TO FIND YOU ⇝ REID ✓

JOSEPH

"Agent Rossi."

"I'm being serious. We are doing everything we can. We are doing to find her."

"Clearly not if one of your agents was on the scene and I found her badge on the street. Tell me, David, just how exactly does that happen?"

"Joe, please. I know. Listen to me, we are handling it."

"Dave."

"Joe. Trust me on this one."

Lucy's dad- Joseph- crossed his arms and collapsed into a nearby chair. He rubbed his temples and confusion. how could this be happening? His daughter's second day on the job and she was hit in the back of the head with a brick and kidnapped? On her second day?

"Fine. But humor me for one second. Why didn't I get a call? Why did it take me actually finding her badge in the road for me to figure this one out?"

"Joe, we were calling you. Check your phone."

He obliged. And, of course, there were two missed calls from the BAU and three missed calls from David himself. And one fat voicemail. Amongst dozens upon dozens of other miscellaneous notifications. All of which was completed whilst Joseph was in the midst of actually rushing over to the station. During which, Agent Derek Morgan was doing the same.

Derek had been waiting outside of a coffee shop while JJ was using the bathroom. He was casually sipping his drink with one hand and holding JJ's in the other while surveying the block and early morning sky. He had caught a glimpse of Lucy on the ground. Derek had called to her, which was a stupid move on his part, and the next thing he knew he was watching her get shoved into a van and zooming down the street. He chased after it for a good 45 seconds but it was a clear waste of energy. The van was moving too fast and it was too late. Besides, he didn't even have his gun on him.

So Derek had been forced to retreat back to that stupid coffee shop on the corner and walk past the vomit and the blood and the brick on the sidewalk. He was forced to inform JJ of what had just occurred; of what he had just watched unravel in front of him. He was forced to sit in the back of an FBI black SUV on the way to the station and inform Agent Hotchner alongside Agent Jareau. Thirty minutes later, he had to watch Lucy's ever-loving father argue with Agent Rossi about the situation. And then he had to go deal with his part even more. While David Rossi's high school pal was chewing him out trying to, at least- for misconduct, Derek was giving a detailed report to a sketch artist.

In all honesty, he was happy to help. Of course, he was. Lucy seemed like the sweetest, smartest girl. After all, she was an agent now, just as he was. She was so much younger than him. She was a fetus. She was just beginning this job. She was fresh-faced and wide-eyed and ready for action. Derek could barely remember a handful of times when he was as enthusiastic as she had been on that plane yesterday. Her second day on the job.

Derek was a mess. If only he hadn't traded her his shiny plastic room key card. If only he had just sucked it up and let Reid room with him like they always did. Then Lucy would've been with JJ and they would've actually ran together instead of Lucy running alone and getting tangled up in this entire mess.

Dr. Reid pushed open the doors to the station. A chill ran up his spine as he did so, but his entire walk over had not been a pleasant one so he blamed it on that. Spencer removed his bag from around his body and carried it the rest of the way to the back room with the board and the one window. He instantly felt that something was off as soon as he set foot inside.

"Hello," he greeted warmly. Everyone looked at him simultaneously. He threw his bag on the desk. "Everything okay?"

"Reid, sit." Aaron was standing in the front of the room with this arms crossed. Lucy's dad was standing in the other front corner of the room. His hands were placed on his hips, just above his belt. Every agent was sat at the table- besides Hotch- and Penelope Garcia was even on the phone. She was smiling at everyone from the big screen off to the side. "Agents, I need you to listen up..." Aaron Hotchner cleared his throat. "Lucy was abducted."

He went lightheaded.

A kind of silence that makes your skin crawl filled the room.

Spencer looked around. "Hotch, what?" He could tell that he already seemed to be having a reaction a little too dramatic for a man who had just met her. His jaw was dropped, his face was bright red, he could that his left eyebrow was lifted a little. His eyes were wide and he was absolutely freaked out. Her second day on the job. "How? Guys... What is he talking about?"

"We think that it was by the same man who abducted the girls. We have reason to believe that all of these abductions are connected. We are still working on the why. I need all of you to dig deep here. That's one of us in there now."

"And children," JJ added. Everyone looked at her. "Which means," she cleared her own throat. "We are most likely working on a time crunch. As much as I do not like admitting to it."

Spencer blinked. What the fuck was happening? He punched himself. He definitely wasn't dreaming.

"How did this happen?" He asked again, this time a hell of a lot louder. Emily shot him a sympathetic smile. Aaron read the sadness on his face, but chose to ignore it. "Are you kidding?" He licked his lips and looked at every single agent. He took note of the office in the corner. Spencer now felt the need to dial it back. But, seriously, how did this happen?

"Correct," Hotchner agreed with JJ. "Agents, this is Special detective Joseph Applewick. Lucy's father. He's agreed to work with us on this case."

Spencer Reid felt acid rising in the back of his throat. His stomach tied itself into one huge knot.

"Hotch, you think that's a good idea?" Derek asked from the table. He scratched the back of his head in confusion as he did so. "I mean, I am sure you're an amazing detective, sir, but this is your daughter."

"Derek, trust me. We need this man's help."

Spencer spent the entire night awake. He stared up at the ceiling. I am going to find you, I am going to find you, I am going to find you. He rolled over over and shoved his face into his pillow. Over and over again in his mind, he repeated I am going to find you. Neither for Lucy or for himself but to assure the fact that the world wasn't ending. Spencer already had enough bad for one lifetime and he was going to find her. He wasn't going to let her die because he let her go for a run alone in the morning in New York freaking City. I am going to find you, I am going to find you, I am going to find you. He let the tears fall and didn't bother to wipe them away. He felt a wimp. A cheat. A fail. An idiot. Dr. Spencer Reid felt like an idiot.