Annoyance (Spencer Reid x Reader)

The Hospital

It had been days. Still nothing. Everyone was on edge, desperate for answers. It was impossible for someone to just get away with kidnapping an FBI agent like that in broad daylight. And yet they did get away with it. Looking over old cases had done nothing; there weren't any leads to be found. You had combed over every inch of the crime scene. There was no evidence. It was maddening, just sitting around going over old cases again and again and again for something, anything, and coming up empty every single time.

Everyone coped in their own way, but the consensus was long hours at headquarters with lots of caffeine and no sleep. You had resorted to taking your work laptop and sitting on the floor in Penny's office. She would cry randomly at times from stress and worry, so you wanted to be there to comfort her. You also knew that if you were busy taking care of her, you could avoid your own emotions. It was better to ignore them anyways, because Spencer needed you to be logical. That's what he would have encouraged.

Hotch got the call on Thursday.

Someone, the team didn't know who, was antagonizing him. Teasing him about where Spencer was, what they were doing to him. Insisted that Hotch knew what this was about, but made no ransom demand. If there was no demand, there was a very good chance they wouldn't be returning Spencer alive. Penny had enhanced the recording to see if she could pick anything up. The sound of rushing water, the creaking of boats, seagulls. A marina. She also picked up the sound of Spencer in the background. It sounded like he was crying, begging for help. You were almost in tears from the desperation in his voice. What the fuck were they doing to him?

Penny came through like she always did. She had been able to triangulate the phone call, pinpoint possible locations with help from the team. She was pretty sure she had gotten the right place, but that was enough for the team to go off of. Morgan was stoic, practically breaking every driving law known to man on the way there. You were in the backseat, holding on for dear life while JJ tried to calm him down from the passenger seat. To describe the atmosphere as tense would have been an understatement.

"He... he knows how to deal with these situations," she said unconvincingly. You had all heard the recordings.

"And he ended up becoming an addict after that," Morgan spit back.

"You don't have to say it like that," JJ replied, sounding hurt.

"Morgan!" you snapped.

JJ turned to look back at you, her eyes watery.

"No, he's right. A few years ago, we... Spencer and I got into some trouble. He was kidnapped and tortured, killed and then brought back to life after. In this specific case, he was given dilaudid by the unsub. He became addicted, used it to cope afterwards. I never forgave myself for that. Morgan isn't wrong."

"Fighting right now is the last thing we need to be doing," you replied firmly. You were trying to hold your ground, trying to pretend like what she said hadn't phased you. Spencer had mentioned his addiction once, but you had never realized that it was work-related.

"You're right," Derek sighed. "JJ, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. I just-"

"We're all worried about him," she replied gently. "I know."

Paramedics, SWAT, and the bomb squad had been called. If this was a trap, a way to snuff out the entire team, it would be a great setup to do so. It was an old, abandoned cannery out by the shore. The bomb squad went in first, and then the team with SWAT. There was nothing in the building at all. Maybe you had the wrong place?

No, there was a room up ahead with the lights on. The only one with lights on, as far as you could tell. SWAT beat down the door, and there Spencer was. He was tied to a chair in the bare and nondescript concrete room, blindfolded and gagged. JJ had gotten to him first, ripping the coverings off of his face. The dark circles under his eyes were the worst you had ever seen, his clothes and hair matted and filthy, covered in sweat, dirt, and blood. He was looking around confusedly with wide eyes, but slurring his speech. He had been drugged.