Little Boy Blue (Criminal Minds Fanfiction)

Chapter Two: The First Text

Reid's heart stops. He drops the letter and fights to take in shallow breaths.

"Oh God," he says aloud, not to anyone in particular, "he has my mom."

Reid dashes back to his room and gropes in the dark for his phone. He punches in the number of the first person who he thinks of in a crisis.

"Morgan? It's Reid."

"Um, hey, kid. Ugh, what time is it?"

"My mom's been kidnapped."

"I'll be right over."

***************************************************

A knock on the door makes Reid's head snap up from the kitchen table and runs for the door. He throws open the door and lets out a sigh of relief when he sees Morgan standing at the door.

"Thank God you're here!" Reid exclaims and pulls Morgan into his apartment.

"Hey, kid, how ya' holdin' up?" Morgan asks.

"Um," Reid says, sitting down at the kitchen table quite shakily, "not so well."

"Don't worry Reid," Morgan says, putting a hand on Reid's shoulder. "We'll get her back. Now, how do you know that she was kidnapped?"

"This." Reid hands Morgan the letter and sits in silence as his friend reads the letter.

Morgan lets out an exhale of breath when he finishes reading. "Little Boy Blue? Okay, how about first we call to see if your mom is actually gone?"

"Sure," Reid nods. Reid punches in the Bennington Sanatorium's number and waits with bated breath for someone, anyone to pick up.

"Hello, Bennington Sanatorium. This is Angela speaking. How may I help you today?" a cheery female voice on the other side of the phone asks.

"Hi, this is Spencer Reid. Where is my mother at this moment?" Reid asks, his fingers entwining the cord of his phone; wow, he still has a corded phone.

"I'll go check, let me put you on hold," the girl says and smooth jazz emanates from the phone into Reid's ear.

When the voice picks up the phone again, her voice is very panicked, "Um, I'm sorry, Dr. Reid, but we can't find your mother. She isn't in her room which is were we left her and the door was locked so she couldn't get out. We'll try to find her. I have to go."

Reid's stomach drops and he feels sick as he presses the "End Call" button. "Yep. She's gone."

"Okay, well, I'll call the team to come over," Morgan says, whipping out his phone.

Reid stares at the floor, not replying.

"Hey," Morgan says, "we're gonna' find her, okay?"

Reid simply nods.

"We'll get her back."

*********************************************************

"Okay, so do you know how the letter got here?"

The BAU team stands around Reid's apartment. Hotch holds the letter, Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss and Senior Supervisory Special Agent Jason Gideon sit at the kitchen table, Garcia sits down at Reid's computer (she feels more at home there), Morgan stares out the window, and J.J. sits down on the red plaid couch beside Reid, who has his head in his hands.

"Hello?" Emily asks. "Earth to Reid!"

Reid looks up. "What?"

"Do you know where the letter came from?" Hotch repeats. "How this, um, Little Boy Blue got in here?"

Reid shakes his head. "No. Not a clue. And there weren't any prints. I checked."

"Alright," Morgan says. "So, all we know is that you're mom is missing and that you're supposed to be getting texts from this Little Boy Blue guy. Have you gotten any texts yet? And how would this guy have gotten your number if he was texting you?"

"I don't know how he got my number but I haven't gotten any te-" as soon as these words leave his mouth, Reid's phone chirps a little tune, announcing he has a message.

Reid flips open his phone and presses the "Open Message" button on the device.

"I got one," Reid says, swallowing. "A message. This is what it says, ' First Hint: I'm in Sin City and here's a poem that'll hopefully make your tummy rumble: A cinnamon aroma encircles the street, Where everyone is rushing and scurrying feet, It lures the whole crowd, the smell is enticing, Freshly baked cakes, smothered in icing."

"That's vaguely ominous," Garcia says. "What's that from?"

"It sounds familiar but I don't know why," Reid explains. "I'm supposed to play a scavenger hunt with this person. I have to or else he will... kill my mom."

"We'll, we're just going to have to solve this guy's messed up game," J.J. says.

"Yay," Reid says weakly.

"Okay," Morgan says, coming away from the window. "Let's head out. Now."

*********************************************************

"Really? Just once will you leave the pickle chips at home? They stink up the whole plane!"

Morgan chomps his dill chips louder and obnoxiously straight at J.J.

"You are SO annoying," J.J. rolls her eyes, but laughs.

Reid stares out the window at the passing night sky. He's trying not to freak out, but that's not easy when your mom's been kidnapped.

"Hey, Einstein, how ya' doin'?" Morgan asks, sitting down across from Reid on the plane with his chips.

"Trying not to lose my mind over this," Reid gives Morgan a slight smile.

"We wouldn't want that," Morgan grins. "We can't have you losing that big ol' brain o' yours!"

Reid genuinely smiles, but doesn't say anything.

Morgan sighs. "Don't worry. We'll catch whoever did this and make 'em pay. I'LL make sure of that!"