killed us both. Spencer killed your master to defend me, and himself.”

“Is he okay?” Sirena suddenly asked.

“No. If he stays in that place, he’s going to die.” Hotch said softly. Sirena looked at the others, then looked back at Hotch.

“… All Paloma talked about was… getting back at Cachorro. Making him… hurt. Suffer.” Sirena said. “She was… Um…” She looked at Preciosa for help.

“Obsessed.” Aguilo said.

“She wanted us to come with her. Said that we owed it to Master.” Preciosa said, shaking her head.

“We told her that we are now free.” Aguilo said. “When Master died, Master Winters was there to claim us. We belonged to him. But he has freed us.”

“We are free.” Preciosa said with a smile. “We owe Master NOTHING.”

“Jaguar… went with her.” Sirena said.

“He was with Master almost as long as Paloma.” Preciosa explained. “His loyalty ran deeper than ours did.”

“Jaguar…” Sirena said slowly, thinking of how to put this into English. She rubbed a hand on her chest over her heart. “He is… good… uh… c-corazon.”

“Heart.” Preciosa told her. “Corazon is heart.”

“Jaguar has good heart.” Sirena said. “He will… not be happy…?”

“What do you mean?” Rossi asked the girl, gently.

“Jaguar is a good man.” Aguilo said. “If Paloma is hurting someone, he will not be happy about it. And the more she hurts people, the more his loyalty for her will… fail.”

“Paloma is the dominant.” Hotch murmured. He looked at Rossi. “Jaguar will be the easy one to catch. And we can probably get him to turn on her if we do catch him.”

“Do not hurt him!” Preciosa cried, upset. “Please…”

“We won’t.” Rossi told her.

“… Let’s go talk to Dr. Carlson.” Hotch said, and looked at the three former slaves. “Thank you for talking to us. I know you probably don’t like us much…”

Sirena just gave them a smile.

“We’ll be back soon, Jeff.” Hotch said to Winters, and the man nodded, watching the Agents walk out the door. Then he opened his arms and allowed Preciosa and Sirena rush him for a much needed hug.
- 8
- 9
- 10
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Edge of Insanity