lullabies through the window

Eight: The Other Side

Minutes earlier...

The team's phones buzzed simultaneously as they sped to his house. 

Spencer: there's two now

Morgan cursed under his breath and hurriedly tapped a message into his phone.

Morgan: Almost there

Spencer: nvm there's three

Emily swore loudly as she saw Spencer's text, then swerved heavily as a car honked at her.

A/N: don't text and drive kids

Spencer: i'm trapped

JJ sucked in air as she read that. 

She quickly typed out a text as she pulled closer to Spencer's apartment.

JJ: Almost there it'll be ok

Hotch swiftly pulled into the apartment's parking lot and saw Rossi getting quickly out of his car. Morgan was already starting to run to the apartment as Emily pulled in with Garcia, JJ right behind them. 

They all sprinted to his floor, then slowed down. Hotch and Morgan turned the corner with their guns raised, surveying the hall. Nobody was at Spencer's door. 

Hotch pulled out his phone to check on Spencer.

Hotch: Nobody's here Spencer

Spencer: what are you talking about

Spencer: yes they are

Rossi looked concernedly at the group.

"Is it possible the case just got to him...?" Rossi asked slowly. 

"What?" Morgan returned sharply. "What do you mean?"

Emily gasped softly. "He... he isn't taking dilaudid again, is he?"

"That's not what dilaudid does; it's not a psychadelic, it's a painkiller." JJ reasoned.

"Oh- yeah, I just... I don't know. He wouldn't take LSD or anything... right?" Emily asked. "We trust Spencer, and we know him. He would tell us... or we'd notice something."

There was a solemn pause.

"Has he been diagnosed with schizophrenia?" Hotch asked.

"No, not- that I know of." Morgan said.

JJ texted the group chat.

JJ: Nobody's here Spence

A text from Spencer immediately shot back. 

Spencer: pls they're trying to get in

Hotch's phone rang, and he quickly answered it. "Hotchner."

The team continued discussing what could be happening.

"He has told me his suspicions... he's told me he's worried he has it..." Emily said slowly. She didn't want to tell the team and betray Spencer's trust, but right now, he was hiding in his apartment, convinced people were trying to get in. 

Penelope: Spencer no one's here

The team was highly concerned by now, and were about to kick down the door (they had knocked multiple times and nobody had answered) when they received a heartbreaking text from Spencer. 

Spencer: please help me

Spencer: i thought you guys were here

Spencer: where are you

Hotch had been having a very aggressive conversation on the phone as the team discussed. He  returned to the group after hanging up. 

"Who was that?" Morgan asked.

"The local police station. They didn't get a confession from the unsubs, and they escaped-"

Penelope gasped loudly- as if she had been shot- which startled everyone. She had been racking her brain for a reason that Spencer could be seeing and hearing people that weren't there- without being on a psychedelic or having schizophrenia. It had only just hit her. 

"What the hell babygirl-"

Penelope rushed out "Spencer moved! Spencer moved to an apartment by Dupont square, or- something, Dupont Circle-" 

"Dupont Circle. Let's go." Hotch sprinted off in front of the team.

"Shit." Morgan breathed as they all ran to Rossi's car. 

Only after Rossi had begun speeding to Spencer's new apartment under Garcia's panicked direction, did they notice another text from Spencer.

Spencer: they got inside

Hotch cursed and furiously typed a message into the chat.

Hotch: On our way

Hotch: Do you have your gun

They waited for a reply. A minute passed. Two...

"Oh my gosh, he's not answering..." JJ said shakily.

Their phones buzzed.

Spencer: yes

There was a pause. 

Hotch hesitantly sent a message.

Hotch: Load it

The team sent a steady stream of encouragements, praying that Spencer was okay, that he would still be there when they got there.