~ Present ~

"Please, you need to help h-"

"I know your game, baby. I know what that government has done to you but it's okay, baby, I'm here for you now."

"Please-"

The sickening sound of metal hitting flesh and Reid's pained cry finally tore Prentiss from her daze. She opened her eyes, but found she could only open one, and a red haze settled as blood dripped into her eyes. She blinked rapidly, and enough of the red was wiped away for her to see Reid now sitting in a bar stool. His hands were handcuffed in the front, and Prentiss wouldn't be surprised if that pair belonged to either her or Reid. The UnSub was directly in front of him, cradling a metal baseball bat lovingly. Blood stained both ends, but the UnSub looked unfazed.

Reid was hunched over in pain, but he still held eye contact with the UnSub.

"Thank you for being here," Reid managed to say, his voice hoarse and raspy. Something wet dripped down Prentiss's forehead, and when she reached up to try and wipe it away, she realized that she was also handcuffed. It was awkward wiping her face, and she grimaced at the amount of blood coating her hands.

"Emily? Are you okay?" Reid asked anxiously. Prentiss blinked and glanced around, surprised to see that the UnSub had left without her realizing it.

"I'm fine, Reid. How's your leg?" Prentiss had tried not to wince when she saw the genius's leg hanging limply, but something must have changed in her expression because he sighed.

"It really hurts," he admitted. "I wish I could somehow set and splint it." He looked around slowly, surveying the room as Prentiss swallowed a groan. Her headache was steadily growing worse, and when she tried to sit up, the room spun around her.

She rolled over and threw up what was left in her stomach.

Almost immediately, footsteps began to walk downstairs, towards them. A scolding voice called out, "Emily, stop making such a mess."

Prentiss looked up, eyes wide.

"Mom?"

.

"I was beginning to think that you guys ran off and forgot all about me!" Garcia chirped when she answered the phone.

Morgan grimaced. "I have an important job for you, Baby Girl."

"Oh, I don't like that grim tone. What's wrong? What can I do?"

"I need you to see if you can track Reid and Prentiss's phones and find their location."

"I'm typing as fast as I can," Garcia told him nervously. He heard her fingers flying over the keyboard, and he silently sent a prayer to whoever was listening. He blamed himself for not protecting his friends from the UnSub, despite what Hotch told him otherwise.

"I got it!" Garcia said suddenly. Morgan heard the clicking of a few more keys, and then Garcia's voice. "117 Oakland Road. It's a warehouse that has been abandoned since 1983. Wardle and Co. used to manufacture gardening tools and supplies."

"Thank you, Baby Girl," Morgan replied. "I could kiss you right now."

"I'll kiss you when you get my babies back, my chocolate knight."

.

Her mother was wearing the suit she bought in Paris; it was a personal favorite, for a reason Prentiss didn't care about.

"Emily, you have made a mess. Clean it up before the Minister arrives, please."

Prentiss blinked, confused. "The Minister? Since when do you invite them to our home?"

"Don't give me that attitude. Do what I asked."

"Or what?"

"Or wake up."

"What?" Prentiss was startled. Wasn't she already awake? Her mother was acting strange…

"Wake up, Emily."

Prentiss's eyes flew open as cold water washed over her face, soaking her clothes immediately. She gasped at the sting.

"There we go. It's not time for bed yet, young lady." The UnSub chuckled at Prentiss, then happily walked over to Reid, who struggled to keep his head up. His hair was wet from his own wake-up call, and the brown locks stuck to his face, stringy in the front and matted down with dried blood in the back. "Same goes for you, mister."

Prentiss tried to sit up, pleasantly surprised to find her hands free, and the nausea and headache was beginning to dull as well. She watched the UnSub warily as she bent down to smooth the hair out of Reid's face. She pulled away immediately when he fingers brushed the young doctor's forehead.

"You are very hot, sweetie. Are you okay?" The UnSub asked lovingly. Reid made a strangled sound of the negative, and the UnSub frowned. "Don't you worry. I'll fix that right up for you."

She got up and walked back upstairs purposely. As soon as the basement door closed behind her, Prentiss scrambled to her younger colleague's side.

"Oh, Reid," she murmured, gently touching the new dark bruise spreading across Reid's cheek. He grimaced, then tried to smile. His eyes were dull with fever.

"I'm okay, Emily."

Prentiss shook her head at his stubborness. "I'll get us out of here, Reid," she assured him softly. She glanced at his broken leg and tried not to wince. She could see how swollen the limb was; when they got out of here, she hoped Reid wouldn't lose his leg.

The basement door opened once more, a jaunty whistling reaching their ears before they saw the UnSub.

"I hope so," Reid whispered.

.

The sound of sirens filled the air when they arrived at the warehouse, lights flashing angrily.

Morgan was out of the car before it came to a complete stop. His heart pounded with anticipation at the prospect of finally saving Reid and Prentiss. Like the rest of the team, he was very worried. The last time Reid was abducted by an UnSub, he came back scarred in both mind and body, and recovery was long and hard and full of pain and secrets.

Morgan wondered if Reid would be able to recover this time.

A group of S.W.A.T. members circled to the back of the warehouse to ensure that no one would escape, while several other groups moved to the sides. Morgan watched the warehouse's boarded windows for any signs of life as he waited for confirmation to be sent in. He had no idea what he would walk into. He had high chances for walking into this warehouse and returning with two corpses instead of two of his friends alive and well.

He could also walk out with only one alive, and for some reason this was harder to swallow than the other horrible thoughts filling his mind. One meant that they arrived early enough to save one BAU member, but late enough to still have a friend to bury.

The sound of his radio crackling on pulled Morgan from the storm of dark thoughts in his mind.

"All in position. Confirmation to go ahead in."

Morgan motioned his team, which was composed of Rossi, Hotch, and several S.W.A.T. members, forwards, towards the entrance.

When they reached the chains securing the warehouse door, a pair of S.W.A.T. members moved up to cut them. The second the chains were gone, they waited for Hotch's nod, and then opened the door, drawing their guns up before slipping into the dark building.

Morgan followed suit, clicking on his flashlight as he surveyed the first level. There was nothing.

He followed another pair up to the next level, and then the roof.

It was all clear.

Reid and Prentiss were not there, but as Morgan was walking towards the roof exit, he noticed a shimmer of light next to a vent. He approached the vent cautiously, and froze when he recognized the object sitting there, placed gently just for the BAU to find.

Morgan bent down and picked up the pair of phones, and the FBI credentials placed underneath them. He opened it up, and grimaced.

He reached for his radio, clicking it on. "I got something on the roof."

When Rossi, Hotch, and J.J. reached the roof, Morgan turned towards them grimly. He held open Prentiss and Reid's credentials for them to see.

In red marker, someone wrote in straight, neat handwriting: 'Deceased'

…

"Please tell me you have good news," Garcia said the second she answered the phone.

Morgan grimaced. "Sorry, Baby Girl. We didn't find Reid or Prentiss. We did find their phones and credentials, though."

"Well do you have anything for me to work with?" Garcia sounded desperate.

"One thing, but it's a long shot."

"Try me."

Morgan explained what he wanted Garcia to find out, and he listened to Garcia's rapid keystrokes. She could work a lot of magic, but he knew that even a tech analyst as magical as Garcia had limits.

Sure enough, Garcia finally said, "I got nothing, Sugar. I'm sorry."

Sensing the disappointment in her voice, he said softly, "Don't worry, Baby Girl. We'll find them."

Her response was drowned out by the sound of shouting filling the police station. Morgan turned around and froze.

A tall, lanky woman stood in the center of the station, scanning the area with curiosity. When her eyes met Morgan's, she smiled sweetly.

"Agent Morgan."

She dropped the gun she cradled underneath her chin, and immediately two officers moved in and restrained her. Morgan barely heard the panicked sound of Garcia on the phone.

"Hello, Morgan," The woman greeted. Morgan stared at her, and quietly told Garcia that he was fine and he would call her back. He motioned to the officers to hold her up, and when the woman was finally standing, she set off warning bells in Morgan's head.

"Who are you?" He demanded.

"Me?" The woman seemed surprised. "Well, I'm the one that murdered two federal agents, of course."

Author's Note: The sequel to this story will be posted soon. Thank you for the reviews, they made me smile :) The sequel will definitely tie the story up, and will also be in two parts like this one. Thank you for waiting patiently and for reading Devil's Backbone. - Hugs, TTG.