Copycat//Criminal Minds FanFic

Stronger

It was the worst yet. Reid was back in the shack. The glow of the monitors gave the room a ghostly colour. A single light bulb hung above his head, not casting much light.

He could see Tobias stoking a meagre fire. He was burning the fish guts. Reid tried to move was rewarded with the bite of a rope that was tying his hands together.

He closed his eyes, willing himself to wake up from his nightmare.

Reid's head ached from the hit over the head he had sustained in the cornfield.

Reid's eyebrows knit together.

No, not in the cornfield. That wasn't right. It was in his hotel room.

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By the time Reid had realised how impossibly fast Hotch had arrived at the hotel, it was too late.

Reid had already unlocked the door and that was all the man had needed to break the door in. Before Reid could move, the man had hit him over the head with a baseball bat.

Reid remembered waking up in the back of a car for a short period of time. He had almost had a panic attack in that enclosed space. Before that happened, though, the car had hit a bump and Reid had banged his head against the side, causing him to lose consciousness again.

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Reid opened his eyes with a gasp.

This was no nightmare.

Slowly, Reid turned his head to look at his captor.

He had no idea what was in store for him, and wasn't excited to find out.

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Hotch and the others stared at each other as the realisation that Reid was gone sunk in.

JJ sank into the chair that Reid had been sitting in only a half hour ago.

"We're going to find him," Hotch said.

Prentiss nodded dumbly.

As if on cue, Morgan called.

"Hey guys, what's up? You find anything out?"

No one said anything.

"Guys? Come on, I don't have all day."

Still, the rest of the hesitated.

"Guys?"

"Morgan..." Hotch began, but failed.

Morgan knew immediately something was wrong. "What happened?" his voice was like steel.

Hotch swallowed. "Morgan," he began again. "Reid's gone missing."

Now the silence was on Morgan's end. "Reid what?"

"Please don't make me say it again."

"The guy was going to copy Tobias next, wasn't he?"

"Yes."

There was a slight rustling on the other end. Garcia and Morgan were heard arguing.

Garcia's voice came on. "I'm revoking your phone conversation privileges with Morgan. He isn't allowed to help on this one."

Hotch managed a faint smile. "Okay, Garcia."

The call disconnected.

The team looked at each other and tried to decide where to start.

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Reid watched the man. I can't do this again. Gideon's words came back to him. "Reid, if you're watching, you are not responsible for this. You understand me? He's perverting God to justify murder. You are stronger than him. He cannot break you."

Reid shook himself and sat up straighter. He was stronger now, he could do this.

"I have to go away for a while, but I'll be back," the man said as he walked out the door. Reid watched him go.

The monitors showed homes of people, again. Reid watched the families as they went about their ways.

He only could hope that he couldn't be forced to make the decisions he had last time.

Sorry this chapters not that long, but I think it gets the point across.