A Miracle From Hell

Chapter 14

When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.---Ralph Waldo Emerson. 

It was dark, and the plane hummed comfortably. On any other trip, Prentiss would have been sitting back with a drink, congratulating herself and her team on another job well done. 

But this was very different. Her leg bounced up and down and she looked at her watch. They were descending now. Hotch had told them that SUV's would meet them at the tarmac and they would leave from there. She remembered the look in Garcia's eyes as they all crowded on the elevator. 

"Bring him home." She had said. She brushed away the mascara-laced tears. "Bring our boy home." 

Prentiss had nodded at her, smiled even. But now--her leg bounced faster. 

"Bring our boy home." She whispered to the night sky. That was slowly becoming her mantra, playing over and over in her mind. Bring our boy home, bring our boy home.  She looked at her watch, impatient.

30 minutes. 

Rossi sat opposite of her, lost in his own thoughts. He had kept himself surprisingly calm, he knew what guilt and blame could do in these situations. Still, when he had left to go home for his break, he had broken down, crying. He had shocked himself. David Rossi never broke down. He shook his head and sighed. Looking out the window, he noted that the stars were unusually bright tonight. 

Closing his eyes, he waited for the familiar jolt of the plane announcing their arrival. He had to focus, clear his mind, for this takedown. 

For this rescue. He would make sure it would be a rescue. 

The plane jolted as it sped down the tarmac. 

JJ was already strapping on her FBI vest. This nightmare had gone on long enough. 

The change of temperature from cold, snowy Washington D.C., to mild Arizona, was shocking. Hotch walked up to a agent who stood waiting for them. 

"I'm SSA Aaron Hotchner with the BAU and this is my team. I understand you're from the Phoenix bureau?"  

The agent shook his hand. "SSA Martin. Understand that this is a hostage situation?"

Hotch nodded. "One of our own. SSA Spencer Reid." 

Martin motioned towards the SUV's. "Let's get to it then." They piled into the SUV's and drove off. 

They didn't stay on established roads for very long. Martin cut a sharp right and they bumped across some rocky roads. 

Morgan couldn't help but feel a strange sense of deja vu. With the dusty roads and the starry nights, he couldn't help but notice the similarity between the tonight and the night that Reid was taken. 

JJ nudged his arm and flashed him a small smile. He offered her a half-hearted smile and adjusted his vest. 

The ride was tense, and quiet. 

Morgan sighed and shifted in his seat. This was the longest drive of his life. His mind raced between what he would do when he would get there and making sure he took he got to Reid in time. 

The car pulled to a stop. The headlights briefly lit up an abandoned house before shutting off. They would move in softly. No need to alert Lewis they were coming. It was difficult going, rocks and dirt crumbling under their feet. 

Hotch made it to the door first and opened it softly. Creeping in, he swept past the broken down furniture his heart beating wildly. Every shadow leered out at him and more than once he felt his heart speed up at several of them. He found himself searching for any sign of life. The house was silent. 

Frowning he looked back at Prentiss who had come to the same conclusion as he had. "Did Chaser fool us?" 

Prentiss shook her head. "No, we shook his belief in Lewis, there would be no reason for him to lie to us." She looked around. "He's here somewhere." 

Hotch nodded. "I'm going to look outside." 

Prentiss kneeled down on the floor, looking for a seam, for anything that would prove that her theory was right. She was joined by Morgan. She told him her theory, and he nodded running his hands along the walls. 

A cry from Hotch brought them all running outside. He had found a shed deep in the brush. "He's in there." 

"You're sure?" Morgan had his gun pointed at the door.

"I heard him." They shared a look. Morgan opened the door and Hotch slipped in. In front of them they could see Lewis standing in front of Reid who was strung up. Hotch could have sworn that he and Reid made eye contact, but when Reid's head dropped back down, he moved in. 

He motioned for Morgan to flank Lewis, knowing that his team would be coming in soon. Stepping out into the light, he leveled his gun at Lewis. "Darren Lewis! This is the FBI!" 

Lewis jumped and cursed. Positioning himself behind Reid, he held his knife to his throat. "Agent Hotchner, now this was unexpected. Now listen to me, I did have a timetable, and trust me I am very unhappy that you have forced me off that timetable, but I have no problem with killing your agent right here." 

Hotch lowered his weapon. "You won't though, this game, this timeline has been your obsession, your masterplan for at least a year, maybe longer. You won't break routine now. Not the great intellect that you are." 

Lewis smiled uncomfortably. "I told them I would be recognized, that my name would be burned into minds of everyone, that I would be respected!" Spit flew from his mouth and the knife cut deeper. 

Hotch nodded. "Of course you will be. This is something that deserves respect. Now, Lewis, put the knife down, and we'll get your name out." 

"Do you think I'm stupid?" He raged. "That I'll fall for that? I-" He was abruptly cut off by a sharp crack and he looked down, then back up at Hotch as he slumped to the ground slowly. 

Morgan stood off to the side and slowly lowered his gun. He ran over to Lewis and checked his pulse. "He's gone." He called back to Hotch. He reached for Reid, his hands shaking. 

"Come on buddy, we got you now." He lowered him slowly, alarmed at how bloody he was. "Alright, you're safe now, Spencer. Hotch, call a medic, we need a medic!" 

Hotch was already calling one in. 

Morgan cradled Reid's head on his lap. He watched his eyes flutter open and felt his heart sink as they rolled back again. "Reid, c'mon man, you have to stay with me. You have to stay with me." 

He looked for a pulse. It was slow and weak. God, where were those medics?

JJ ran in. "Oh god." was all she could get out. "Oh god." Her face had a mix of horror and compassion. "Spence...." 

They shared a look, tears filling their eyes. Had they really come this far to loose him all over again?