Spencer could feel the blood exiting his body. The bullet-proof vest was good, but the bullet missed the vest and much to his surprise, hit the side of his torso. He laid on the ground, feeling his consciousness slowly slipping away. Matthew's hand rested against Spencer's wound, trying to stop the bleeding.
"What are you doing?" Chris asked, confused.
"A dead cop isn't going to be much of a negotiation tool." Matthew scoffed.
"You okay?" Matthew looked at Chris, who exhaled.
"I shouldn't have done that. They're never gonna let us out of here now." Chris shook his head, trying not to get too angry.
"Who knows? Maybe they'll save him and he'll be our ticket out of here. You took my advice." Matthew smiled.
"How's that?" Chris asked, confused.
"You didn't go for the kill shot." Matthew explained.
"I need to check the back again. There's gotta be an escape we haven't thought of." Izzy groaned, running to the back of the bank.
"I'm sorry." Spencer groaned, feeling the intense pain in his side. He couldn't quite understand what the assailants were saying, considering he was one wrong move from death.
"Just hang in there, buddy. Are you armed?" Matthew asked, turning to the pale Spencer.
"No." He shook his head, closing his eyes. He was trying his best to push the pain away, or ignore it all together. He was so stupid. He didn't listen to his team, or his wife, both of whom begged him not to go inside.
"Damn. I think we might have something of a chance here." Matthew smiled.
"What?" Spencer muttered, trying to stay awake. If he even so much as closed his eyes, who knew if he'd ever open them again.
"The girl's gone, and the guy's off his head. He doesn't know who to trust. We can work them against each other." Matthew smiled, nodding.
"Wait, are you a cop?" Spencer breathed, trying to remain calm.
"A former marine." He nodded.
With whatever energy he had left, Spencer - with Matthew's help - was lifted off the floor, his hand pressed tightly against his wound.
"You gotta listen to me. I need you to get a message to my wife." Spencer barely lifted his left hand, making his wedding ring visible to Matthew, who was trying to keep him alive.
"All right, you can tell her yourself when we get you out of here." Matthew shook his head.
"Only I'm not getting out. You need someone to cause a distraction. Her name is Cassidy, and she's a Federal Agent, like me. You tell her I'm sorry." Spencer groaned, feeling the pain only get worse.
"Sorry? Don't you want to tell her you love her or something?" Matthew chuckled, watching as Spencer used all of his energy to hold his hand against his wound.
"She already knows that." Spencer smiled, slowly stumbling toward the other man, who looked like he was one wrong word from spiralling out of control.
"The woman. What happened to her?" Spencer asked, confused.
"Aren't you dead yet?" Chris tilted his head, glaring at Spencer, who groaned more.
"You can't trust her. She's taking orders from someone else." Spencer tried to convince Chris, who scoffed and shook his head in disbelief.
"No, she takes orders from me." He stared at Spencer, who tried to keep himself awake.
"Look around. Any second, Agents are gonna storm into this place, and the only bad guy I see is you. She's setting you up to take the fall for this." Spencer glanced at the room.
"That's not true." Chris growled.
"Then where is she?" Spencer asked.
"She's back there." Chris pointed to the back of the bank, grabbing Spencer's arm. Soon enough, Spencer was being dragged to the back of the bank, trying to keep himself from bleeding out.
"We've got movement. Somebody's coming out. Be ready." S.W.A.T. informed the team and police. Moments later, the entrance to the bank opened, the remaining hostages running out.
"We're going in." They ran to safety, while the team - minus Cassidy - stormed the bank, looking for the assailants and Spencer.
"She was following the electrical lines..." Emily gasped as she, Tara and Derek followed the path that the assailants and Spencer had left.
"Gas mains. Oh, no." Matt, Rossi and JJ realised as they stood in the main area of the bank.
"Garcia, get them out of there!" Cassidy panicked.
"Abort! Abort!" Penelope yelled into the comms system. Before either of them could see their team exit the bank, the building exploded, sending people flying.
———
"JJ! Emily! Matt!" Cassidy yelled as she carefully ran out of the command center, being followed by Penelope.
"Guys, are you okay?!" She panicked, running. She stopped in front of the bank that was now filled with rubble, glass and everything else.
"Are you okay?" She asked as she lifted JJ off the floor, wrapping her arms around the blonde, who exhaled. JJ nodded, allowing Cassidy to go and help other members of the team away from the mess that had been caused by the explosion.
"Where's Spencer?" Cassidy asked, concerned for her husband. Since he had stupidly gone into the bank unarmed and got himself shot, she had been wondering if he was dead, or if he had made it out, barely alive.
"Did he get out of there?" Cassidy continued to ask, not getting any good responses from the team.
With help from local law enforcement, Cassidy and Penelope got their team away from the explosion sight and to safety, where they could be examined for any injuries they might have sustained.
"Guys, we didn't profile this as a suicide mission." Cassidy exhaled as her hands rested gently over her baby bump, trying to keep calm.
"Because it wasn't. They'd never kill themselves." Emily shook her head, putting an ice-pack against her head.
"What the hell do you call that, then?" Rossi scoffed.
"They didn't improvise a way out. They've had an exit strategy in place. You don't learn explosives overnight." Matt shook his head, Derek realising something. His eyes widened and he looked like something clicked within his brain.
"We're looking for signatures on the bomb. I need every fragment of every device that you can find, no matter how small or destroyed it looks. I also need eyes on every angle in, out, and around the bank." Derek explained, an officer nodding, walking off with a few of his team members.
"You have photos of the suspects?" Emily looked at Penelope, who nodded.
"We're going to continue to cross-check those against international connections." Penelope exhaled.
"Do you have a positive I.D. on the woman yet?" Cassidy asked, Penelope typing away at the computer.
"If this one's parallel to some Metro tunnel, there's a good chance it branches off." Tara exhaled, furrowing her eyebrows. Everyone was sick and tired of being behind the assailants.
"All right, then we split up." Rossi suggested.
"Unless it's a trick." Matt shook his head.
"Well, then we're screwed." Rossi exhaled.
Emily, Cassidy, Penelope and Derek remained in the mobile command center. Tara and Matt entered the destroyed Bank, hoping to find any clue that would lead them to the assailants and Spencer. JJ and Rossi started driving around D.C., following the clues and instructions that had been given to them.
"Leaving the cameras on was their way to brag about how much fear they were creating. We need to know what happened, specifically the unsub's behaviour in the minutes leading up to the blast." Emily exhaled.
"Okay. I need to analyse every frame of this video." Penelope pulled up the security tape.
"Tara and Matt said that the blast created a hole between the underground vaults and these tunnels." Emily turned to look between Penelope and Derek.
"You know, most of these older banks are made of granite or limestone for longevity. So she knew to use a combination of C-4 and Semtex to open her escape route." Derek suggested.
"The tunnels let out at multiple points running west. She could still be underground." Cassidy added, her mind trying so hard to focus on her baby and remaining calm, but with Spencer missing, her stress wasn't going away.
"This is what she does. She probably waited 'til the last minute to exit. She wants to see all this chaos." Derek rolled his eyes.
"We need to find the tunnel exit closest to the bank." Emily realised.
"Looks like it's two blocks here, just outside the perimeter." Penelope exhaled, pointing to a nearby map.
———
"What you got?" Matt looked at Tara, who glanced around at the bank.
"According to Cassidy, Spencer always said if you can, you leave a bread crumb." Tara exhaled, following Matt through the explosion hole.
"Okay, so he was here, and clearheaded enough to leave us a clue." Matt spoke, trying to find one clue. That's all they needed.
"They shot him, Matt. Why would they take him?" Tara asked, trying to understand the reason behind the unsub's behaviour.
"I don't know, but we didn't see any blood down there and he's not here. Both are good signs." Matt nodded, smiling. He was clearly hopeful that Spencer was still alive.
"Yeah, but they have him, God only knows where or why." Tara shook her head, seriously worried for Spencer's safety.
———
"Tara and Matt said the unsubs were in an alley northwest of the perimeter." Emily looked at Penelope, who nodded, directing the attention of her friends to the screen.
"Yeah, this footage confirms it." Penelope exhaled.
"Okay, I can see two figures in the car." Derek mentioned.
"Please tell me one of them is Spencer." Cassidy basically begged as she felt sick. Whether it was her nerves and anxiety, or it was her son sensing that his father was in danger, Cassidy could feel the nausea get worse.
"See how she's turned. It's like she's keeping an eye on someone in the back." Emily pointed to the raven-haired woman in the screen.
"Does this mean Spencer's in the car?" Cassidy asked.
"There's somebody back there." Derek nodded.
"What's the license plate?" Emily looked at Penelope, who furrowed her eyebrows, confused.
"That's weird. They're government tags. Federal." Penelope's face dropped.
"Federal or district?" Cassidy asked, confused.
"Well, they're either stolen or forged." Emily was certain.
"Who the hell are these people?" Derek scoffed, watching as Emily pulled out her phone, clicking on JJ's contact.
"They set up roadblocks in the district from 66 to Dulles." Emily informed the two, who looked at each other in confusion.
"Wait. So we're looking for a black SUV with its sirens on." JJ asked, concerned.
"That's gonna stand out." Rossi scoffed.
"Spencer's with them." Cassidy added. Emily added Tara and Matt to the call, seeing that she was trying to call her.
"I found his wallet." Everyone could hear Tara's concerned voice over the call.
"It benefits them to keep Spencer alive. They must have a safe house set up." Matt explained.
"Whoever their outside man is, that's where they're heading now." JJ spoke.
"But where?" Rossi asked.
"What's their end game? There's no logical reason." Emily questioned, hoping to come up with a legitimate explanation.
"They want to create panic. 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." Derek mentioned, exhaling.
"The brothers were from Philadelphia. The other partner might be homegrown as well." Cassidy suggested, seeing the confidence on Emily's face grow.
"Homeland's sending over a list of possibilities." Penelope explained.
"They're not on anyone's list." Rossi shook his head, JJ still focusing on driving.
"Then how do we find them?" Tara asked.
"We find the common denominators between all 14 robberies and we go from there." Matt explained.
"So she's our only answer?" Cassidy asked, seeing Emily nodding.
"Son of a bitch." Cassidy cursed.
———
The team had come together again. Everyone was sitting in the mobile command center. Cassidy was rubbing her belly, trying to stay positive, while the team kept talking.
"Spencer's definitely with them, and it looks like he can move without a problem." Emily explained, everyone looking up at the screen that Penelope was controlling.
"Cameras caught everything?" Matt looked at Penelope, who exhaled, nodding.
"Yeah. The woman killed the medic." Derek nodded.
"Hey, at least Spencer's okay." JJ wrapped her arm around Cassidy's shoulder.
"Yeah, for now." As much as Cassidy wanted to be positive and hopeful, her fear and anxiety kept telling her otherwise.
"Did they leave in the same vehicle?" Tara asked.
"Yeah, but it's been an hour since the explosion. Why haven't they left the city?" Derek asked, confused.
"The next attack could be here." Rossi suggested.
"They did that on purpose, right? And you saw everything until they had Spencer." Cassidy asked, looking at Penelope.
"Well, they made a mistake." Emily stared at the screen.
"Leaving the cameras on gave us much more information than they realized." Emily was certain.
"What time did the 9-1-1 text come in?" Emily looked at Penelope, who typed away at the computer.
"9:23 AM." Penelope responded.
"The bank opened at 9:00 AM. Let's go back to the beginning." Emily asked, Penelope rewinding the security feed.
"The explosion was a distraction so they could escape. Watch." Penelope played the feed.
"All right, here's where Chris started shooting hostages." Matt looked at the feed, confused.
"The fella next to him didn't even flinch. Doesn't even break a sweat." Penelope noted.
"We know he's ex-military, but still..." Rossi shook his head.
"His name is Matthew Downs. That's what he told Rossi and he wasn't lying. History shows dishonourable discharge from USMC in '04." Penelope put a picture of Matthew Downs on another screen.
"Keep going. To where Spencer walks in. Okay, now watch him." Emily and the team watched as the feed kept playing.
"And then...look at her. Her partner was in there the whole time, just not in the way that we thought." Emily pointed to the screen, showing everyone that Matthew Downs was near the woman.
"They shot this whole thing like a home movie." Derek groaned.
"He could have been killed." Tara exhaled, confused.
"No, she wouldn't let that happen." Emily shook her head.
"What the hell are they doing?" JJ 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." Emily explained, everyone starting to understand.
"Nobody can find Matthew Downs." Penelope noted.
"E.R.T. said that he helped them, then he disappeared." Penelope continued.
"Of course Spencer thought Matthew was a hostage. Why wouldn't he?" Cassidy shook her head. Everyone could tell that this whole situation was taking a massive toll on her.
"There's a good chance Spencer tried to help him out. He told him when to go for the doors or offered to be a hostage to save the others." Derek nodded.
"I'm sure he did." Emily exhaled.
"Well, there's a flip side to this. This guy could have gotten into Spencer's head." Tara explained.
"Is there anything you want to tell your wife in case you don't make it?" Matthew asked as Spencer stared out the window of the SUV, feeling extremely exhausted.
"You think Spencer told them about Cassidy?" Penelope's face grew in concern.
"Unknowingly." Emily nodded.
"What's wrong?" Derek looked at Tara, who's face dropped.
"We found Spencer's FBI badge on the floor about 50 feet from the back. We looked around a bit more and found his wallet. Spencer's license was gone." Tara revealed, Cassidy's heart dropping.
"They know where we live." Cassidy almost vomited right there. Her home, her safe haven that she happily shared with her husband, it was exposed. The people who had taken people hostage in a bank, shot her husband, killed a few hostages and caused a giant explosion as a means to escape, they knew where she lived.
———
JJ, Rossi, and Emily drove in one SUV, while Matt, Derek and Tara drove in the other. They all had one destination in mind; Cassidy and Spencer's home. As for Cassidy, she and Penelope drove back to the BAU office, taking Spencer's car.
"So why didn't they take all the money?" JJ asked, talking to Matt, Derek, Tara, Penelope and Cassidy over a call.
"They were a man down and they had to get out in a hurry." Derek explained as his hands gripped the steering wheel in anger. He was angry that he let his best friend get shot and kidnapped.
"But for her, today was less about the money and more about the spectacle. Everything they've said and done was for a reason." Emily 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." Rossi exhaled, confused.
"They also requested a private plane, but no mention of a pilot." Matt added.
"Guys, if you think about it, even the dates mean something. In 2004, while she was wreaking havoc abroad, he was dishonourably discharged. Then in 2008, they likely met in Chad. And now this in 2012." JJ kept her eyes on the road.
"Okay, so is it a coincidence that those are all election years and they attacked D.C.?" Rossi asked.
"Maybe this is a political statement." Penelope asked.
"No. It's more personal than that. It's their story." Emily shook her head.
"What?" Cassidy asked as she drove, trying to focus on driving instead of Spencer's current condition, even thus he had no idea if he was even okay.
"All of the details are a part of their story. Their timeline suggests they were both destructive before they met." Emily explained.
"So we're talking about ex-military turning on their country." Matt suggested.
"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." Derek shrugged his shoulders.
"So you're thinking they met during the civil unrest in Chad in '08?" Tara asked.
"Yeah, and one or both of them are pilots." Emily nodded.
"So if Garcia concentrates on that region, specifically weapon running in and out of Libya, there's a good chance we'll find their paths crossed." Emily spoke, Cassidy watching Penelope typing away at her iPad from the corner of her eye as she drove.
"Okay, multiple entries into Libya for a private pilot named Matthew Downs in '08, but I don't have her name." Penelope explained, earning a few groans from members of the team.
"Well, because she had aliases. It's the only way to stay a ghost." Rossi exhaled.
"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?" Emily mentioned, earning a chuckle from Penelope.
"Oh, you are good, Emily Prentiss. But this news is not. Yes, there were multiple explosions on this date in '08." Penelope nodded, staring down at her screen.
"Where were the most casualties?" Derek asked.
"At a church- no, no, a train." Penelope corrected herself.
"Are trains still arriving at Union Station?" Emily asked.
"Yes, but only the authorities are allowed in." Penelope explained.
"That's why they needed Spencer. JJ, Rossi and I will head to Union Station. Matt, Derek, Tara, I want you three at Spencer and Cassidy's home. We need to somehow catch them off guard." Emily demanded.
Soon enough, Emily, JJ and Rossi were at Union Station, looking for the two assailants. They managed to hide, but it wasn't long before Rossi and JJ had found and fought Izzy to the ground, managing to handcuff her. As for Matthew, he was found by Emily. A fight ensued before Emily managed to get him on the ground, pinning him down so she could handcuff him. They asked where Chris was, and they weren't surprised to find out that both Izzy and Matthew had shot him dead.
When Tara, Matt and Derek arrived at Spencer and Cassidy's home, they busted down the locked door, finding Spencer chained to the bed with explosives strapped to him. Within an insane amount of luck, they managed to get him freed and out of danger. Derek called Cassidy to let her know that her husband was safe and on his way to the hospital.
———
(At The Hospital)
Penelope and Cassidy pulled up to the hospital, Cassidy running inside.
"Hi. How can I help you?" The nurse asked, smiling.
"Hi. My husband, Spencer Reid, was admitted here about an hour ago?" Cassidy asked, seeing the nurse quickly typing.
"Yes. He's in room 202, level 2." The nurse smiled. Cassidy and Penelope hastily walked toward the elevator, Cassidy eagerly waiting to see her husband.
The moment she walked into his hospital room, her face dropped. He was alive, but barely. He was awake, with tubes in his nose. He was incredibly pale and it looked like he was extremely exhausted. She gently sat on the edge of the bed, Penelope waiting outside.
"You're okay. You're really okay." Cassidy exhaled, gently wrapping her arms around his neck.
"I'm not leaving you or our son anytime soon. I can promise you that." Spencer laughed, soon feeling the pain of his wound.
"You're a dick. You know that?" Cassidy glared at her husband, who looked at her, puzzled.
"Why am I dick? Last time I checked, I was shot." Spencer asked.
"You're a dick because - even when I begged you not to - you went into the bank without any protection. You went in there unarmed. You risked leaving me and our son alone." Cassidy rolled her eyes.
"I went in with protection, Cassie. I had the bullet-proof vest on." Spencer defended himself.
"Yeah, well the vest did nothing, 'cause you still got shot! I spent hours wondering if you were alive. I felt sick for hours, trying not imagine you dead. I worried for hours that you were never coming back. I almost vomited and I'm pretty sure our son could sense that you weren't okay." Cassidy argued, trying not to get angrier.
"I'm so sorry, honey. I was stupid. So stupid. The moment I entered the bank, I instantly regretted not listening to you. I instantly regretted not staying with you and our unborn son. Please, forgive me." Spencer begged, holding her hands.
"I wouldn't be a good wife if I didn't accept your very sweet apology. I forgive you, Spencer." Cassidy placed a sweet and passionate kiss on her husband's lips, being careful not to hurt him.
"As much as I'd love to continue our sweet kiss, did you guys catch our unsubs?" Spencer asked, pulling away.
"Yes. Emily, JJ and Rossi caught them. Our main male unsub- who wasn't Chris- was Matthew Downs. As for our female unsub, her name is Izzy Rogers. She'll be charged with multiple counts domestically, and our international counterparts will have their turn with her." Cassidy explained, seeing the smile on Spencer's face.
"That bitch will never see the light of day again." Cassidy chuckled.
"How is it that I've been nearly blown up, nearly died from anthrax poisoning, got framed for murder and sent to prison, yet being shot and kidnapped today made me fear for my life?" Spencer asked.
"I don't know, but you're one lucky man, Dr. Reid." Cassidy smiled.
"Oh, I am certainly lucky, Mrs. Reid." Spencer smirked before moving carefully so he could place a kiss on Cassidy's lips.
A smile formed on Cassidy's lips while she kissed Spencer, feeling their son kicking. Without missing a beat, Cassidy subtly moved Spencer's right hand to her stomach, a smile forming on his face as he felt his son kick.