Cold Hands ✔️

twenty six

chapter 26; oh, i'm shaking in my custom baby-seal leather boots

Reid waited for a few rings before picking up.

"Hello this is Dr. Spencer Reid." He said confidently and casually, as if he didn't know who was on the other line. There was a pause which reminded Adeline of the last call, all of them too afraid to move if they made a sound.

"Tell me how you like it, baby." A raspy low voice came from the other side. Adeline's lips furled as her eyes bore holes into the conference rooms phone.

"I presume I'm talking to Ms. Ivy?" Reid asked, his tone polite and cordial.

"It's the Raven to you, and boy you are no fun. I thought you'd at least play along." She sighed into the phone. Reid rolled back his shoulder and placed his hands on the desk, leaning into the phone.

"Sorry Ms. Ivy. I'm no good over the phone, how about we meet up in person?" Reid was never good at flirting, and he knows that. He tried thinking of what Morgan would say, which oddly enough worked for him.

"Where's Adeline?" She firmly asked.

"Why don't we all meet up for lunch? I think it's about time we all met up, don't you Ms. Ivy?" The team couldn't hear anything in the background of the call, they all depended on Reid.

"Are you sure you're comfortable with being the third wheel, Inspector Reid? But hey, I'm not against polyamory. Why don't you put Adeline on so we can ask her." It wasn't a question, and the team felt like they were on the right track.

"Ms. Ivy-"

"Raven! Inspector Reid, I'm not going to tell you again." she interrupted. Reid kept on talking over her.

"-Why don't you tell me where we can meet up and I'll even cover our dinner bill." Reid kept his tone in check, not seeing any benefit to getting in a screaming match.

Adeline wrote on a paper and showed it to Reid, a newly pink colour now adorning his cheeks.

"I'm sure Adeline would be happy with seeing you, even bringing the handcuffs she promised you. Just tell us where." The group could see right through his words at the innocence Reid held, and they hoped that Belladonna couldn't. It was quiet for a few seconds.

"Aren't you tired of running? Tired of killing?" Reid prodded "I know what you went through in your childhood. It wasn't easy being you, you had a hard childhood-"

"You don't know anything." Belladonna's tone held a warning in it, but Reid proceeded.

"-and I'm sorry you had to go through that. It must've been difficult when Dr. Ripper moved away and when Harper died-"

"SHUT UP! You don't know what you're fucking talking about so don't act like you have a fucking clue about me. Put Adeline on the line, now." She growled into the phone. Adeline bit her tongue, she knew she couldn't do anything and she had to put her trust in Reid.

"Tell me where you are Ms. Ivy." Reid responded, his tone professional and a stark contrast to the recipient.

"God and here I thought you were smart? You can't even follow simple directions. Its the Raven, you don't have the right to use my real name. Listen up Adeline," Belladonna's voice got louder.

"Since you are now a coward and using your boyfriend to speak for you," Belladonna spit out the word boyfriend, and Adeline didn't know if it was because she was disgusted at the thought of it or using it as an insult.

"the blood is on your hands. I'm going to take what you hold precious and hurt. You. You will feel what I felt when I lost Harper and you. Their death is on you, Adeline." The line cut.

"Jack the Ripper didn't kill two girls on the same night again. Elizabeth and Catherine were the only two." Adeline muttered, mentally reading the case files again.

" "Take what you hold precious", is she coming here?" JJ asked. 

"I don't think so, this whole building knows her name and face, there's no way she would even make it into the parking lot." Rossi explained.

"Then maybe when we are outside the building?" Morgan asked aloud.

"No, no this sounded rash. Hear how she punctuated on 'hurt you'? This is meant to inflict the most damage and soon, so she wouldn't wait until we were at our homes. She probably is aware we may be sleeping here." Adeline lectured.

"Family. She considered Harper to be her sister and for you to be her partner, she wants that connection and you have that." Prentiss told Adeline. Hotch immediately pulled out his phone and told the group he was contacting the Michigan field office to send protective units to Adeline's parents.

Adeline wasn't listening as she pulled out her phone to call her mother. She quickly found her contact and called her, impatiently listening to the rings. She stood quickly from her chair and walked over to the glass overlooking the office. Reid watched as her finger tapped quickly against the back of her phone.

"Hello?"

"Ma? Where are you?" Adeline asked impatiently.

"It's 1 p.m. on a Wednesday, where do you think I am? I'm just grabbing a salad for lunch at that little café next to the firm. Remember? We went there when you visited-"

"Yes mom I remember." Adeline cut her off. "Listen, I think you're in danger. You need to go into your office and lock the door, some police officers are going to come over to protect you." She quickly told her. 

"Adeline is everything okay?" Her mom questioned, and Adeline hated the worry in her voice.

"Just please do as I say and listen to the officers, ma. I've got to call dad, I love you." She waited to hear her mom respond before hanging up and dialing her father. The phone rang a few tones before reaching voicemail. Adeline huffed and ran a hand through her hair, turning back around to the group. 

"He isn't answering." She told them. Hotch came into the room and told everyone to get to the plane. They filed out quickly with one last glance to Adeline before it was just Adeline and Spencer. He wanted to stay and make sure that she would follow, not doing anything rash. He knows if it was his mother, he would stop at nothing to make sure she was safe.

Adeline's finger kept tapping her phone. She groaned when she reached his voicemail again. This time she left a voicemail asking him to call her back as soon as he could. When Adeline hung up she called his office, hoping someone would pick up.

"Ripper's Dentistry where we hope to make your day brighter with a smile, how may we help you?" A chipper voice asked. Adeline was feeling at the end of her rope.

"Hi this is Adeline, Dr. Ripper's daughter. Can I speak with him? It's an emergency."

"I'm sorry but Dr. Ripper has left for the day. Something came up that called him away but I wasn't told what." The girl sounded sincere over the phone, but this did nothing to quell Adeline's anger. She muttered a thanks before hanging up.

"He's not at his office. I can't get a hold of him." Adeline desperately looked at Spencer as if he could fix it. And if he could, he would. If he could banish all the evil from the world and live in a secluded house with Adeline where she was happy he would in a heartbeat. Reid stood and walked over to Adeline and went to hug her.

Adeline stepped back, placing her hands on his chest.

"I don't need this right now. I need to find my father." She coldly said before leaving the room.

Reid stood in place for a second. He thought they were going somewhere, he thought they were seeing each other as equals. He shook off this feeling. She was upset, and rightfully so. He stayed near Adeline on their way to the jet, hot on her heels.