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The Lies of Life	By : hatochiisai Category: 1 through F > Criminal Minds Views: 6845 -:- 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 1

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The man was woken by the wind. He slowly sat up, wincing as the arthritis made itself known in his joints. He really needed to move to a warmer climate. But Wyoming had always been his home. No reason to leave. He was born here, he would die here. Like his son. Like Alex.

He turned and glanced at the framed photographs on his dresser. In the darkness he couldn’t make them out, but his eyes moved directly to where Alex’s face smiled out at him through the dark. He was a tall, thin young man with wavy chestnut hair and deep frown eyes set in a pale face. Alex had such a way with the animals… He was going to go to school to become a veterinarian, like his father, Jonathan. But Flint had changed all of that.

Slowly Jonathan stood and walked to the window. He pushed the curtain aside and stared out across the yard towards the barn. His eyes lingered on the shutters that covered the window. Just on the other side was aging dappled gray stallion. A gorgeous creature. But he had a fiery spirit. He was the only one Alex couldn’t break in. No. Alex did not break Flint… Flint had broken Alex. Thrown him from his back and broken the young man’s neck. How long ago was that? Ten years? Fifteen? No matter… He would be able to remember in the morning.

A flurry of snow blew past the window, glinting in the light that the moon and billions of stars gave off. Winter was fighting to survive, but spring was on the move. Already there were buds on the trees. Already the first green grass was sprouting.

Jonathan’s eyes traveled back to the barn again. The mares would be foaling soon. All those foals… How was it that the he could tend and raise the offspring of the beast that had killed his own child? He sighed and turned, frowning at his bedroom door. There was a faint light creeping under it.

Jonathan stiffly walked over to the door and pushed it open. There was a light on in the living room. Jonathan made his way down the hall and emerged into the room. There had been dying embers in the fireplace when he had gone to bed, but now there was a cozy little fire crackling in the stone fireplace.

Sprawled out before it was a young man in pajamas. He was tall and lean, pale with wavy brown hair and warm golden brown eyes. He was laying on his stomach, a large thick book open in front of him. Jonathan watched the young man’s finger skim down the page, taking all of two seconds, then move to the next. He turned the page and repeated the skimming. It amazed Jonathan. The boy could skim more rapidly than Jonathan had believed possible, and then quote from memory the entire page, word for word. The boy had been reading all of his books on veterinary medicine that he had accumulated over his thirty years of practice. He wished that he had found this young man sooner. He was such a help at the clinic.

Jonathan then noticed two pairs of glowing eyes staring at him. Curled up in the small of the boy’s back were two blue eyed kittens, only about ten to twelve weeks old. They were both Siamese kittens. One was a seal point, the other was a flame point. They had been found in a basket on the doorstep of the vet clinic by the young man and Jonathan had allowed him to keep the two little creatures. They followed him wherever he went now, tails held high. The kittens closed their eyes again.

Jonathan looked at the piles of books surrounding the boy now. He had been at this for a long time…

“Dreams again?” He asked softly, and the young man blinked and looked up with a small smile.

“Yeah…” He said. “I keep dreaming about the same people. It’s like I know them, but…”

“Son… You’ve described them to me several times. There’s no one like them around these parts.” Jonathan said slowly, sinking into his old chair and staring down at the boy.

“I have a name this time…”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. The dark haired guy. In the suit. I remember the others calling him… Hodge? Hock? Hotch! They were calling him Hotch.”

“Hmmm… don’t know anyone by the name of Hotch, son.” Jonathan said slowly, carefully eyeing the boy on the floor before him. But there was nothing but thoughtful confusion in the young man’s face.

“I just wish I could remember.”

“Give it time, son. It’ll come back to you. You hit your head pretty hard. Flint could have killed you.”

“Yeah… Maybe it’s time to throw in the towel.”

“Oh, you don’t have a choice about that, boy.” Jonathan said, sternly. “I don’t want you near him again. Understand me?”

“Yeah.”

“Excuse me?”

“Yes Dad. I understand.” The boy sighed, rolling his eyes.

“Good.” Jonathan said, standing. “Get back to bed.”

“As soon as I finish this book.”

“Alright. I’ll wake you at seven.”

“M’kay.”

“Goodnight Alex.”

“Night…” Came the reply; the boy was already flipping to another page.

Jonathan returned to his room. This boy, out of all of them, was his favorite. Brilliant, quick and helpful. It saddened him to see him beginning to get the dreams so soon. It had only taken him two weeks. With all the others, it had been two months. But soon after the dreams, the memories would begin to return. Once the boy realized that Jonathan had been lying, he would try to leave. And then Jonathan would have to kill him. It had happened with all the others. It would happen with this one. And this one in particular would be risky. He wouldn’t just try to leave. He would try to destroy Jonathan’s life. He regretted that he would have to kill this Alex. But if he let him go, the boy would return with his colleagues.

As Jonathan was settling back into bed. FBI offices all over the United States were filled with the ringing of their fax machines. The machines whirled to life and a piece of paper printed out, falling into the tray to be found by Agents first thing in the morning. It showed a tall, thin, pale youth with a shy, awkward smile. He had dark hair and dark eyes. In big bold letter, the flier read MISSING: SSA Dr. Spencer Reid.

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One Week Later…

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SSA Aaron Hotchner stared out the window of the small jet. He was oblivious to his team, sitting around anxiously. Agent Morgan was also staring out the window, tapping his fingers on his knees with his head stuck into the headphones. Agent Jareau was impatiently flipping through papers as if something new would jump out at her. Agent Prentiss had a book open in her lap, but she did not read it. She was too busy staring off into space. Agent Rossi was leaning back with his eyes closed, but the man wasn’t asleep. Each and ever person on that plane had their mind on one thing; the Agent from the FBI Field Office in Salt Lake City had called them. He had only one thing to tell them. They had found Reid’s rental car.

Almost a month ago, Reid had gone to visit his mother. While he was there, the BAU had received a request from Salt Lake City. JJ had discussed it with Hotch. They didn’t feel the need to send the whole team. So they had asked Reid to go and take a look at what the Salt Lake Field Office had. The boy had agreed.

He had gone. He had looked over the case. He had given a profile. And within two days, the UnSub was in custody. And so Reid had left the Salt Lake City Field Office and headed back to Las Vegas to spend a few more days with his mother. But he never arrived. The car had been found about 160 miles outside of Salt Lake City on the side of the road in a ditch. That was all the team had been told. They had been on the jet less than half an hour later.

Reid had been missing for almost three weeks. The team was a wreck, all worried to death about their youngest member. Hotch more than anyone. Despite his attempts to keep it hidden, the man constantly found himself fingering the ring he wore on a chain around his neck. An opal was set into the golden band… Reid’s birthstone. Reid wore a matching ring around his own neck, a ruby set into the gold. Hotch’s birthstone.

It killed Hotchner… the not knowing… not knowing where Reid was… not knowing if he was okay. Not knowing if he were alive… He could be lost, alone, scared… He could be crying in pain… he could be dying… and Hotch couldn’t help him. He was desperate to get the boy back. As were they all. The awkward youth was family.

When the plane touched down, they met Agent De Salvo from the Salt Lake City Field Office.

“We found tire tracks by his car.” The man said immediately after introductions were made. “We taped off the scene. No one has touched anything since you spoke with Agent Verano. Your Agent, your case, sir.”

“thank you.” Hotch said as they all piled into Bureau SUV’s. “We want to go straight to the crime scene.”

“Yessir.”

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Jonathan woke to the smells of breakfast cooking. Dear God, had the boy slept?!

He got out of bed and pulled on his robe, then shuffled out to the kitchen. “Alex” was standing by the stove, scrambling some eggs while the kittens enjoyed their breakfast in the corner. Bacon was already sitting on a plate wrapped in paper towels, and a moment later the toaster popped. The young man reached out and snatched the Eggo waffles and placed them on a plate, then snatched up the coffee mug sitting by him and sipped it.

Jonathan shuddered. He had learned over the past few weeks that the boy had a VERY unhealthy sweet tooth, and that the contents of the mug was likely more sugar than coffee… then a plate was set down before him.

“Morning.” Reid said, smiling.

“Morning Alex. Sleep well?” Jonathan asked.

“Yeah.”

“Any more dreams?”

“… A bit.” Reid said, shrugging. “Do… do you know someone who likes to call me uh… Pretty Boy?”

“… No…” Jonathan said, slowly. He eyed Reid up and down, then snorted and poked a strip of bacon into his mouth. “You eaten?”

“Yessir.” Reid said, sipping more coffee. He looked down into the corner at the kittens with their heads in their dishes. “I’m gonna go out and check the mares.” He said, pulling on his boots and coat.

“Alright.” Jonathan said.

Reid turned and pushed open the door, stepping out in the crisp morning air. His breath misted, and the frost covered grass crunched slightly under his feet. He took a deep breath, and glanced out at the pasture. Mist hung thick over the ground, but the golden sun rising above the trees was beginning to burn it away.

Reid unlatched the door to the stable and heaved it open, stepping in. It was warmer in here without the biting February wind. March was only a few days away. Spring was early this year…

Reid pulled a stethoscope off of the hook on the wall and flicked on the lights, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth to warn the horses of his presence. He heard them stirring. Flint snorted loudly, hanging his head over the door to his stall. The horse laid his dark eyes on the young man and tilted his ears back, letting out a deep, challenging neigh. Reid jumped slightly and kept his distance as he passed the gray stallion’s stall. He moved down the row, ducking under the nose of the friendly bay gelding, Baron.

Then he reached the five mares. He unlatched the first stall and slipped in. The aging black mare turned and nickered, walking over to him, swishing her tail. Reid smiled and stroked her velvety nose, running his other hand across her withers. She snuffled over his pockets, looking for a treat that he may have brought. His smile widened into a grin.

“Okay, okay… Here.” He murmured, holding out a sugar cubs in his palm. Her lips brushed across his hand and she swiped the thing up, crunching happily. Reid put the ear buds of his stethoscope into his ears and pressed it to her belly, listening intently. He moved it around. He heard her heartbeat. Her strong breathing. Then another faint pulse. The foal’s heart was strong and even. He smiled.

The mare’s name was Morgan Le Fae. He had already made it clear to Jonathan that if the foal was a colt, its name would be Mordred.

He performed a brief vaginal exam. She would not be foaling today. He turned and changed her water and filled her food trough, then moved to the next mare. She was a pale gray named Moondancer. The results were pretty much the same. A piebald pinto mare named Candy was very annoyed with the examination, and even tried to bite Reid at one point. Reid finished quickly and moved to the fourth mare, a Palomino named Sahara. And his heart leapt in excitement. She was not standing to greet him, but was lying on the floor of her stall. After performing a quick exam, Reid ran out of the stable and up to the house.

“Dad!” He called, poking his head into the kitchen. “Sahara is down.”

“I’ll be out in a minute, son. The others?”

“Not ready yet. I haven’t checked Sioux.”

“Well, get to it, Alex.” Jonathan said. Reid nodded and returned to the stable, heading down to the last stall to check the buckskin filly. This would be her first foal. She was the same as the others… close, but not yet ready to drop her foal just yet. Reid returned to Sahara just as Jonathan entered the stable to perform his own exam.

“She’ll be a while yet.” The man announced. “I want you to check on her ever hour. Why don’t you go open up?”

“Okay.” Reid said. He moved down to the end of the stable and unlocked the door. He stepped into the building that the stable was attached to; Jonathan’s Veterinary Hospital. He moved around, turning on the lights and the machinery. Then he went to the front desk and pulled the files for the day’s appointments and made sure the exam room was clean, then unlocked the front door and flipped over the open sign.

He checked the messages on the answering machine. Nothing. All this done, he looked up and saw a pickup truck driving up the dirt road. It stopped and a tall man got out. In the bed of the truck were three dogs, and a fourth in the cab. Alex picked up four medical files. This was their first appointment. He smiled as the man walked in.

“Mr. Avery?”

“Mornin’.” The man drawled, nodding. Alex looked down at the four dogs, three male. He smiled, taking the young female and getting her weight, already mentally calculating the dosages for all the drugs and medications she would need that day for her spay.

“If you will go ahead into the room, we’ll be with you soon.” He said.

“How soon will she be ready?” The man asked, pointing to the female.

“Depends on how quick the surgery goes and how long it takes her to recover from the anesthesia.” Reid said. He asked the owner a few questions, then took the dog to the back and set her down, pressing the stethoscope to her chest. He took her temperature, pulse and respiration, beginning his notes in her file.

S: Pet is presented for spay. C reports that pet is e/d/u/d wnl, no c/s/v/d or itching. Current on flea/hwp.

O: T- 101.2, P-130, R-40, MM-pink/moist, BAR, wt: 43.9, BCS (5/9) long nails, mild dental calculus, h/l-wnl, c/s-wnl

A: OHE, pedi, EAG

P: CE. Cbc, iof, diff, Rimadyl 32.5mg PO BID x 5 days

He kenneled her when Jonathan arrived, and followed him into the exam room.

“Dr. Wilkes.” Mr. Avery greeted, and Jonathan nodded, smiling.

“Good morning, Grant.” He said, kneeling and greeting the excited dogs. “Alex, would you pull up their vaccines, please.”

“Yessir.” Reid said, turning and leaving the room, heading to the refrigerator. He opened it and looked in, reaching for the trays of vials holding the vaccines. He selected three of each.

RABIES: Killed Virus

He held the vial upside down and slid a needle into it, drawing the pale pink liquid into the syringe. His mind briefly recalled the first time he had done this since his accident resulting in his amnesia… when he had drawn the vaccine into the needle like this, his entire body had shivered in a strange delight, and he suddenly found himself longing to plunge the needle into his own arm and inject the liquid. The idea had both thrilled and frightened him…

It still happened occasionally, the shiver and adrenaline rush as he drew the vaccines… He picked up six more vials. Three were a powder (Canine Distemper – Adenovirus – Type 2 - Parvovirus Vaccine), the other three a clear liquid (Sterile Dilutent). It was the clear liquid that got the strongest reaction from him… He couldn’t understand why. He drew the liquid into the syringe, then slid the needles into the vials filled with the fine powder and squirted it into the vials. Then, needle still in the vial, he placed the tiny bottle into the palm of his hand and rolled it back and forth rapidly, the powder quickly dissolving into the liquid.

Once it was a pale peachy colored liquid, he drew it all into the syringes. He pulled the label sticker off of the vials and stuck them onto the syringes, placed them all into a small metal box and carried them back into the exam room. He assisted Jonathan with the exam on the here dogs, and restrained them while he administered the vaccines. Then he saw Mr. Avery out before heading back to the female. She was a good dog, and held still while he shaved her forearm and scrubbed it with alcohol, then placed an IV Catheter. He ran the blood work, ad everything came back normal.

“Ready?” Jonathan said, and Reid nodded. A sedative was administered and Reid held her head up Jonathan intubated her, and then the young man carried her into the surgery suite. Within one minute they had everything hooked up and had her fully under anesthesia. They proceeded with the surgery, Reid taking notes the whole time while monitoring her vitals.

Surgical site shaved and prepped with surgical scrub and alcohol.

Ventral midline incision.

Ovaries and uterus excised and pedicles ligated as following: single transfixation ligature 2-0 pds

Closure of Lineal Alba as follows: simple continuous 2-0 pds

Subcutaneous closure as follows: simple continuous 3-0 pds

Skin closure as follows: intradermal 3-0 pds

All in all, the spay only took about fifteen minutes. Then they moved her to recovery and prepared to see their next appointments. The next came in just as Reid was jotting down “IV Agent and Concetration: Propofol 10 mg/ml Quantity: 3 ml”. He stood, smiling at the woman with her cat, and took her to the exam room and went to prepare the vaccines. As soon as they were finished, Jonathan sent him to check Sahara.

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The Lies of Life