9:23 At Night

Spencer

She's gone. There's blood in the counter top. Hotch is searching the bathroom. The whole team is in her apartment.

"Reid, you need to go back with JJ and talk to Garcia, you're the only who's going to be able to help narrow down suspects." Hotch is standing in front of me but my mind is racing. I feel JJ grab my arm and pull me out of the apartment.

"We're going to find her Spence." she says to me as we drive back to the BAU. She's right though. We will find her and when we do I'm going to kill the guy who took her.

"Her dad, we visited him recently. I didn't go to Vegas to see my mom, Clara and I went to Iowa." I admit to them the truth.

"I don't think he could do this but he has a violent past, an abusive alcoholic past. I don't know anyone else, I'm going to be more hell out there looking for her." I try to stand up and JJ sits me back down.

"You aren't going to think clearly Reid. You know that." I shake my head.

"How could you possible know how I will be thinking Jennifer?" I shout at her and she glares me.

The rest of the team comes into the room to review what we know.

"We know she unlocked the door for her abuctor. That tells us that she knew him." Derek points out what would normally be the obvious but in this case i disagree.

"She unlocked the door thinking it was me, the bathroom door was locked open. I think she opened the door relazied it wasn't me and ran for the bathroom." Derek nods his head but Rossi has something to add now.

"She must've known him to be dangerous at some point. Okay so, she opens the door sees it's not spencer. Is she going to take up running for some random standing on the porch? No, she knows the guy." Rossi point makes sense but she would've run if he was armed. We all go back and forth wasting precious time.

"Uh, guys." Garcias voice is shaking. We all turn to her.

"What it is babygirl?" Derek walks behind her to see the computer screen but his eyes fall frightened.

"Cat Adam's is on the run, she escaped prison." Garcia stammers and I walk around the room. This can't be happening, not again.

"Reid." Hotch's voice is stern, i tryna around, pissed off at every single person in this room including myself.

"You're out. You're not working this case." I stare at him like he's a mad man.

"Why?"

"It's too personal, you know that. You'll get someone killed." The team stares at us and I shake my head back and forth.

"No, I'm going. It's me she wants, there's not anything anyone in this room can do besides me." I point out the obvious facts, there's nobody else that Cat Adams wants besides me.

"Go home." He demands and I laugh.

"Oh, you're punishing me? For a mistake you made. You didn't let me go, i went anyways, an innocent girl died. And you let me blame myself." I push his chest back and Derek grabs me.

"You're off the case because look at how you're acting right now!" Hotch yells at me but i'm already fired up and ready to yell back.

"I'm going, I'm what Cat wants, she doesn't want any of you! The only chance at saving Clara is letting me go Hotch." Derek lets me go but steps between Hotch and I.

"You know he's right." Emily steps in defending my point.

My phone rings. It's Clara.

"Speaker." Hotch points to it and so I obey, answering the phone.

"Where is she?" I'm demanding more than asking.

"Where's my hello at Spencer? Didn't you miss me?" Cat voices rings in my head like a headache.

"Fine, there's an abandoned house on York street, we're in the basement. Come alone Spencie, don't make me put a bullet in her skull." The call ends and I look at the team.

"Reid you can't go alone." Emily looks at me with burning eyes, I know that she cares about Clara almost as much as I do.

We all come to the conclusion that going alone is not smart, but I will go in alone, not totally alone, Emily will go in after me in secret, and the rest of the team will wait outside.

"Reid if things go south in there, we're coming in." Derek pats my shoulder meeting me know he has my back, Hotch does look like he approves of this at all. That's fine, I know how to get her out safe.

I walk into the empty house and look around, this has to be where she's been staying. I creep around til I hit the basement door, carefully walking down the stairs. My halearts racing with a bit of fear, not for myself but for Clara. I search room with my eyes when I hit the floor for any sign of her or Cat. The smell of old wood and dampness floods my nose instead.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my favorite genius." Cat taunts me entering from the darkness, there are footsteps behind her and a man follows her out, he hold Clara in his arms at gunpoint. Clara's olive eyes widen in relief when she sees me, her hands are bound behind her back, her face covered in dried and fresh blood.

My jaw clenches when my eyes land on Cat again, my mind racing with plans.

"Let her go, Cat. She doesn't have a part in this. It's me you want and here I am." I point to myself and Cat holds up a finger and wiggles it at me.

"Where's the fun in that, Spencie? You know I love a good game of cat and mouse." She taunts, her eyes gleaming with malice.

"Just let her go Cat," I plead with the her even though deep down I know what I really need to do. The man pressed the gun closer to Clara's head and she shuts her eyes, her squeals of fear muffled by the man's hand.

"You know I don't love her Cat, it was to get your attention." It pains me to speak and based off the look on Clara's face she doesn't know I'm lying. She believes and believe everything I'm about to say. I'm doing this to save her.

"Do you think I'm stupid Spencer?" Cat snaps at me and I shake my head.

"No, In fact I think you're almost as smart as me. I know you're not dumb Cat, that's why I'm telling you the truth." I inhale and I try my hardest not to look at Clara's teary eyed face. I see Emily at the stairs and turn my attention to Cat again.

"I don't want innocent people to die, you know that. It's my job to save them, I don't love her. Cat," She gives me her full attention now, crossing her arms after pointing to a pile of pictures behind me.

Pictures of me and Clara.

"You're saying that was all fake?" She scoffs, not believing me a bit.

"I had to make it seem real, it was all fake. Cat, it was all fake." I see a dark smile form on her face, she looks at Clara.

"Prove it." I don't waste time, I can't. Clara's life depends on it. So, I quickly move toward Cat and grab her face, crashing my lips against hers. I hear a sob emit from Clara's mouth and her body hits the floor, my heart stops for a moment but when she sobs again I know she's alive still. Cat pulls back with a smirk on her face as she eyes me up and down.

The man has let go of Clara and Emily is sneaking up behind him right now, I take this opportunity to grab Cat and shove her against the wall so i can handcuff her.

"You lied to me, Spencie." She laugh into the concrete wall and the man to the right of us is saying he was manipulated into this. JJ and Derek come barging in through the door seconds later, I'm guessing Emily called them down she saw the opportunity to take down the guy.

"Says his name is Johnathan Shepherd. See what Garcia can find on him. She throws the man at Derek and then goes over to Clara who's a mess on the floor.

"And you lied to me too." I take her out to the car myself even though I want to be comforting Clara. I just need to be the once to put her in that car. Rossi is leaning on the car when I throw her into the back.

"Is she?" I stop him and sigh in relief.

"She's okay."

Emily and JJ walk out of the house with Clara inbetween them. Only Clara doesn't look at me, and goes into the car with Emily and JJ and I watch as they drive away, heading back to the BAU i imagine.

"You did what you had to Spencer, she'll understand." Rossi says going around tie the drivers side foot and getting in the car. Hotch comes up to get in the front seat and before he does he apologizes for earlier.

Derek and I are on our own with this Johnathan guy now.

The car ride is silent almost the whole way there until John back there speaks up.

"She won't forgive for that you know." I turn my head toward him.

"I knew her, back in high school. She can hold a grudge." I look at Derek and then back at this unsub.

"Shut up." Derek looks in the mirror and shouts, I do my best to ignore him but shoot Derek that look of anger.

Both Cat and John were placed in separate interrogation rooms. I have no idea where Clara is but I need to see her to explain. Emily's by the coffee station getting two cups when I walk by so I stop instantly and ask to see her.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Reid, not right now. Give her some time." She sighs and gives me a look of sympathy.

"I need to explain to her that what I said wasn't true." I'm almost yelling at her but right now I don't even care.

"Spencer, she's in a fragile stage right now. She was kidnapped, beaten, and had a gun held at her head. You can't see her yet." Emily looks at me with the same expression she's had this whole time.

"Is she okay?" That's all I need to know, if she's okay.

"She will be." Emily walks off and it takes everything I have not to follow her.

"Reid." Hotch's voice sounds behind me, he's standing with two officers from the prison where Cat escaped.

It's already 10:23, it's already been an hour since we got back here. Looks like this night won't be going as planned. I mess with the small box in my pocket, setting in down on my desk as my make way up to Hotch's office.

——————AN: if you follow my tiktok you've prolly see the one abt spencer saving his fiancé, and clearly they are not engaged here, Yk what that means?? This is gonna happen again!!! love ya

ALSO 4K READS IN LESS THAN A WEEK?? I LUVVV U ALLL🥰🥰🥰