Copycat//Criminal Minds FanFic

Missing

The team was stationed in a new hotel. No one had been told of their new location, and none of them were actually staying there. A single room was being used as their headquarters.

"Okay, so Reid helped us figure out that this unsub had access to information about our cases at one time or another. The unsub must be following us. He knows where Morgan's hospital room is, and where Reid was staying." Rossi sat with his elbows on his knees and his chin resting on his clasped hands.

Pictures covered a cork-board. They were of crime scenes and victims past and present.

The team was scattered about the room. Hotch was running a hand over his face as he leaned against a door jamb. Prentiss and JJ were each sitting on a bed. None of them had slept since Reid had gone missing, twenty-four hours ago.

I wonder what the statistics of finding someone is, Prentiss thought. She remembered Reid talking about them once when a little girl went missing in a mall. She was distracted from her thoughts by JJ.

"I told him that we wouldn't split up. I should have thought remembered that when we discovered it was Tobias..."

"JJ, you couldn't have done anything," Prentiss tried to comfort here.

"No, this is what happened last time. We split up and Reid got taken away." JJ shook her head furiously.

"JJ-" Hotch began, moving toward her.

JJ pulled her knees to her chin. "I should have stayed with him..."

"JJ, maybe you should take a break. Go visit Morgan and Garcia."

The team stood in awkward silence as JJ quietly cried.

____________________________________

Garcia paused in her rapid typing and looked at Morgan. He was staring at the ceiling and had been for most of the day.

"Morgan?" she ventured.

"Hmmm?" he asked without moving.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"I promised myself that I would look out for Reid when he first joined the team. He was so young." Morgan shook his head. "Do you know what today it?"

Garcia wrinkled her brows. "Today? Umm. Tuesday?"

Morgan smiled sadly. "Yes, Tuesday. But it's something else, too."

____________________________________

Reid's stomach growled. He hadn't eaten since the first night in this town. He had no idea what time it was. He couldn't see his watch and there were no windows.

Reid jerked at the sound of a door opening. For a brief instant, sunlight blinded him. The man walked in, wearing a ski mask. Unlike with Tobias, Reid had never seen this man's face.

Without a word, the man began setting up a video camera. He plugged it in and the red light blinked on. Reid's mind immediately flashed back to a different time. Choose one to die... Reid forced himself back to the present.

"I believe I made a mistake." The man moved toward Reid, who tensed. "I believe you were tied like this." The man reached for Reid's arms, untying them. He pulled one of Reid's arms painfully up to between his shoulder blades. Reid was too weak to fight anyway. The man retied Reid's arms to the arms of the chair.

"Thank you," Reid said, remembering how he was able to talk to Tobias.

"I wouldn't thank me." The man walked back over to the computers. The monitors flashed back to the homes of the people. "I believe you know what is going to happen. Begin to make your decision." The man turned his back on Reid.

Reid allowed himself a moment of grief.

____________________________________

The BAU was back together, minus Reid. Morgan had gotten an early discharge from the hospital with a little help from the FBI. Garcia had made Morgan as comfortable as possible and given him leeway to participate in the case, even after her prior resolve.

"What do we got?" Rossi asked Garcia.

"Strangely, this area has a big thing for cemeteries. I have ten that are still operational, and about ten that have been abandoned."

"He's probably being held near a cemetery that's abandoned," Morgan commented.

"I agree," Hotch said. "How many are in forests and away from any close neighbours?"

"That's pretty much all of them," Garcia said as she shook her head. "It's really hard to narrow it down much more than the ten. Remember, there is a slight chance that there are more cemeteries that are so old, they aren't properly catalogued."

Silence swept over the group while Garcia printed the papers.

As Hotch distributed them, Morgan re-asked his question.

"Does anyone know what day it is?"

Rossi and Prentiss looked at each other. "Tuesday?" Prentiss tried.

"No, that's not what he means," Hotch said sadly.

JJ spoke for the first time in hours. "It's Reid's birthday."