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crackedoutgiraffe · 4 years

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To the Moon and Back

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15

A/N: Chapter 16

When you regained consciousness, you were greeted by Morgan who was standing over you. You could tell he was talking to you, but you couldn’t make out what he was saying. There was a ringing noise in your ear, it was nauseating. Morgan gestured for someone to come over to you. You looked around and saw panic. Everyone was running around. There were three SWAT agents that you could see, they too were laying on the ground. Hotch came over to help you too.The ringing was starting to go down, you could hear sirens and vaguely what Hotch was saying.

“Where’s Emily?” you asked Hotch.

He looked around for a second, “I think Morgan went to find her. Are you okay?”

“Yeah I’m fine,” you stood up. You looked around at the chaos and saw Rossi exiting the MCC. You hobbled over there, “What the hell happened?”

“They set off a bomb,” Rossi pointed out the obvious.

“But where did they go? They weren’t going to kill themselves,” you clarified.

“I’ll worry about that, you get your leg looked at,” he walked toward Hotch who was waiting for Morgan and Emily to come out. Your leg had been cut in the explosion, but you had so much adrenaline you couldn’t feel it.

You limped over to a paramedic who bandaged your leg. When he was done, you went to see if there was anything you could help with. Hotch and Strauss were briefing some cops on what they needed to do. Rossi was talking to reporters. You found Garcia, who was listening in on what Hotch and Strauss were saying. You went and stood next to her. After listening for a few minutes you went back to wandering around. A few moments later you saw an SUV pulling up to the scene, so you went over to see who it was.

Spencer jumped out and rushed over to you, “Y/N, thank goodness you’re okay,” he pulled you into a hug. When he let go of you he noticed how dirty your vest was and the bandage around your leg. “How close were you to the blast?”

“Pretty close,” your leg still hurt, but it was enough to bother you.

He looked around for a few seconds, “I have to go and talk to Hotch.”

“I’ll come with you,” you volunteered. He didn’t protest, but you knew he didn’t like you being in danger. You both walked to find your boss who was looking over maps on the hood of a police car.

“Y/N, are you feeling better?” He pointed at the bandage on your leg.

“I am, thank you sir.”

“Alright, let’s get to work,” Hotch turned around and started rearranging the maps. “Morgan and JJ said that the blast created a hole between the underground vaults and these tunnels.”

“You know, most of these older banks are made of granite or limestone for longevity,” Reid pointed out.

“So she knew to use a combination of C-4 and semtex to open her escape route,” Hotch emphasized.

“The tunnels let out at multiple points running west. She could still be underground,” you added.

“I know. This is what she does. She probably waited till the last minute to exit. She wants to see all this chaos,” Hotch sighed.

“We need to find the tunnel exit closest to the bank,” Reid confirmed.

“Looks like it's two blocks here, just outside the perimeter,” Hotch pointed at the maps.

“Should we head over there?” you asked.

“No, JJ and Morgan are going to be there soon,” Hotch finished and walked back to the MCC. You and Reid followed him inside. Garcia and Kevin were working through the footage. Rossi and Strauss were talking in the corner, Hotch went over to join them. Prentiss came in right after the three of you. After a few minutes, Reid’s phone started to ring. He answered it and just said yes over and over again before hanging up.

“That was JJ,” Reid out his phone back in his pocket. “she and Morgan said the unsubs were in an alley northwest of the perimeter.

“Yeah, this footage confirms it. Ok, I can see two figures in the car. Please tell me one of them is Will,” Garcia pulled up footage of a black SUV.

“See how she's turned. It's like she's keeping an eye on someone in the back,” Hotch pointed out.

“Does this mean Will's in the car?” Garcia asked.

“There's somebody back there,” Rossi sighed.

“What's the license plate?” Reid asked.

Garcia enhanced the image, “that's weird. They're government tags.”

“Federal or district?” Reid probed.

“Federal,” Garcia added.

“Well, they're either stolen or forged,” Reid stood up straight.

“Who the hell are these people?” Garcia sighed.

“They set up roadblocks in the district from 66 to Dulles,” Strauss added.

“Wait. So we're looking for a black SUV with its sirens on. That's gonna stand out,” Kevin joked.

“Will's with them. I found his wallet,” JJ said as she and Morgan entered the MCC.

“It benefits them to keep Will alive,” Hotch did his best to comfort her.

“They must have a safe house set up,” Morgan added.

“Whoever their outside man is, that's where they're heading now. But where?” you asked.

“What's their end game?” JJ added.

“There's no logical reason. They want to create panic,” Rossi reasoned.

“She's struck all over the world, which says she might not be American, but her ideology certainly speaks to Washington. Whatever point she and her partner are making, it's important that D. C.'s the setting,” Reid explained.

“The brothers were from Philadelphia. The other partner might be homegrown as well,” Prentiss noted.

“Homeland's sending over a list of possibilities,” Strauss tried to be helpful.

“They're not on anyone's list,” Hotch sighed.

“Then how do we find them?” Strauss snapped.

“We find the common denominators between all 14 robberies and we go from there,” Hotch explained

“So she's our only answer,” you pointed at the woman on the screen.

“For now,” Hotch was getting angrier.

“I'll call Easter at Interpol again. Now that there's been an explosion, he might have some ideas,” Prentiss left the MCC.

“I have to call the director,” Strauss followed her out.

Morgan’s phone started to ring, “Yeah, ok, thank you.” He hung up. “That was the lab. Semtex and C-4 like we thought. Red, blue, yellow wires in each, and an old phone as a detonator.”

“How old is the phone?” you asked.

“10 years,” Morgan sighed.

“That's specific and rare,” Reid added.

“Ridiculously,” Morgan laughed.

“Well, has anyone seen it before?” Hotch asked.

“It was last seen in a number of bombings in Chad,” Morgan continued.

“For a signature that specific, they must have been there to learn it,” you added.

Prentiss reentered the MCC, “Did Easter have any insight?” Hotch asked.

“A woman they called Lady X stole a sedan from Scotland Yard 8 years ago. The investigation concluded she was a trained assassin. She disappeared,” she explained.

“So Lady X and Queen of Diamonds is the same person?” Rossi questioned.

“It sounds like it,” Prentiss continued.

“Garcia, look at assassination attempts around the civil unrest in Chad,” Hotch ordered.

“If she was a hired gun, she was likely taking orders from someone,” Reid pointed out

“Maybe she's still working for the same guy now and he's still pulling the strings,” you continued.

“Or maybe she's found her equal,” Hotch proposed.

“Their obsession with killing and domination has culminated in what we've seen today,” Prentiss noted.

“Getting off on the disaster they've created. Classic symphorophiliacs,” Reid mentioned.

“Then this isn't over,” Hotch sighed.

“Far from it,” Rossi concurred.

“No. Now that they've gotten away with this, where are they gonna strike next?” Hotch asked.

A cop entered the MCC, “We have reports of an EMT being shot, cameras show your people.”

“Rossi, JJ, you two go check it out,” Hotch instructed. The pair left swiftly. “Prentiss, Morgan, and Reid, look back at what we know and see if you can figure out where the next attack is going to be,” they all nodded and got ready to leave. “Y/N stay here and help Garcia and Kevin.” Hotch made a quick exit after that.

“Kevin, what have you got?” you got off of the counter you were sitting on.

“Just going through…” Kevin replied, his eyes never leaving the screen.

“They did that on purpose, right? I mean, we saw everything until they had Will,” Garcia frantically went through the hours of footage.

“Well, they made a mistake,” you noted. “Leaving the cameras on gave us much more information than they realized. What time did the 911 text come in?”

“9:23” Kevin said as he scrambled back to the beginning of the footage.

“The bank opened at 9:00. Let's go back to the beginning. I need you both on this,” you felt useless, all Hotch wanted you to do was sit here and watch Garcia and Kevin.

“Y/N, I think I’ve got something. The explosion was a distraction so they could escape. Watch. Allow me to fast-forward. All right, here's where Chris started shooting hostages. The fella next to him didn't even flinch. Doesn't even break a sweat,” Kevin pointed at the gruesome footage on his screen.

“We know he's ex-military, but still... His name is Matthew Downs. That's what he told Rossi and he wasn't lying. History shows dishonorable discharge from USMC in '04,” Garcia info-dumped his history.

“Ok, do me a favor. Keep going. To where Will walks in. Ok, now watch him. And then... Look at her. Her partner was in there the whole time, just not in the way that we thought. They shot this whole thing like a home movie,” you pointed out all of the little things in their body language.

“He could have been killed,” Garcia addressed.

“No, she wouldn't let that happen,” you corrected.

“What the hell are they doing?” Kevin asked.

“It's all part of their plan. They've created scenarios that are practically impossible to survive. When they make it, it's the ultimate high. Like an adrenaline junkie,” you explained. “Let me call Hotch,” you grabbed your phone and dialed your boss’s number. “Hey Hotch. We’re looking for one of the hostages, Matthew Downs.”

“Let me ask around really quick,” you could hear indistinct chatter on the other side. “Nobody can find Matthew Downs. ERT said that he helped them, then he disappeared.”

“That’s her partner,” you got excited that you could be helpful.

“Thank you, Y/N. Prentiss, Morgan, and Reid are walking the bank again, why don’t you help them out?” He hung up. You quickly left the MCC and made your way to the, now destroyed, bank entrance.

You worked your way over the rumble and closer to Spencer. “So why didn't they take all the money?” Spencer asked.

“They were a man down and they had to get out in a hurry,” you answered.

“But for her, today was less about the money and more about the spectacle,” Prentiss corrected.

“Everything they've said and done was for a reason,” Morgan noted. “But what doesn't make any sense is she switched the negotiation demand. Chris wanted to go to Switzerland. She changed it to Chad.”

“They also requested a private plane, but no mention of a pilot,” you remembered. Reid held out his hand and helped you over a large pile of rubble.

“Guys, if you think about it, even the dates mean something. In 2004, while she was wreaking havoc abroad, he was dishonorably discharged. Then in 2008, they likely met in Chad. And now this in 2012,” Spence pointed out.

“Ok, so is it a coincidence that those are all election years and they attacked D. C.? Maybe this is a political statement,” Morgan asked.

“No. It's more personal than that. It's their story,” Prentiss looked like a light bulb went off in her head.

“What?” Morgan was still confused

“All of the details are a part of their story,” Prentiss explained. “We need to talk to Garcia.”

Everyone scrambled out of the building and to the MCC to find out what idea Pentiss had. When you got there, Strauss and Hotch were already looking over Kevin’s and Garcia’s shoulder. “Their timeline suggests they were both destructive before they met.”

“So we're talking about ex-military turning on their country,” Strauss clarified.

“It's rare, but soldiers become disenfranchised no matter what the nationality. And if he met someone like-minded at that time, there'd be no stopping them,” Emily deduced.

“So you're thinking they met during the civil unrest in Chad in '08,” Hotch connected the dots.

“Yeah, and one or both of them are pilots,” Reid added.

“So if Garcia concentrates on that region, specifically weapons running in and out of Libya, there's a good chance we'll find their paths crossed,” Prentiss continued.

“Ok, multiple entries into Libya for a private pilot named Matthew Downs in '08, but I don't have her name,” Garcia deciphered the information popping up on the screen.

“Well, because she had aliases. It's the only way to stay a ghost. Here's the thing-- they are a couple. Regardless of what we believe of them, they will celebrate themselves and their connection. Is there anything that happened on this date in Chad?” Prentiss explained.

“Oh, you are good, Emily Prentiss. But this news is not. Yes, there were multiple explosions on this date in '08,” Garcia found.

“Where were the most casualties?” Hotch asked.

“At a church-- no, no, a train,” Garcia quickly discovered.

“Semtex and C-4?” Morgan asked

“Yep,” Garcia finished.

“Are trains still arriving at Union Station?” Hotch asked Strauss.

“Yes, but only the authorities are allowed in,” Strauss explained.

“That's why they needed Will,” Hotch noted. “Prentiss, Morgan, you’re with me.” The three of them left the MCC, followed by Strauss.

“So what’s up with you two?” you asked Garcia and Kevin.

“What do you mean?” Kevin inquired.

“Yeah, what happened between you two?” Spence joined you in your interrogation.

Garcia turned around and rolled her eyes at the two of you, “Why do you want to know so bad?”

“Because you two were a cute couple,” you explained.

“I was planning on proposing to her, but she said that she wasn’t ready to get married,” Kevin confessed.

“That’s it?” you scoffed. “You two broke up because you didn’t want to get married and he did?”

“What’s so hard to believe about that?” Garcia asked.

“It’s just so stupid,” you laughed. “Garcia, you may not want to get married now, but you will eventually. And Kevin, just wait. You are not losing anything by waiting,” they turned to look at each other. “It’s obvious that you two still love each other,” you shrugged your shoulders at how oblivious they were.

“Let’s talk later,” Garcia placed her hand on Kevin’s knee. “Now for our turn to interrogate.”

“Garcia, I’m not hiding anything,” you kept your body language so calm that even Reid didn’t know you were lying.

She scoffed and turned to face Spencer who was a lot more nervous than you, “Dr. Reid, is there anything you would like to say.”

“No,” He tried his best to lie to her.

“How long have you two been dating?” She bluntly asked.

Reid looked at you for your approval, you nodded, “four months,” he blurted out.

“FOUR MONTHS!” Garcia jumped out of her chair, “You kept this from me for four months?” All you could do was laugh at her surprise. Reid reached over and grabbed your hand.

“Did we hide it that well?” Reid asked.

“I mean,” she finally calmed down, “we all knew something was up, but we didn’t know that.”

“I’d say we did a pretty good job,” you gave Spence a high-five.

“Does anyone else know?” She asked.

“I don’t think so,” you giggled. Garcia made you talk about your relationship until Hotch and the team got back. “How did it go?” you asked Hotch when he walked in.

“Good. We got Downs, Prentiss defused a bomb, and JJ, Will, and Henry are all safe,” he was really sweaty. “Will has to go to the hospital so JJ and Rossi are going with him, but we’re good to head back to Quantico.” Everyone grabbed their stuff and piled into the SUVs. When you arrived at Quantico everyone got settled into their desks.

“The convention's still happening tomorrow if you want to go,” Reid stopped Garcia as she walked past her desk.

“That whole city on the brink of destruction thing kind of took the wind out of my sails, you know?” She shrugged.

“That'll do it every time,” Prentiss quipped.

“We didn't finish the inspection,” Morgan pointed out.

“No need,” Prentiss sighed

“What happened?” Reid asked.

“Um, there is a horizontal crack in the foundation. It just weakens the entire base that the house is sitting on,” she explained.

“Yeah. That does not sound good,” you acknowledged.

“So, our unsub is Izzy Rogers,” Strauss came and handed Morgan a file. “She'll be charged with multiple counts domestically, and our international counterparts will have their turn with her. She will never see the light of day. I just thought you'd like to know that. Agent Morgan, a word?” She and Morgan walked far enough away that you couldn’t hear what she was saying, she seemed to be smiling though.

“Hang on, let me check,” Hotch came out of his office, on the phone. “Oh, wait, she's here. Erin, don't go anywhere. Dave wants to know if everyone is free tomorrow night?”

“Well, it depends on if he's buying. Then I'm definitely in,” Morgan chuckled.

“Yeah, me, too,” you raised your hand.

“You hear that? We're in,” Hotch turned back to his office.

***

You spent the night at Reid’s, it was the first time you two had slept in the same bed. You went back to your apartment at around 5 to get ready for Rossi’s. He had told you to dress pretty fancy. You put on a red dress (Sherri Hill # 53097), curled your hair, and did your makeup. You went to pick Reid up at 7. The party was absolutely beautiful. When you got there, everyone was mingling and drinking. JJ and Will showed up with their son. She was none the wiser that she was actually at her wedding. Rossi had pulled out all the stops, he had caterers, lights, and a dance floor. You stood by and watched Reid show Henry a magic trick. He was so cute when he was playing with kids. You thought he was going to be a great father one day.

At around 8, Rossi asked for everyone to gather around the aisle. Will was standing at the altar with Henry by his side. JJ glided down the aisle with her mom. She looked beautiful. When she reached Will, Reid grabbed your hand and you put your head on his shoulder. After the ceremony, everyone sat at a table and Rossi gave a toast. You all ate dinner and were ready to party. The first song to play was ‘Try to Remember’ by the Brothers Four. Everyone slow-danced with their date, including you and Reid. While you were dancing, You put your head on his chest. He kissed the top of your head, “I love you,” he whispered. This was the first time he said that to you.

You lifted your head off of his chest,“I love you too,” he pulled you in for a kiss. You could feel eyes on you from every direction. When you were done, there were hoots and cheers from everyone there.

“It’s about time, pretty boy,” Morgan came and pat Reid on the back.

“It’s been four months,” Redi exclaimed. Everyone looked at you with the same shock that Garcia had the day before.

“Great, now I owe Garcia $20,” Morgan scoffed. Rossi played some more upbeat music and you took turns dancing with all the guys and the three ladies on your team. Everyone had so much fun and it wasn’t hard to see why. Everyone shared plenty of laughs. Reid drove you home that night, as you had been drinking. You went to bed that night knowing that you and Reid loved each other. You were going to marry him, you had your heart set on it.

#spencer reid #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid x reader #Criminal Minds #criminal minds fic

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