Chapter Text
Aaron rubs his forehead tiredly, trying to relieve the raging migraine that's been bothering him on and off for the last three weeks.
Three weeks. That's how long they've been trying to crack this case, and it might be the longest time that he recalls in his entire career in the BAU. Of course, they had encountered killers before who evaded capture for months or even years on end, but it's the first time their unit hasn't been able to narrow down the suspect lost based on the UnSub's profile. They have worked the case from every angle, but so far, they had absolutely nothing: no real leads and no suspects, even potential ones.
Not for the first time he wishes that Gideon never left the team. The man was the master of thinking outside the box and coming up with creative solutions. ‘If everything that we know goes into the box, what's left to consider is the unknown,’ he recalls Gideon's words, but no matter how hard he tries, he can't figure out what they're missing in this particular case.
Taking one last look at the photographs of the victims plastered to the board in the conference room, he goes back to his office. He flops into his armchair gracelessly, as if he's a marionette whose strings have just been cut, then fishes the pills from his drawer, hoping that they'll ease his headache.
Thirty minutes later, when it doesn't seem like they will, he breaks his promise for the very first time and calls Gideon. Five rings later, just as he's about to disconnect, the man finally picks up.
“This better be important, Hotch.”
“I didn't know who else to call,” he admits. “Are you… doing alright?”
“Leaving the FBI might have been the best decision of my life, so yes, I'm doing splendidly,” the man grumbles. “And before you ask, I’m not coming back, not for all the money in the world.”
He sighs at his ex-mentor's utter stubbornness. “Please, Gideon, all I need is a consult. We have a killer targeting Omegas, and we've got completely nothing on him. You've always seemed to have a sixth sense for cases regarding Omegas, so I was wondering–”
“That's not entirely accurate. It wasn't a sixth sense at all, I just have a friend who happens to be one and who was able to provide me with some insights,” Gideon admits. “His multiple PhDs didn't hurt either.”
He blinks, surprised. “You revealed cases’ details to an Omega…?”
The BAU is famous (or rather, infamous) for working on the most brutal, bloody, violent crimes, and he's stupefied at learning that Gideon had shared those kinds of details to anyone outside of their unit, much less to an Omega. Even Gideon, a Beta, eventually cracked under pressure and left the Bureau, not being able to stomach the level of cruelty they fight against on a daily basis. Aaron can't even imagine how an Omega would react to them.
“You'd be surprised at how resilient he can be,” Gideon's tone of voice turns defensive, but Aaron currently doesn't have the mental capacity to profile that little detail.
“Is he from DC? Do you think he'd be willing to act as a consultant for this case?”
“I'll ask him and let you know. And Aaron? Don't call me about work ever again, this is a closed chapter for me. I mean it,” Gideon says sternly.
“Understood, and thank you, I'll be waiting for the info.”
He calls Strauss next.
“Please tell me that you have some leads on the case,” she sounds half-demanding and half-resigned.
“Not yet,” he reluctantly admits. “Is Sam Cooper still unavailable?”
“Unfortunately yes, his team is tied up with a case in California, a tough one too, from what I've heard.”
He heaves a sigh. “I need a fresh set of eyes, so I've called Gideon. As expected, he rejected all my attempts to get him to help us, but he recommended a friend, some kind of a doctor.”
“You know very well that our budget is already tight, but if a consultant is what you need, then go ahead, hire him. But it better yields some results, I'm under fire from all directions to stop these murders, especially since they've been happening right under our noses.”
Aaron presses his lips tightly to keep himself from saying something he might regret later. He's well aware of the pressure that the FBI is under, since the murderer has been evading capture on their own turf; he doesn't need yet another reminder.
“Thank you, I'll keep you posted,” he says stiffly, then disconnects.
In the afternoon, he gets Gideon's text that Dr Spencer Reid agreed to assist them on the case. As he prepares the clearance forms for the consultant, he imagines who the man might be based on what little he managed to glimpse from his earlier conversation with Gideon: a highly educated male, probably a scholar, most likely in his 50s. He wouldn't be surprised if the man had a round belly, half a dozen children, and twice as many grandchildren, since most Omegas tended to have large families.
For the life of him, Aaron can't figure out what such a person could offer that would be of any help in crime solving, but he's desperate, so he'll take all the help that he can get.
Morgan knocks on the door and peers in, his face grim. “Another body has just been discovered.”
***
The next day, the entire team comes to work disheartened and exhausted to the bone. They've been working late, gathering the information from the Washington PD, talking to the coroner and so on, but the result has been exactly the same as before: they learned all about the victim, another Omega, and absolutely nothing about who murdered him.
Aaron's back is stiff, his migraine is nearly blinding him, and he feels like a fraud. When someone knocks on the door of the conference room where his team has been trying to figure out what they're missing, he's already at his limit.
A young man with a guest badge looking like a college graduate comes in. “Hello, I'm looking for–”
“This is a restricted area,” Aaron barks out. “JJ, escort him out, and check with the security where he's supposed to go.”
“But I'm here for–” the young man protests.
“I don't have time for this,” he finally snaps, and unceremoniously pushes the guy out of the door. “JJ, deal with this.”
Her eyes are wide and she gives him a quick nod. “Yes, sir.”
Ignoring the shock on Prentiss’ and Morgan's faces, he straightens his back. “Let's get back to work.”
***
Jason Gideon has been Spencer's hero for as long as he remembers. They first met when he was a six year old and Gideon was assigned a case in Las Vegas, a serial rapist and murderer who mainly targeted Omega boys. One of the victims, Riley Jenkins, was Spencer's semi-friend - he didn't have true friends as a kid, he was too different from his peers - and after Riley's death, Gideon talked to all the kids who were the boy's playmates, Spencer included.
Even though back then Spencer was too young to fully comprehend what happened to Riley, all things sexual still a total mystery to him, he did remember a man who looked at him funny at the park and tried to get too close to him. Despite being an Omega, Spencer had always shied away from touch, especially one initiated by strangers, so when the man had tried to put his arm around him, Spencer had wiggled out of his hold and ran away.
“Did you notice anything or anyone out of the ordinary, Spencer?” Gideon asked after Spencer's parents agreed for them to talk. “Ordinary means–”
“I know what it means, Agent Gideon,” Spencer said, already too serious for a six year old that he was. “And I know the man that you're looking for.” Then, he proceeded to list every smallest detail about the man's appearance, including a small dimple-like indentation on the man's chin.
“You're a clever little man, aren't you, Spencer?” the agent asked, and little Spencer's chest puffed up with pride that for once someone didn't think he was weird, but clever.
“I read a lot,” he admitted, making Gideon chuckle in amusement.
Shortly after, Gary Michaels was arrested, and that would have been the end of the story, if it wasn't for Gideon's card left on the table of the Reid's household. Spencer clung onto it, hoping that one day, when he's old enough, he can be an FBI Special Agent too.
That didn't happen, for numerous reasons, one of the main being the Omegas Protection Act, which basically forbids Omegas from assuming any law enforcement positions that could result in an injury, a regulation that Spencer considers a massive overkill, and a blatant show of discrimination under the guise of protection. After all, one can't become a Section Chief, much less a Director of the FBI, without having any experience in the field.
Maybe it's for the best, though. He's quite satisfied with what he has accomplished so far in other fields, and reconnecting with Gideon after college and staying in contact with him throughout all the years that followed allowed him to be indirectly involved with the BAU through the man.
Still, when Gideon called him yesterday and asked him to become a consultant for his old BAU unit, Spencer was ecstatic. He didn't even hesitate for a second and promptly cancelled all his appointments. At night, he could barely sleep, too excited about fulfilling his lifelong dream, and didn't even need to drink coffee in the morning, which is quite a feat, considering his addiction to caffeine and sugar.
Once he arrives at the FBI headquarters, his hands tremble as he pins a guest badge to his vest. He's actually going to be helping the BAU on a case, it feels almost unreal. His knees feel like jelly as he goes to the elevator and presses the button. When the elevator finally stops on the 8th floor, he stumbles out, almost knocking into a very eccentric-looking, plump blond lady, which he immediately recognizes as Penelope Garcia, the only Omega on the team.
“I'm so sorry,” he mumbles. “I'm usually not that clumsy, I swear.”
“Don't worry about it, sugar,” Garcia says with a kind smile, even though her coffee did spill a little. “Who are you looking for?”
“Um, Agent Hotchner. I'm supposed to meet with him regarding some unsolved case that you guys have been struggling with? I'm Doctor Spencer Reid, by the way.”
“Oh, you're that nerdy doctor who Agent Gideon spoke so highly about!” She gushes, her cute carrot-shaped earrings dangling back and forth. “I'm Penelope Garcia, and Agent Hotchner is in that conference room on the right, brainstorming with the team. Go on, they're probably waiting for you.”
“I will, thank you!” He grins like a loon, feeling elated at finally meeting someone he only knew from Gideon's stories.
Being a teenager, he had imagined this moment for numerous times, and now it's finally happening. He knocks on the door and goes in, only to be met with a furious scowl, unkind words and have the door shut nearly in his face.
That… isn't the warm welcome he expected, and the disappointment nearly threatens to suffocate him. He's torn between cold anger and bitter regret that he let himself be so emotionally vulnerable to actually be hurt by someone he's never met before. But the truth is, he might be a complete stranger to these people, but they all feel familiar to him, which makes the rejection all the more personal.
He curls his palms into fists and twirls around, ready to storm out and never come back, when a gentle voice calls after him.
“Excuse me, I'm Agent Jareau, can I help you with anything?”
He exhales slowly, trying to calm himself down before turning towards her. “I'm Doctor Spencer Reid, I was referred by Jason Gideon to assist with the case. If your unit chief didn't want my help, he could've let me know before I came here, it would have saved both of us the hassle.”
Her eyes widen nearly comically. “Oh my… I'm terribly sorry for the misunderstanding. Please wait a moment, I'll tell him that you're here for him.”
He shakes his head. “I'm not sure if I even want to work with someone who thinks it is acceptable to act this rude. Does he treat all civilians that way, or just Omegas?”
“We have all been on edge for much too long, Agent Hotchner the most,” she admits. “Sometimes, he can be a little harsh, but he's a good man, Doctor Reid. And we could really use your help with this case.”
She sounds sincere, and he reminds himself that his wounded pride isn't a priority at the moment, not when people's lives are at stake. “Very well, let's see if your unit chief can rein in his temper for long enough for me to actually introduce myself, much less to help with anything. I only came here as a courtesy to my friend, and I can just as easily leave.”
She tilts her head curiously, as if she can't figure him out, and it's totally fine with him. He can't count the number of people who expected him to be shy and meek just because he's an Omega, only for him to prove to them that he's anything but.
He's no longer that little boy dreaming of becoming an FBI agent when he grows up; he's a self-made man, an accomplished scientist, inventor and entrepreneur, who carved every bit of his success with his own hands and mind. And if meeting the BAU team didn't exactly live up to his expectations… Well, he still has plenty of other dreams to fulfill.