DAMAGED // spencer reid

13

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've been extremely busy with school and trying to get adjusted. I will be sure to keep updating regularly if more people start to show interest in my story!
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Going back to work was worse than I thought, mostly because Hotch stuck me on desk-duty for the first two weeks. I was growing restless after sitting and doing paperwork all day while the rest of the team shot me sympathetic glances before leaving to go on cases. But today was the day, Hotch finally cleared me to go on a case. Willow was all set up with Ms. Harmon for the weekend and my to-go bag was slung over my shoulder as I boarded the jet.

"We are headed to the Big Apple, folks. Ten people have gone missing in the last week, all in the same five mile radius. Women and men, ages 20-50, several different races. It looks like our unsub doesn't have a pattern or method to his kidnappings. So far none of these victims have turned up anywhere, leading us to believe that they are still alive," JJ finishes, handing out case files. I inspect it carefully, analyzing the photos of our victims and their personal information.

"Other than the fact that they live within the same area, none of these people have any sort of connection to each other. Maybe it's just a freak coincidence, or multiple kidnappers?" Derek asks.

"That's incredibly unlikely, based on the odds. Two people who live this close to each other would be considered a freak coincidence, but kidnapping ten people is sending a message," Reid replies.

"We should get Garcia to compile a list of our victims' credit card receipts dating back to last month. Maybe we'll find some sort of connection there?" I add hopefully.

"It's worth a shot. We don't have much time, either our unsub will kidnap again or he'll decide it's time to take the life of a victim. Once we land, Grant and I will conduct interviews with the victims' families at the station and Morgan and Reid will track down some leads that Garcia has already sent us. JJ, I want you to go straight to the media and get the word out. Let's work quickly and thoroughly so we can catch this son of a bitch by the end of the weekend," Hotch says. We all nod in agreement before splitting up into separate parts of the jet. I sit back and start reviewing the case files of our ten victims, yet nothing is even remotely similar between them that I can tell. Hotch takes a seat next to me, which is odd because he usually hangs out by himself when in the jet.

"Are you going to tell them?" He asks, eyebrows raised.

"Huh?"

"That you're officially 26."

"Oh, right," I sigh. I didn't forget that today was my birthday, but it resides in the back of my mind.

"Happy birthday, Addie," he smiles, it's tiny but visible. He rarely calls me anything other than Grant.

"Thank you, sir," I reply sincerely. I've never been one to celebrate my birthday, which is ironic because I love celebrating other peoples' birthdays. Growing another year older doesn't always seem like a good thing, especially because everything has been so hectic lately. I'll probably go to my hotel room tonight and order takeout, maybe drink some wine and watch a movie. I wish Willow was here, I already miss her and it would be fun to eat cupcakes with her to celebrate. This past year was the hardest of my life, but I wouldn't change anything.

"Welcome, I'm Detective Niles. You must be SSA Hotchner, and you are?" The detective asks me when Hotch and I arrive at the station to interview the families of the victims.

"Dr. Adeline Grant, nice to meet you," I extend my hand and we shake, his eyes lingering on me for a little longer than comfortable.

"Doctor, huh? A pretty, young thing like you?" Niles smirks, making my blood boil.

"I wouldn't bother questioning my qualifications, Detective, I can assure you that they are well above yours. Now, would you care to show me to the husband of Katherine Jenkins?" I ask expectantly, tapping the case file under my arm. Hotch doesn't smile, but there's a glint to his eyes as Detective Niles turns red in the face and grunts, leading the way into interrogation room 2. Hotch goes off to interview other families while I slip into the interrogation room, where Tom Jenkins sits worriedly.

"Mr. Jenkins? I'm Dr. Grant with the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI, I'm here to ask you a few questions about the disappearance of your wife, Katherine." I state, taking the chair across from him. He intakes a sharp breath and rubs his hands together.

"She just went for a jog, I didn't think anything of it. My wife loves to go running through the park every morning," he chokes out.

"Always the same park?"

"Yeah. Same time, too. Katherine loved following a strict schedule."

"Were there any other places she went on a regular basis? Maybe somewhere that someone could have known she would be?" I ask, jotting down quick notes.

"Just jogging and going to work. Sometimes she would go to the coffee shop downtown after a run, River Roast, I think it's called."

"Did you know if Katherine planned on going to River Roast after her jog on the morning she was abducted?"

"I... I'm not sure. No, actually, I don't think so. Katherine yelled something about being behind schedule when she left for her run, so I don't think she would have had the time to before work." Tom's voice is shaken as he reminisces on the last time he saw his wife. My phone buzzed in my pocket and I took it out, seeing a message from Hotch.

CONFERENCE ROOM. ASAP.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Jenkins. I assure you that we are doing our best to locate your wife, along with the rest of the victims. An officer will come in shortly to finish questioning, please contact us if you have any questions or come across any new information." I shake his hand before leaving, making my way to the conference room across the bullpen. Hotch, JJ, Detective Niles and a few other officers are waiting in there for me as I arrive.

"Let me guess, River Roast," I sigh, throwing my case file onto the table.

"We have identified that our ten victims were all at River Roast on the same morning, two weeks ago. There's not much we can do until we gather more information about the employees and other customers that day, so I suggest that everybody goes home and gets a few hours of sleep before we're called in again. Reid and Morgan are already on their way to the hotel." Hotch confirms. I look at the clock on the wall, it's already close to 9pm. I gather up my stuff before riding with Hotch and JJ back to the hotel. It's not fancy by any means, a modest little hotel with small rooms, but never worth complaining about. I say goodnight to my colleagues before swiping my room key and closing the door behind me. The first thing I notice is the small silver box resting on top of the bed. I set down my bags haphazardly in front of the door and make my way over, curious. The box is small, a note tucked under the red ribbon. I open it, smiling faintly when I spot the familiar scribble.

Addie,
I know you don't like celebrating your birthday, but as your best friend I thought it was customary to get you a gift. I'm sorry I didn't get to see much of you today, but I hope your day of crime-fighting wasn't too awful. Happy 26th birthday, I can't wait to be able to spend another year with you.
Love, Spencer

I find myself full-on grinning when I finish his note, giddy with happiness at the fact that he even remembered that today was my birthday. I slip the note into my bag for safe keeping before carefully untying the ribbon. I open the top of the box and gasp, revealing a small gold chain with a heart-shaped locket on the end. I slowly open the locket and find a tiny picture inside: it's of Spencer, Willow and I a few weeks ago, we were at the park and Spencer took a selfie of the three of us. Of course, I practically had to teach him how to take a selfie beforehand, but all of us are mid-laugh in the picture with rosy cheeks. I don't even realize that happy tears are trailing down my face until I reach