A/N: I actually squealed with delight when this story idea was requested from me. Seriously. It's a HUGE honor to receive a request, so I truly hope that this story turns out worthy of all that faith. (gulps, but then BEAMS) (Yup, too much sugar today.)

DISCLAIMER: It'd me my Christmas wish, but sadly I don't think that there's ANYTHING even Santa could do. (sighs gloomily) So I'm stuck on being a obsessed fan and toying with the characters every now and then.

FULL SUMMARY: Dr. Spencer Reid hasn't been himself lately. He's been acting off and keeping secrets. Bruises he can't explain appear. Then, during a case, he vanishes. Six months later the team has almost lost hope of seeing him again when Aaron Hotchner's doorbell rings. Behind the door stands Reid – with a baby he claims to have given birth in his arms. Reid also reveals that he knows who the seemingly unstoppable UnSub the team's been after is. It's the baby's father. Will the team manage to protect the daddy and baby? Or will they die trying?

WARNINGS: SLASH. M-PREG. Language. Violence. Adult themes. (glances around) Woah, those seats emptied fast…!

Awkay… (takes a deep breath) Because I've never been a coward, let's give it a kick. I REALLY hope that you'll enjoy the ride!

The Demon's Child

It was a cold yet beautiful night. The sky was clear and full of almost unnaturally bright stars. The temperature was dropping, signaling that winter had arrived. Snow rustled under the steps of two men. They hardly noticed the beauty around them.

A hasty, choked breath sounded deafeningly loud. The roared words were like a thunder. "Where the hell is he? What have you done to him?"

The second man gave a smile that felt even colder than the winter around them. "Agent Hotchner. I was beginning to wonder how long it'd take before you'd show up."

The sounds of sirens could already be heard somewhere in the distance. Too far. Too slow. Too late. Aaron's jaw tightened while his body shook from something he hadn't felt since his ex-wife's death. "He's a federal agent", he hissed, no longer able to control his emotions. "If you've hurt him…" His threat was cut off as his cell phone started to ring.

The other man's grin was one of the most horrifying things he'd ever seen. "Pick up the phone, Aaron", came a soft, almost velvet like suggestion.

Aaron's hand shook while he took his cell phone and accepted the call, his eyes not leaving the monster before him for even a second. "Spencer?"

Was that… a sob? Or a hiss of pain? It was hard to tell. "I… I don't have a lot of time. So… Listen to me, please. Listen."

Aaron swallowed thickly, lightheaded from wrath and sheer terror, numbed by adrenaline. One of his hands was already reaching out towards his gun. "Are you alright?"

"Just… listen, please." Spencer sounded so desperate that it broke his heart. It took several seconds before the younger man spoke again. "Lucia… Make sure that she's safe, alright? Promise me. Make sure that she's safe. Make sure that he'll never find her."

By then Aaron's hand had wrapped firmly around his gun. He didn't even notice the tears that were slowly filling his eyes. "I promise."

It was silent for a long time. Too long. "I'm sorry." Spencer's voice was quiet, full of things that Aaron couldn't read. "I… I'm so sorry." And then it all ended to the unmistakable sound of a explosion.

Aaron's eyes were wide and moist as he screamed at the top of his lungs. "SPENCER!" No reply came. He paid no attention to the fact that the sirens had already almost reached the two of them. All he heard was the silence. The utter, wrenching silence where Spencer's voice should've been.

The man standing only steps away began to laugh. "Didn't I already tell you, Aaron? I'm a very possessive man. I was not about to let you have him."

His eyes glazing over with such rage and grief that wasn't even human, his whole body filling with something primal, Aaron took his gun and pointed.

Prologue

Ten Months Earlier

It was raining while Dr. Spencer Reid stood in the conference room of a small town's police station, a huge mug of coffee in his hand and the other hand pressed firmly, protectively, to his stomach. There was a frown on his face and this strange, nearly haunted look in his eyes. The coffee hadn't been touched although the genius had had it for ten minutes.

Derek Morgan had been a profiler for too damn long to not see that something was badly out of place.

With a frown of his own he approached, trying to focus on the crime scene photos Spencer was looking at to keep the other from feeling like he'd been staring. "Either you're finally seeing a pattern or you've fallen asleep standing up."

Spencer flinched. It was a clearly noticeable physical reaction. That, however, wasn't even nearly as worrying as the look of terror that flashed through the genius' eyes. It took a long moment before the man managed to talk. "Damnit, Morgan! Don't sneak up on me."

Derek frowned. Yes, something was definitely wrong. "Woah, I wasn't sneaking up on you! It's not my fault that your mind's a million miles from here." Worry made his stomach twist into tight knots. Spencer behaving like this was never a good sign. "Reid… What's going on? Because… You haven't been yourself for a while now."

Spencer sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose with two fingers. "I know. Sorry. I just… haven't been sleeping well lately. And… I've been a bit nauseous."

Derek's frown didn't go anywhere, nor did the worry. "Are you sure that that's all there is?" he demanded.

Spencer nodded, perhaps a bit too eagerly. And then, like nothing had ever happened, the genius gestured towards the map. "I just noticed something, after the victim we found today. See how these locations are alligned?" The man drew a circle with his finger. "He's slipping out of his comfort zone. The next victim will most likely be chosen from this area. It's outside the area the police has been investigating so far."

Derek's eyebrow bounced up. Very slowly a grin appeared. "Well how about that. You were seeing a pattern, after all."

"Hmm." It was quiet for a couple of seconds. "Hey, Morgan?" There was a tiny, frail smile on Spencer's face. "Thanks, for caring."

Derek smiled as well, wrapping one arm around the genius. The younger man didn't feel all too uncomfortable with his touch. "What else is a family for, pretty boy? Now let's go. We've gotta brief Hotch and the police on what you just noticed."

Several hours later the team had managed to interrupt the potential abduction of a yet another victim but they weren't fast enough to catch the UnSub. In the end the evening had gotten so late that the team decided to catch a break until the morning. They'd be of no use if they wouldn't get at least a few hours of sleep. And so they headed towards their hotel, frustrated, tense and all of them deep in thought. They were so close…

Aaron Hotchner had just finished his goodnight phone call to Jack when there was a knock on his hotel room's door. He frowned, his skin tingling with alert. Who…?

"Hotch?" Spencer's voice was tight, nervous, anxious. "Are you awake?"

Aaron's body reacted before he got the chance to figure out what he wanted to do. He wasn't sure which one of them shivered more when he opened the door at the exact same second Spencer's hand rose for a new knock.

Aaron frowned, taking in just how pale Spencer was. Taking in the sheer exhaustion. He'd been keeping an eye on his youngest agent for a while now. How was it possible that he hadn't noticed just how bad things had gotten? "Reid?"

Spencer cleared his throat, shifted his weight, bit his lip. Aaron had thought that the younger man had already gotten over those nervous habits, at least around him. "Can I… come in? There's something I need to…"

Aaron nodded much faster than he'd meant to and hoped that Spencer didn't notice. He moved out of the way with a slow motion. "Of course."

Flashing a tense, not quite genuine looking smile Spencer entered. They both shivered when their hands brushed together and it took all of Aaron's willpower not to reach out and… He gritted his teeth, hard enough to taste blood. Spencer slipped to a safe distance.

He was a goddamn unit chief. He should've gotten over those thoughts already.

Spencer, at least, found a sure way to empty Aaron's head from all distracting thoughts as soon as the door had been closed. The genius wasn't looking towards him while speaking. "I… came to tell you that I'm leaving tonight. For personal reasons."

For several moments Aaron was only able to stare. Then, through the gigantic blockage in his throat, the words came. "What?" His eyes narrowed and he growled, no matter how hard he tried to tell himself to calm down. "Reid, we're in the middle of a case! You can't…!"

Spencer met his eyes and at the moment all words disappeared. The younger man looked just about ready to break down to tears right there and then. "I already talked to Strauss. She… wasn't happy about my decision but she understood. The case is nearly closed, anyway." The genius wiped his eyes with a violently trembling hand and blinked furiously. "I… I'm sorry that…"

Aaron shook his head, the frown from before deepening several degrees. "Reid, what's going on?" It was nothing short of a demand. His voice was thick with worry.

Spencer gulped laboriously, practically squirming where he stood. The man's eyes were full of despair. "I just… There are some things that I need to take care of, right now. I'll come back as soon as I can." With those words as his only explanation Spencer began to retreat towards the door. "Tell the others that I'm sorry, okay?"

Aaron nodded, speechless from shock and confusion. Spencer had almost slipped away from him until his tongue worked again. "Reid." He wasn't all too sure of what he wanted to say, of what was swelling and spinning inside him. Perhaps that was why his words sounded flat. "Take care of yourself."

Spencer nodded. This time the genius didn't even try to smile. "I will."

'I will.'

Then why did Aaron feel like his heart had been ripped out when the door closed between them?

Safely out of the building Spencer's hurrying steps slowed down ever so slightly. His stomach kept twisting and turning, pushing a horrendous taste into his throat, as he stood absolutely still for a second upon seeing a all too familiar black car. Tears burned behind his eyes, itching to be released, but he bit them back.

It was time to stop crying already. Time to stop wondering.

He'd been spotted. The car's headlights nearly blinded him while a majestic roar sent a shudder through his whole system. However long he lived he'd never be able to look at a car like that without feeling the need to throw up.

And then he created a nearly flawless smile, forcing himself to keep his hand from shielding his abdomen when he could've sworn that he felt something close to squirming. He was not going to throw up, not now. Right now he needed to remain sharp and focused.

The car stopped completely and after a moment the passenger's door was opened nearly soundlessly. Keeping the smile in place despite the thunder roaring inside of him Spencer approached and hopped in. Not looking back was one of the hardest things he'd ever done.

Spencer found himself wondering if he'd ever see his team – his family – again.

Wondered if he'd ever get the chance to explain.

TBC OR NOT?

A/N: Poor Reid. Quite a chilling start for him, no? (shudders)

So, folks… Whadda ya say? Did it crash and burn or shine? PLEASE, leave a note and let me hear ya out! Perhaps this could be your good deed for today, hmm.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for reading this bit! Who knows, perhaps I'll be seeing you later…? (glances hopefully)

Peace out!