Commitments and Consequences

Chapter Seven: Parenthesis

Hotch's phone displayed a call from the very agent the team were rushing to find, "it's Reid" he explained and immediately he answered, Garcia started to trace the call as best she could and the rest of the team listened in on the call including Derek connected from Nevada. "Spencer?" their leader asked and instantly they could hear a breathless genius over the call.

"H-Hotch, I'm at a hotel" the young agent got out as quickly as possible, his tone clearly fearful but focused on survival.

"Are you alright?" JJ asked, emotionally on edge at her missing friend but didn't waste any time.

"So far..." telling the team he was still in great danger but so far uninjured, worse yet Spencer continued with an absurdly tiring fact "but I'm literally in a wedding dress and tied to a bed - so not for long" and despite the oddity of the scenario the connotations of Reid's predicament and the unsub's intentions were absolutely terrifying.

"Do you know where you are?" Alex asked.

"I didn't see the name of the hotel, I was blind folded but I know it's remote yet high class, h-he killed the staff and I don't know how many others, I was out for a while during transport but once I woke up it was maybe half an hour."

"Where is Gail now?" Rossi asked, trying to find out how much time the agent had to speak and how long until he would be at risk from Gail's delusions.

"One of his delusions included that he'd proposed to me, when he saw I didn't have a ring I convinced him to go get one, so far it's probably been 35 to 40 minutes" and the team felt some relief that Spencer was able to influence his captor somewhat but also knew he couldn't delay the inevitable indefinitely.

"Is he violent with you?" Derek asked, on speaker and connected to the conversation regardless of distance, sat in his provided car waiting for any kind of instruction or direction to go in, fists clenching in anxiety hoping for news any moment to get his boy wonder the hell out of that place.

"Not yet, I'm playing into his fantasy but trying to stall, he has a gun and a knife and no shortage of cable ties" Spencer said "he changes from being able to perceive reality as is for necessity to completely blind or deaf to things that don't fit his delusions" which explained his ability to kill the receptionist and hotel guests. "I can't see anything that'll identify the hotel, no branding...wait, he said the hotel was the same his parents went to, likely for their wedding night" he offered hoping it would help in anyway.

"Anything yet on the trace, Garcia?" Hotch asked.

"It's going to take me a while, signal is so weak so Reid - no matter what you need to stay on the line" she said and at least there was some hope but it was time running out that was the real concern.

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Derek sat in his car, feeling sick and angry at the idea of what could possibly happen to Spencer while he just sat uselessly waiting by the police station, after the incident at the gas stop, officers ready for the call to assist the moment any instruction was given. He found himself praying that Spencer be returned safe but also promised himself that no matter what state Reid returned in, and he fully planned on doing whatever it took to make that happen, to make sure the young genius knew just how incredible and strong he was. "The moment you got a location baby girl let me know" he spoke trying to sound way more calm than he was, his mind this horrible mess between recalling the fear of the Henkel case and hoping Spencer never experienced anything like what Morgan had either.

His heart dropped when he heard a hushed Spencer say "I think that's him coming back."

"We need you to stay on the line, pretty boy" Derek said firmly and could hear "I'l hide the ph-" before a bunch of shuffling and he could only hope his friend had successfully concealed the cell before Gail entered the room. Also as grateful as he was that Reid didn't panic and hang up, as many do under the pressure, he realised he'd now have to listen to the bastard and just whatever he was going to put Spencer through.