MOCKINGBIRD | Spencer Reid ✔️

⠀⠀⠀ thirty three

"But I've been shot before. Remember the Reynolds' case back in Indiana? And I didn't bleed out enough to be comatose for 72 fucking hours. What's so different this time?"

"Wiley," Hotch cleared his voice and sat down in an empty chair, his posture slouching uncharacteristically, "The bullet was laced."

"What?"

"You were poisoned, the bullet was covered in aconitin."

Scout shook her head, "I - I don't know what that is. I've never even heard of it."

"It's not uncommon. In fact, it's an attractive concept for an assassin. If the bullet itself fails to kill, the backup system of the poison offers a twofold method of attack. The poisoned bullet containing about 4 mg of aconitin, a lethal dose that was manufactured in the former Soviet Union. On impact the steel wedge is driven backward, expanding the slotted jacket and lead core. The bullet fragments within the target releasing the poison."

"I-I'm dying?"

Hotch sighed and rested his elbows on his knees, "No, not anymore. The bullet went straight through and didn't break apart in your system. But there was enough of a coating that damaged you and left a residual toxicity in your blood."

He pointed towards the IV that was above, "It's antiarrhythmic drug called lidocaine and it has been reported to be an effective treatment of aconitine poisoning of a patient. So far, it's been working."

Scout eyed him, wondering why he was acting so strangely.

"I believe we got under the skin of the sniper." Hotch finally said after pausing in thought.

"We haven't done anything. Whoever the sniper is, they shot Reid and then they tried to shoot Henry. I - I became the next target, so what?"

"The other occurrences didn't have laced bullets."

Scout shrugged, "So I guess they really don't like me?"

"They don't like the attention being diverted towards anyone else but themself," He sat up. "They were trying to send a message to us."

"Message?" She fiddled with the IV tube, careful to not move the needle around in her vein.

Scout glanced back at him, "You thought it was me, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did."

Internally, Scout was screaming. She wanted to tell him that she was the sniper but the reality was, she couldn't. What would they say? What would they do? The BAU certainly wouldn't accept her with open arms. Especially not after she lied to them on multiple occasions.

Hotch would be furious, he'd have her handcuffed and sent to jail. And he would make sure that she rotted in there for as long as the justice system would allow it.

JJ, the mama bear. She would practically scratch her eyes out for even attempting to hurt her baby boy. It wouldn't matter that Scout didn't actually shoot him, but the fact that she remotely pointed a gun at him would be enough of a reason.

Morgan and Garcia, they'd ignore her. They'd pretend like she never existed. Sure, Garcia would be upset but the type of anger that Morgan would exude would be enough to make a volcano explode.Together, the pair would make the ultimate guilt inducing machine.