Peter Reid

Chapter 9 ~ The Replicator

Peter's POV

November 2013

Peter watched as Spencer moved around the apartment anxiously. As much as he wanted to be anxious he stayed calm, letting the older man be the nervous wreck, they didn't need two wrecks. "We don't have to do this tonight." He offered and Spencer froze.

"It's just dinner with Hotch, Jack, and Beth. It's not life or death," Spencer mumbles. "He really wants to meet you, and I-" He stops and looks at the clock. "We should get going." Peter smiled and slipped on his shoes before going to the door. Spencer met him and his hand twitched towards his satchel. However, his phone ringing stops everything. "I should- it'll take a minute."

Looking down his eyebrow raises, "Hotch?"

"Reid the replicator's in New York," Hotch states not bothering with a greeting. "Garcia was hacked and there were pictures of all of us, including you. There are recent ones, ones taken after you left, one with Peter." Spencer moved to his room motioning for Peter to follow. "We are all gathering at our hotel, I'll have Morgan text you the address."

"I'm going to be bringing a few things," Spencer said. Peter could easily hear the other end of the call and from Spencer's reaction, the replicator was a bad guy.

Spencer paused and for the first time since Spencer had the bad nightmare where Peter went in to talk to him all those weeks ago, he saw the inside of the bedroom. The wall opposite to the bed was completely covered in maps and notes. There were a few pictures of his team members, but it looked like organized chaos. "Help me take it down. I'll need it," he mumbled and started on the maps. Awkwardly Peter started pulling down notes and pictures.

"Who's the replicator?" Peter finally asked.

Spencer looked away from the map and frowned. "When I was still with my team, we noticed there were murders done exactly like the one we had just solved. We had a stalker... there was proof that we caught him, but it wasn't the right person. So, Erin Strauss, the BAU's Section Chief, and I kept looking into it after the team was kicked off the case."

Peter watched Spencer, he didn't look scared, he just looked anxious. Peter's hand landed on a picture of Spencer standing in a phone booth with a big smile on his face. He was talking on the phone, leaning like he had been there for a while. Under the photo was a notecard, "Zugzwang."

Spencer jumped at Peter's voice. "It's a chess term in which a player realizes he will be checkmated and has to either resign the game or continue on." He mumbled in explanation then they worked in silence for the next couple of minutes.

Once it's all in his bag he's pulling Peter out of the apartment and into the street. Spencer never liked touching but he was gripping Peter's hand, pulling him down the street. Peter let Spencer control the situation and within minutes they were closing in on the hotel. Except they both slowed when they saw the flashing lights of the ambulance. "No, no-" Then they were running into the scene, Spencer easily pushing them through the people and police. One of the policemen tried to stop them but Spencer shouted, "Hotch!"

Suddenly, Aaron Hotchner was helping them through. Peter noticed a body being loaded into the ambulance, in a bag. He noticed Spencer's team members staring at them, at their hands. However, Spencer wasn't paying them any mind. "The replicator got to Erin, forced her to drink."

Spencer looked sickened and he tightened his grip on Peter. "I brought everything I have on the cases. Hotch, Strauss, and I have been working on this since I left."

Hotch looked over at Peter, "he- Garcia's been able to go through the pictures that were sent to her. There was one of you and Peter eating dinner in your home." Peter tried not to look bothered by that, but of course, the profilers were able to see through it. "The photos looked recent, most likely done within the last few days. It doesn't look like he came here just for you."