Vero Amore (a Spencer Reid love story)

IX

Morgan's POV

"Reid and Mancini may be in trouble," was the last thing Hotch said to us. Prentiss, Rossi and I were driving as fast as we could to make it to the professor's house. Originally, we were on the way back to the PD after going to our potential unsub's, Michelle Wagner, campus dorm, but once Hotch called us, we made an immediate U-turn.

It didn't take long for us to get to the professor's home. A few cop cars surrounded the house and I spotted Reid being treated at the back of an ambulance. I unbuckled my seatbelt and nearly jumped out of the car as I ran to Reid, Mancini was nowhere in sight.

"Reid!" I called out to him, my eyebrows furrowed in confusion as I see the anger in his eyes.

"I don't need to be treated!" he cried out to the paramedic. "I need to be in there! I need to help them!" he continued, not even realizing my presence in front of him. I furrowed my eyebrows and stop in place, taken aback by his attitude, and freeze in front of him. What is going on?

"Reid!" I called out again, stepping forward as I held tightly onto his shoulders since he kept on turning back to face the paramedic. His eyes widened, fury burning into his eyes as he looked to see who was grabbing onto him. For a second I thought he was going to whack me, but his eyes instantly softened as he realized it was me. He avoided my eyes and exhaled deeply, as if he was holding his breath for ten minutes.

It was silent for a while. His shoulders slumped lower and lower until his back was bent and he was holding his face with his hands.

"They took her," he muttered after a long moment, a sense of sorrow and darkness clouding around him. I didn't understand any of it. What was he talking about? Who took who? Is his mother alright? Did the professor get kidnapped?

I finally let go of him as I shook my head.

"Wha-" I begin before my name is called out.

"Morgan!" Hotch called out from the entrance of the house. He tilts his head to indicate that we have to meet up. I give Hotchner an approving nod as I squeeze Reid's shoulder.

"It's gonna be okay, pretty boy."

And with that, I was quickly walking towards the house.

As the team, minus Reid, circled around, Hotchner began to speak;

"Mancini is missing-"

There it is.

"-We have searched this house up and down, and the only traces we found of Mancini were her badge, gun, and cellphone, which were scattered around the living room-"

I felt like my gut was going to explode.

"-Garcia traced the numbers, and it seems as if the professor has been in contact with Michelle Wagner for a while now. I believe they're working together." Hotchner began walking over to the living room, and like a pack of wolves, we followed him.

Everything was unsettling. The coffee table was broken, holes were on the wall, and it looked like some blood had smeared onto the ground.

She was with us thirty minutes ago, how could we lose her so fast?

Hotch pointed to a cloth on the ground. "It was filled with Chloroform. They drugged her."

"Oh, God," Prentiss immediately replied. She began rubbing her forehead and shut her eyes.